A Name to Know: Ficus Interfaith
Our monthly spotlight on a rising artist
Ficus Interfaith is an artist duo you should know. Made up of Raphael Martinez Cohen (who chose the word Ficus) and Ryan Bush (who chose the word Interfaith), the two have shared a practice since meeting at RISD as undergrads. Their interests lie in the exploration of ‘lost arts’ and what can be both resurrected and reconfigured in meaning and form through the process of revival. One such art material that has played heavily into their practice as of of late is terrazzo, an ancient material that the duo refashions into their own through the addition of aggregate they accumulate through their own life experiences. This year, the duo will be creating and exhibiting new bodies of work that use compelling historical inquiries as their jumping off point.
Name: Ficus Interfaith
Mode: Sculpture
Homebase: Queens, NY
INSIDE THE STUDIO
How much of the process of working together feels spontaneous vs pre planned?
Ryan: I would say 99% is preplanned, even our “experiments” mostly adhere to the scientific method e.g. observation, question, hypothesis etc. Sometimes the results are not what we expected but rarely do they feel random. Also, there are many left-field moments of spontaneity when we’re generating ideas and making drawings but that occurs individually.
Raph: I think most of the process has to be pre-planned by necessity just because two people working together have to communicate before acting. There are still spontaneous moments but I would say for the most part they either come at the very beginning or the very end.
What about terrazzo as a material interests you?
Ryan: Terrazzo is ubiquitous – it is an ancient material that has been used for thousands of years. It is also brand new, covering most airports, museums and schools all over the world. Most people know what terrazzo is but don’t know they know what it is. This provides a wonderful vehicle of accessibility. Terrazzo is a material that can provide a narrative illustratively and conceptually; a drawing of an oyster or actual oyster shells from a dinner party – or both!
Raph: I like that at its most basic level terrazzo is really just an amalgamation of random stuff and concrete. Most of the time that means rocks and concrete, but the aggregate can also be glass, shell or any other thing suitably hard enough. Some suitable material for us has been peach pits, oyster shells, metal shavings, deer bones, and nutmeg. Some unsuitable things —date pits and skittles jelly beans. In this way, material = subject. I also like that it is a human made material that dances in and out of the realm of a faux finish, not-quite-but-almost approximating naturally occurring stones like a special granite made up of many different mineral deposits.
tldr - The way it's made and the way it looks.
What do you consider the biggest upside to working as a duo?
Ryan: Working beyond myself allows me to create things I never thought I could. Beyond the systems of cooperation we have created, making something you cannot carry alone or making an artwork you had only a partial hand in conceiving opens many doors. My dreams become bigger – yes literally but more meaningfully, in a sort of cerebral way, by embracing someone else’s ideas and visions.
Raph: Probably the sense of responsibility to the other person… I feel kind of sad saying that is the biggest upside because I do believe our studio has a sense of play and fun that is really engaging and wonderful so “responsibility" sounds wrong, but the heaviness of the material and the labor involved makes it seem like a responsibility a lot of the time. Building a studio practice together has been very interesting. When we are working together and one of us begins to question something, that question can be asked and answered out loud and right away. Very different from an internal dialogue navigating creative impulses alone. Also sometimes we fight and that can elicit some quick and violent decision making which a lot of the time is very clarifying.
OUTSIDE THE STUDIO
What were your first jobs?
Ryan: I was a cashier and gift wrapper at an educational toy store for all of high school, Kazoo & Company in Denver, Colorado.
Raph: My first job was working at a farmers market for a vegetable farm in the Hudson Valley. Later in high school I worked at a toy store that specializes in educational toys and teacher supplies. That store had an amazing sticker section. Now, on the weekends I work at a farmers market for my friend's bakery (ACQ Bread Co in Carroll Gardens has the best bread in NYC) and during the week our studio does at times have the feeling of a factory for classroom charts and educational toys.
Do you prefer late nights or early mornings?
Ryan: Late nights but I’m slowly becoming a morning person! Or at least I want to be.
Raph: Early morning. I like the light and I like the ritual I have of waking up and making coffee and greeting the cat before the day starts.
What was the last topic you disagreed on?
Ryan: The silhouette of table legs for some upcoming tables. . . final decision TBD.
Raph: I feel like there are some topics that we actively disagree on right now! There are always ongoing debates about various things. Mostly table legs.
