Hasta La Ideas

Kudos to New York, which this week announced that it has embarked on the downright rare project of a magazine launch—and in the shelter category, no less. New York Design Hunting will debut in May, just in time for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (May 19-22 in NYC), under the editorial leadership of New York design editor Wendy Goodman. The standalone magazine will feature her “aspirational and practical” approach to home design, according to a press release issued yesterday. Expect the annual publication to “combine features, service journalism, and comprehensive listings, and deliver the gorgeous photography and smart writing that readers expect from New York,” and possibly a clawfoot bathtub covered in golden glass tiles, if the prototype cover (pictured) is any indication. Why launch a home design title now? Believe it or not, ad pages in the home category climbed by double-digits in 2011. “There’s momentum that I haven’t seen in the past,” New York magazine publisher Larry Burstein told WWD earlier this week. “We are having a shelter moment.”

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Our look at the art direction behind Dasha Zhukova’s creatively uncompromising publication

Now in its second issue, GARAGE magazine is the brainchild of Russia’s most fashionable philanthropist and edgy art aficionado Dasha Zhukova. The industrious young entrepreneur perpetually proves that pushing the envelope doesn’t have to take an in-your-face approach, and the magazine is the latest example of her ability to seamlessly combine elegance with grit.

Issue No.1’s ink-focused theme featured three different covers, and the Hedi Slimane image of a sexy Damien Hirst-designed butterfly tattoo had the magazine banned in bookshops, which art director Mike Meiré says actually worked in their favor. Curious about the controversial cover, people were desperately seeking out the magazine. The current issue—illustrated by Cologne-based street artist David Jäger, a.k.a. 1,99—may appear to have taken things down a notch with its whimsical illustration of fairytale figures, but further scrutiny reveals a “very modern tale” in which a pregnant Harry the Hare is about to marry his beau, Frederick the Fox.

We checked in with Meiré—who also art directs the German culture magazine 032c—to learn more about the bi-annual publication’s ability to tackle gay marriage and other societal matters with artistic grace. Issue No.2 launches today at international news stands and Colette.

Where does the name “GARAGE” come from?

In 2008, Dasha founded the IRIS Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting contemporary culture. It is housed in one of Russia’s architectural masterpieces, the former Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage, designed in 1926 by the Constructivist architect, Konstanin Melnikov. Actually the place itself has given its name GARAGE. And Dasha called the magazine consequently the same thing, which makes complete sense because the magazine works on the edge of art as well.

What role did you play, if any, in forming the issue’s theme of Homosexual Wedding?

The “Homosexual Wedding” theme was already set up when I met Dasha, Becky Poostchi and Joan Juliet Buck during summer 2011 in Nice. The first issue was pretty much a success. We had an incredible line-up with maybe some of the most influential artists of our time, like Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, John Baldessari, Jeff Koons, Raymond Pettibon, Dinos Chapman and Nick Knight. With the second issue we wanted to focus on one specific theme. We were all thinking about relationships, dating and sex. How the Internet is changing our society…but I guess the main inspiration came from Asian artist Yayoi Kusama‘s “Homosexual Wedding” performance she had staged in New York in 1968. Kusama’s artistic relevance was recently rediscovered by the art world. Her dots have inspired the fashion landscape big time. The Tate Modern in London has a big show on her now. In general, for GARAGE it’s inspiration through the interplay of art and fashion.

There are a lot of rainbow-hued overlays on many of the fashion spreads, does this have to do with the magazine’s theme in any way?

I think it’s just in the air. Flooded everyday with crisis here and there people start longing for optimism. A rainbow is as well always a symbol of freedom and day dreaming. A meta sign of ideality and new potential. Using this typical color code within several images we try to remember ourselves that we need to dream a better reality from time to time.

What do you feel makes a magazine visually compelling?

It’s visual identity. The overall feel. It’s attitude. The way it communicates with its readers. I like it when a magazine doesn’t try to sell me something. I just wanna be inspired and feel the energy of our times. The fact that I started my own magazine APART already in the early ’80s shows I am really into magazines. I look at magazines like the manifest of a certain group of people. I am rather interested in designing attitudes than styles.

What are some of the artistic differences between 032c and Garage?

Obviously the size of 032c is much smaller than GARAGE. This demands a completely different design concept. GARAGE to me is a strong visual experimental journey. Every double spread leaves its marks and stains from the working process. Everything is handmade, scanned, manipulated and composed. Even the typography is based on a software we have programmed where the letters appear randomly. Just to get back this kind of Letraset effect from the pre-desktop decade. An endless search for the right balance between control and coincidence.

GARAGE works without any grid. Normally every magazine these days is based on a grid. Which makes it easier for the designer. Maybe for the reader too. But at the same time it feels much too corporate to me. And more and more people are looking for an alternatives nowadays. Since we had our first wave of digital e-papers for the iPad, we realize the staying beauty and radical force of paper again. With GARAGE I want to bring back the excitement of creating magazines with no boundaries in our heads.

