2025 July // every.single.one.

4K (UHD) single-channel video w/ sound. 8:43

The home gardens, prairies, orchard, woodlands where the artist, Cherie Sampson, lives set the mise-en-scène for a series of self-administered honeybee “stinging rituals” over a period of several months in 2021. A team of Australian researchers recently discovered that the active substance in honeybee venom, melittin, has demonstrated a capacity to induce cell death in two types of aggressive breast cancers: Triple-negative and HER2. As a survivor of TNBC, Sampson engaged this symbolic act, calling attention to the need for more natural or other forms of cancer therapy that may one day offer alternatives to toxic treatments. Footage of the foraging patterns of honeybees and other native pollinators of the Midwest that illustrate the diverse life in healthy ecosystems are juxtaposed with images of the stinging rites. (I wish to note that the stinging ‘rites’ occurred after I was in remission, not during my active treatment prescribed by my cancer care team.)

Camera: Cherie Sampson & Radim Schreiber
Post-production: Cherie Sampson
Musical elements & production: Charles Gran

* Duffy, C., Sorolla, A., Wang, E. et al. Honeybee venom and melittin suppress growth factor receptor activation in HER2-enriched and triple-negative breast cancer. npj Precis. Onc. 4, 24 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41698-020-00129-0

Both videos running on the TV monitors are $2000 each. This includes all equipment. The videos themselves are in editions of 10. The price for a single video work alone is $1000.

In either case, the buyer will receive a “signed” master copy of the video as an Mp4 file on a flash drive (signature will appear in the video itself with edition #). The buyer retains full screening rights and may make copies for personal (not commercial) use. Copies cannot be resold. A contract with the buyer will be set up explaining their screening and copying rights in more detail. (Equipment includes Sony Bravia TV monitor, headphones, flash drive with video installed)