So, the reading matter. There are topics for comics, noise zines, transgressive zines etc... But there are much more than the vaguely "same" underground scene that can be interesting. Once in a while you find very interesting things from sources what didn't expect, since magazines was filed in fashion section or photography or architecture, which you might not regularly check out.
(http://www.smagazine.com/jpg/06_mag/cover.jpg)
I remember well the case of
S magazine. Danish fashion/art/erotic magazine. Latest issue is #13. #6 I bought the first, but it was solely due naked woman on cover. It caught my eye in bookstore among fashion magazines and when browsing it further, it wasn't your regular Vogue at all. It's like erotic/sex mag blended with art and fashion. And with very little of commercial brand conscious BS. You don't have to see almost any advertising in it. If there is spread of naked chick in neat b/w photo, there might be small text in corner who made the shoes, but that's all.
Magazine just established office also in NYC (besides Copenhagen). Website seems to be under work, but blog is there:
http://www.smagazine.com/blog/2011/11/24/new-issue/
Sample pictures? Well, each issue varies. Some are great, some merely good. A little bit here, but hardly a good sample due each magazine is c. 250 pages in full A4. Compared to size of those monstrous issues, price is cheap. In Finland, I guess Akateeminen Kirjakauppa is only distributor, but around europe, I guess bigger professional magazine dealers should have it in shelves. Especially in old issues, it's very vague. You can hardly find the name of magazine anywhere, or maybe not realize it really is just "S". In later issues it have often had clearer "S-Magazine" type logo.
some samples:
http://www.thequietfront.com/home/tag/iselin-steiro
http://www.lifeiscarbon.com/weblog/2012/03/sexy-shameless-sweaty-and-scandinavian.html
(http://www.printedmatter.org/cover_images/pist%2070.jpg)
Another pretty decent Danish magazine seems to be
PIST PROTTA.
QuoteEach issue of the experimental Danish art magazine Pist Protta employs an original layout design and conceptual premise. For issues 65 through 70, the editors have decided to "pretend to be a normal Danish art magazine," which may be the strangest strategy to date. With text almost exclusively in Danish
Issue 70 is the last one, from 2011. It's bigger than A4. Kind of stupid tabloid type of size, too big for most of book shelves. But this glossy paper printed art mag is this time like collage of weird avantgarde, surreal, erotica etc. Big page may have Paul Macgarthy "spaghettiman" image next to bondage and weird vintage images. Next pages with sculptures, newspaper clippings or close-up of fat womans hairy cunt. Most text is in danish, but merely short info text below images. Magazine has been around since 1981, but I happened to find it by accident, being lured by curiosity to check out what damn thing is sticking out of shelves in bookstore.
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9xSHxfX-u0k/Rq6Z3SpoueI/AAAAAAAAABk/4Mns1NXDrwU/s1600/Silvershotz+cover.jpg)
Silvershotz must be my favorite photo magazine. I think early on, it was much more focused on large format photography and fine-art prints. Each issue would include mindblowing images, but also articles of various vintage photo developing processes etc. It is very collector oriented and very artsy. And there is kind of noble arrogance there. But at the same time, later issues has been very open also for digital photography and even one issue with extensive piece (and cover art) of iPhone photo artists. Each issue 100 pages, with several pages per artists.
http://www.silvershotz.com/
About quality of contributors, maybe Finns can be interested in Kati Leinonen.
http://katileinonen.com/
http://www.frantisekstrouhal.com/
The latter guy uses bromoil prints, making sometimes ghostly images more of pictorialism than standard clean photos. They also put out annual Folio, which is all about artists works, no articles or such.
No sleaze or transgressive stuff, but total magick of craftmanship can be found from many issues.
I'm interested in suggestions, links, etc of ART, EROTIC, CULTURE, RELIGION, DEATH, ARCHITECTURE, etc... please no music, no sports, hi-fi etc. Preferably unusual, not trivial pop culture & consumerism.
Great thread! I hope there is a ton of stuff out there that I've missed. Since you put architecture as a subject I thought I'll mention SITE magazine. http://www.sitemagazine.net/site/ SITE is highly pretentious and very philosophical it is approach.