032c works like a manual. Every area of each page is packed with content. Barely empty space. The color code is based around aggressive complementary red and green. An elegance pushed towards brutality. Some stretched fonts, demolished typography. This is how the redesign started in 2007. With the recent one we have started to change the atmosphere again. Let’s see where we go from here…

Is the editorial content inside something you concern yourself with when formatting either magazine’s aesthetic?

When I redesigned 032c five years ago people hated me. They were so angry at me because of the stretched fonts. People came up with this label called “New Ugly”. Which I never had in mind be honest. I was just looking for a rougher and darker beauty. I got tired of these good-looking-but-no-meaning magazines. Anyway I am not interested in a particular style. I am very much concerned about creating a unique personality for each magazine I am responsible for. Every magazine is run by a different board of people. I try to decode their desire to put out something they believe in, and shape it the way people will recognize it later. I am an art director and I have to make sure that each issue gets its lasting moment in our economy of attention.

What makes you artistically happy?

When people let me do. When they trust me. I am anyway my maximum critic.
I have been working on magazines already for more than 25 years. I guess I have learned my lessons by now. And I am still curious for the next issue to come…

First look at the second issue of the Lindsay Lohan-focused zine by Bibiru and The Wormholes

The 25-year-old actress-singer-jailbird Lindsay Lohan has attracted as much publicity off-screen as she has for her roles in slasher films and family comedies alike. The hijinks that have led her in and out of rehab centers and through the criminal justice system has always left us wondering whether she’s a celebrity trainwreck or a brilliant self-publicist—or both.

Late last year Mexican-American artist Bibiru and his cohorts The Wormholes put together a 56-page zine dedicated to Lohan, a brilliantly titled, vaguely tongue-in-cheek tribute that captured massive attention and prompted renewed reflection on her undeniable beauty.

Bibiru is following up on the black-and-white zine’s success with a second issue dropping in the coming days, and a third in the works. “We The Wormholes love Her Majesty and we believe she’s here to teach humanity about love,” says Bibiru. “She has a naturally ability to cast a spell over millions.”

Bibiru jokes that the images were beamed down from extraterrestrial friends but then, in a brief moment of serious reflection, admits the project seems to be running away with itself, seemingly fueled by Lohan’s controversial stronghold on pop culture. He’s not surprised, though—“We felt its power but didn’t know what to expect.”

The second issue is due to drop this week, and will sell for $7.

The new print project from a promising Danish art student

At just 18 years old, Danish art student Christian Andersen is already striking out on his own with a highly detailed and imaginative publication called Creative Future. Working out of his room in his parents’ basement, Andersen spends “hours upon hours” creating what he thinks of more as an art project than a magazine, with a goal to “inspire and lift the creative spirits within.” Having just released the second edition, Andersen is very much the major operating act behind each issue, but says that, overall, “Creative Future is really a collaborative project, because it’s formed by everyone who’s been a part of the creative process since the first pencil line was drawn.”

In addition to the print project, Andersen updates his website with a host of other thoughtful works, using a laptop covered in Supreme stickers to bring his colorful style to videos (be sure to check out “The Street Aesthetic of New York City“), paintings, photography and even furniture. With clearly a bright future ahead of him, we recently asked Anderson to tell us more about the making of Issue #2, what inspires him and how he manages to be so productive. Read the interview below, and pick up the latest edition of Creative Future online, which includes a hand-painted puzzle by San Francisco-based cover artist Aaron De La Cruz.

In what ways is the publication itself a work of art?

Looking away from the content, I really think it is the way the publication is presented. When we create Creative Future we go through a long process, choosing the right materials for the issue. Every magazine we’ve put out so far has literally been put together by hand. And that’s one of the major reasons why we think each magazine is an artwork in itself. None of them are exactly the same. Besides that, the main feature of each issue gets the chance to design the cover and an exclusive item for the project. In this issue Aaron De La Cruz did an amazing job hand-painting 50 limited puzzles to include in Issue #2, all hand-numbered and signed in his studio in San Francisco. I think it is those kinds of things that makes Creative Future special.

It’s not just another magazine featuring a couple of articles and interviews. We put hours upon hours into the small details of each the issue, by experimenting with different design techniques, types of paper and packaging. That is also why we don’t set a specific release date for our publications before we are 100% satisfied with the content and look. We don’t want to compromise if it affects the quality of the publication.

You chose the work of Aaron De La Cruz for the cover, what strikes you most about his style?

Aaron is a really talented artist who has an incredible story to tell. I think the thing that strikes me most about his style is how he manages to stay consistent, yet innovative about his work. The very minimalistic look in his artworks sets some special parameters and limitations where he can express himself freely and creatively. This is also one of the reasons why his art is recognizable. When you first look at his artworks they may see simple at first, but it is sometimes important to understand the higher meanings in the broad range of mediums Aaron uses. As he says, “Just because you don’t literally see it doesn’t mean that its not there.” So I really think the ideas and visions behind his style are what strike me the most.

Is street art the medium you find most inspirational?

I think street art and the whole culture surrounding it are very inspirational and motivating. The thing that strikes me most about street art is the fact that the world of street art is constantly evolving and reinventing itself. The great thing about street art is that it refuses rules of categorization, but at the same time connects with the traditional art world. It might be illegal, but I wouldn’t consider it pure vandalism. I do find a lot of inspiration in street art and art done in the streets, but as far as my favorite medium goes, I think it’s a mix of more than just one medium.

So even though I’m not a hardcore street artist, I still think street art and graffiti are very interesting, especially because they’re part of this generation’s modern society. All over the world, there are magazines, art galleries and websites dedicated to street art and graffiti. That kind of thing wasn’t around just two decades ago, so I definitely think that we’ll see more street art and urban art forms in the future. The attitude towards street art is constantly changing.

How would you describe your own style? Would you say the magazine reflects that?

I think the Creative Future Project is a great reflection of my own style and I somehow think there is a connection between Creative Future and the career I am trying to establish in art. I think my own style is very energetic, colorful and quite contemporary. I find a lot of inspiration in urban art forms, as I mentioned, so without knowing it, I think there’s a connection between my art and the Creative Future Project. With the Creative Future Project I have the chance to speak with some of the artists I’m inspired by. I think my own style is still progressing and developing, so by being able to speak with other artists in industry, I somehow learn new things. So while I’m not locked onto one particular way of doing things, I think the Creative Future Project somehow helps me to explore and learn. I’m still experimenting with different mediums and techniques in art myself, so with only one year behind me as an artist I find it hard to describe and define my style.

What is one of your favorite aspects of this issue?

I really like the fact that we have been able to go beyond what we have done previously. We have been able to experiment a bit more in this issue compared to Issue #1, so I really think we’ve set the bar a little higher in this issue. We have not only reinforced the look, layout and quality, but also managed to include some very interesting features and interviews. So by attacking the unfamiliar and unknown with new creative approaches, I feel we’ve been able to take the Creative Future Project to the next level. In terms of my favorite aspects of the issue, I really like what Aaron has contributed. He has just done an incredible job on the puzzles. Besides that, I’m really satisfied with the look and quality of this issue. When comparing this issue with our first publication, I really see a positive transition.

How do you manage so many successful projects?

Even though it’s sometimes hard to manage it all at the same time, especially with school running on the side, I think you will be able to make things work if you’re dedicated and hard-working. You only live once. Do the things you love, and enjoy the people around you. In order to make a change you need to stay curious and believe in what you do. If you want things bad enough, they will happen.

What makes you most excited about the future?

I’m really exited to see how my art and Creative Future will develop in the next couple of years. My future is quite uncertain because I’m still in school. I’ll be done in a year and a half and I have absolutely no clue of where I am headed, so I really think it is quite exiting to see where I’ll be in just two years. I feel like my art projects are starting to look very promising and the uncertainty just makes me hungry for more. I feel like I have a lot more to accomplish and achieve in the future and my mind is currently filled with ideas and visions for future projects.

I really find the uncertainty very motivating and exciting. I guess I’ll just continue working towards an imaginary goal. I don’t know what it is yet.

New year, new masthead additions! Over at Fortune, Emily Kehe (pictured) has been doing the heavy lifting on the art side since August, when creative director John Korpics left the Time Inc. title to get sporty, as vice president and creative director for print and digital media for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com. Kehe jumped into designing Fortune covers and layouts, overseeing the iPad edition, and managing the department, according to managing editor Andy Serwer. “So much so that when it came time to find a permanent replacement for John, and while we did consider other candidates, I really needed to look no further than a few doors down to Emily’s office,” he wrote in an e-mail announcing Kehe’s appointment as design director. A native of Colorado, she studied publication design and photography at the University of Miami School of Communication before working at publications including The Miami Herald and The Boston Globe. Kehe began her career at Fortune as a freelancer in 2008 and later returned to help Korpics with the magazine’s 2010 redesign.

And over at New York, editor-in-chief Adam Moss and photography director Jody Quon have tapped Christoper Anderson as the magazine’s first photographer-in-residence, a position created both to showcase his work and deepen New York’s commitment to original photography. “We thought that we could be the ideal outlet for Chris to explore his painter’s palette of image-making,” said Quon in a statement issued Monday by the magazine. “Chris’s commitment to journalism combined with his range of artistry makes him the perfect partner for the magazine.” Anderson, an acclaimed photographer and member of Magnum Photos, will shoot editorial work exclusively for New York on an array of subjects in a full range of styles, from photojournalism to portraiture to conceptual work. His photography will appear regularly beginning with this week’s issue, which features Anderson’s surveillance-style photos in its “Classifieds” cover story.

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