For Finn's I can recommend few magazines, unfortunately only in Finnish:
HERMEETIKKO. Conspiracy, occult, hidden information, pseudo science. Magazine is just shifting into tabloid format. It's good reading for the wild theories and various kinds of nonsense "science" and free-form history studies. If you rather believe the nordic landscape is not molded by iceage, but cosmic plasma bursts, then magazine could be your interest. Several issues also deal with Ior Bock related stuff.
http://www.hermeetikko.net/
VÄÄRINAJATTELIJA. Easily the best written anarchist magazine in Finland right now. Forget the Kapinatyöläinen and such working class relics. Väärinajattelija includes both original texts and translations from abroad. Includes all sorts of topics, 5 issues out, 6th coming.
http://www.vaaris.org/
I've been wanting to post about a Japanese magazine since this thread went up but I had to find it in the many moving boxes that now hold my shit... but today I found it.
Shincho Mook aka Miss Actress - I found this the last week I was in Japan so I only was able to grab a few issues but basically its a photography magazine where an ever changing cast of photographers get young Japanese actresses and idols to pose in also sorts of softcore type positions. It sounds lame but the photography is actually really nice and in the issues I have there's lots of leather, very filthy sets etc. But still quite tasteful. I have one special issue that's all pop idols with long bios and at the end they get them nekked. Some of the issues are quite vanilla but it's still worth checking out. The one issue I have that's really good is 117.
Talking of Japanese magazine. I may have talked of some of them before in old topics, but lets gather here:
QuoteNot sure if this comes out once a year or more, but every time I have been in Japan, there is new issue. But not many. I think now is out in total of.. 5 or 6 issues? It's all japanese language, but heavy on the visuals. Filled with dolls, obscure theater, photography, illustration, sculptures, reviews of books, dvd's etc. Always well illustrated, so even if you can't really read what they say, these heavy B5/160 pages books are like treasuremaps to subcultural art.
Always issue is specialized on something, but offers still plenty on all fields. 2009 issue is Monstrers and Freaks issue. Medical photos, vintage photos of malformed / deformed people. Freaks.
In europe, perhaps Timeless is the place to grab these. 21 euro each isn't bad. Xavier has couple issues in stock:
http://www.timeless-shop.com/description.php?lang=2&path=4&sort=Ref&page=0&id=448&search_query=yaso
http://www.timeless-shop.com/description.php?lang=2&path=4&sort=Ref&page=0&id=889&search_query=yaso
I recall mentioning also TH magazine, maybe makes it easier to talk with full name: TALKING HEADS. Almost 50 issues out. It is the typical Japanese "magazine" size. Thick couple hundred pages. Less elegant compared to Yaso, and more b/w pages and more japanese text, but also plenty of great visuals. In short: Art & Dance & Literature magazine. Check out previews of some pages of issue 42 found here:
http://www.akatako.net/japanese-art/talking-heads-no-42-magazine
I collect Vice magazines mainly because they're free.
Vice have had good issues or partially good issues, but in many ways it is also magazine which is culmination of many things wrong in contemporary "subcultures".
Another Japanese magazine I should mention is:
I-DOLOID
It's hard to say how many exactly has been published, but now in my hands is I-Doloid vista 3, but it also says "no. 358"... Could there be close to 400 issues of this nowadays? Who know. Probably! There's I-doloid vista, i-doloid petie, i-doloid petie manix and such series.
So what it is about? Doll sex magazine! From small japanese collectibles to real-doll type of stuff. Including such lolita section, even if it's about dolls, I have my doubts about possibilities of distributing stuff like this in west? They have photo series of clothed or naked dolls. In acts or just posing. They have also guides about making dolls and ads/addressies of places in Tokyo related to the scene. They present pictures & measurements almost like model magazine, but if you know companies such as "Make Pure", you know the dolls will be rough and most certainly bordering the moral limits. I'm sure it's nothing illegal, but ordering your custom made sex doll will probably raise some questions when customs opens your shipment, HAH! Those interested in what kind of product Make Pure offers, google will give you details. One of the issues had interview with the man behind the company, I think. With pictures of him making dolls.
http://www.coremagazine.co.jp/idoloid/idolo/img/idoloputi6big.jpg
http://www.coremagazine.co.jp/idoloid/backnumber.html
Most certainly good example how Japan has some of the most bizarre subcultures AND magazines. It's neat glossy professional magazine available in regular comic shops and such places. Although K-18 area of course. And also good example how magazine that has been published intense amount of issues, may be something you just don't come across other than accidentally.
anyone collects or has any issue of 90s japanese mag called TOONEGATIVE?
timeless shop carries some issues for 35eu each , not cheap but theyre thick (200 pages) and look excellent judging from samples on site and description of contents: "Collection of grotesque art, S/M + bondage photos, medical art, death scene, autopsy,". been tempted to grab one for some time.
I use to have a couple of issues of Too Negative but sold'em. They were pretty cool. Not sure if an issue is worth spending 35eu's on...
I'd like to see an issue of Ultra-Negative, which Trevor Brown told me at the time, did not live up to the original .
I got 8 issues. I think it depends on issue which are worth 35,- and which not. Some has more artistic and "innovative" stuff, while others may have merely gory, violent and erotic.
Talking of erotic - not blatant pornographic magazine, there used to be one in UK simply called Erotica. Midsummer Books in London UK put it out in early 90's. I believe 8 issues. I should have them all, but quick look to shelves looked like there was just 8... Got to organize a bit later on...
It's mix of art photography and erotic literature. Noble looking cover with textured cream color cardboard with small photo and golden lettering. Doesn't look like "sex magazines". Includes many well known fine art photographers and some lesser known. You can still get these for 10 pounds or so in 2nd hand book dealers, I think. Tried to find some info online, and few links to 2nd hand copies was only thing I could find.
does Too Negative & Ultra Negative is the same mag ?
Quote from: Bleak Existence on May 24, 2012, 09:03:50 PM
does Too Negative & Ultra Negative is the same mag ?
Not entirely. I recall there was interview with they guy or some sort of history of magazine written somewhere? I think original editor was involved in both, but he left after few issues and Too Negative lost the innovative & artistic approach in favor of simply grotesque. It was published by s/m magazine company anyways, who probably thought reprinting photos of corpses and deformed fetuses is easier content than Trevor Brown paintings? I recall he did some issues later by himself of lesser print quality? Vague memories about the infos...
Too Negative is some brilliant stuff... I wish I'll manage to get some more before they're sold out at Timeless. Speaking of Xavier, I just read this:
CURATED BY TIMELESS
Edition of 125 ex, numbered.
This third screen-printed zine from our "Curated by"series is curated by Timeless. It inclued following artists:
- Philip Best (pages 4, 8, 9) - Trevor Brown (pages 6, 13, 14) - Sarah Froelich (pages 2, 3, 10) - Gea (1, 5, 11, 12) - JG Thirlwell (pages 6, 13, 16)
For this "Curated by", the editor of Timeless zines & books invited 5 international artists. Philip Best is a pioneer of power electronics, who formed the band Consumer Electronics in 1982 and joined Whitehouse in 1983. Trevor Brown is an English cult artist living in Japan whose work explores paraphilias. JG Thirlwell is solely responsible for the musical output of the australian band Foetus. Gea is a self taught artist & UFOlogist. She is born in Chile and resides in NYC. As for Sarah Froelich, she is a "scenester art student dilettante with a hatred of clothing and love of heavy metal", as well as bandmember of a band named Consumer Electronics.
http://www.timeless-shop.com/description.php?lang=2&sort=id&target=new&page=0&id=1582 (http://www.timeless-shop.com/description.php?lang=2&sort=id&target=new&page=0&id=1582)
Anyone remembers Morbid Curiosity? Found a few issues while cleaning out my attic. Some of the content is worth reading.... I think it was same publishing house who did Ongaku Otaku.
Morbid Curiosity was the wife of guy who did Ongaku Otaku. I was just browsing one issue while ago.
DEGENERATE - Trash History For The Gentle Reader (...nah, it is not the Degenerate we all know)
I found the #5 issue of this by accident. It is a good read about history but for sure not in the style of a "history class lesson".
You can get #5 here: http://www.tartanplace.com/tartanillus/pavelic_degenerate.pdf (http://www.tartanplace.com/tartanillus/pavelic_degenerate.pdf)
Just a quick bump on this thread to mention that Taschen is right now selling this amazing set of 1940s/50s Arts & Architecture magazine, 10 vol box set, complete reprints. Looks stunning, so I'm thinking £150 for the set is a pretty sweet deal. RRP was $700.
http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/architecture/all/03888/facts.arts_architecture_1945_54_the_complete_reprint.htm
(http://i-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com/images/uploads/07.31.arts_and_architecture.jpg)
Looking forward to this journal soon out on Creation Books.
(http://www.creationbooks.com/creation-book-covers/9781840681895.jpg)
http://www.creationbooks.com/creation-pages/creationnewtitles.html (http://www.creationbooks.com/creation-pages/creationnewtitles.html)
Nieves Books.
Fanzines by artists, directors, plus. Versatile selection.
http://www.nieves.ch/ (http://www.nieves.ch/)
ODISEO volume, no 1.
http://folchstudio.com/stories/odiseo-issue-1
QuoteOdiseo is an independent publication for adult entertainment appealing to the confident and intelligent man of today. It includes a selection of stories with an erotic point of view, paired with the most cutting edge ideas in an exquisite uncoated smooth paper.
Publication Details 104 pages Format: 16,5 x 24 cm Paper: eural 90 g/sm (4+4) + gloss varnish Cover: invercote g 200 g/sm paper (4+2) laminated Binding: rustic sewn Print run: 1000 units
so what we have here? Full color artsy nude photosets and in middle you suddenly find interesting interview with John Cage and essays about Charles Darwin and Franz Liszt! It's kind of weird concept when you think of it. Semi fashionable nude shoots and material for intelligent men? I guess 1000 copies worldwide is the expected target audience! HAH!
Good thing is, that unlike vast majority of fashion/erotic/mens interest magazines, this is not cluttered by advertisements, but simply 100% content. No ads, no bullshit.
There is quite little to read, and their 3 different covers idea is kind of turn off for me.. but I'm all in favor for attempts to approach "sex mags" from some alternative angle.
ah, and to add... Check out the folchstudio link given above. Magazines designer & art director runs the publishing company that put this out. He does mainly fashion design, lay-outs for magazines, catalogues, typographical design etc. Therefore quite far from usual sleazy lay-outs.
well, lets put one more today.
2013 debut issue of THE OPERA !
(https://www.kerberverlag.com/uploads/tx_saltkerbershop/Opera_Magazine_Blick_nominiert_01.jpg)
I have never seen any very interesting erotic / nude titles of Kerber, but I guess they should exists? At least they start this new magazine for classic & contemporary nude photography with great taste!
Browse few pages in slideshow at:
https://www.kerberverlag.com/en/no_cache/productsearch/controller/Search/action/show/product/1995.html
200 pages in A4 size, soft cover, but basically would qualify as "art book" instead of magazine.
Barron Claiborne, Bart Hess, Bear Kirkpatrick, Christian Coigny, Christian Kettiger, Christian Witkin, Cynthia Berger, David Bellemere, David Lindsey Wade, David Spaeth, Elene Usdin, Eric Marrian, Imogen Cunningham, Jo Schwab, Joachim Baldauf, Jonathan Narducci, Kim Joon, Kirchknopf + Grambow, Jürgen Klauke, Madame Peripetie, Marc van Dalen, Michael Barolet, Mona Kuhn, Olivier Valsecchi, Quentin de Briey, René Fietzek, Ruben Brulat, Valeria Mitelman and many more.
Some art little bit average, too modern, too colorful or somehow lame to my taste, but that is still minority. There is great variety in approaches, but one could say, mostly older works stand out and those who have eye for classic beauty like Christian Coigny.
Perhaps little bit pricey title, but I guess there won't be many issues per year..
TISSUE
bought 3rd issue. Now little regret not getting 2nd issue as well when I had the chance. This is art/sex magazine from Hamburg/Germany and issue 3 is 120+ pages, often in full color, kind of art magazine lay-out with Miroslav Tichy (drawings), Walter Dahn, Andy Warhol, Hans Petri, Walter Dahn and many more. Interview with guy who did 8 years art project taking photos of his mother having sex with strangers was pretty good. Most of articles are brief and not THAT useful is you know something of the subject before.
You can see video of "flip through magazine" on their site:
http://tissuemagazine.com/
ZOO magazine
(http://www.zoomagazine.de/files/images/1%20cover%20(1).jpg)
I have not seen any other issues but this latest, #37.
My assumption is that it's most of all "regular" fashion + art magazine, with leanings to "lifestyle" and whatever. But this particular issue immediately captured my attention due being Homage to Irina Ionesco. Includes plenty of her unpublished photos as well as pretty interesting long interview where she talks of her career, methods, models, her serious obsessions etc.
Lemmy /Motorhead interview is ok, but there's never anything new. All the talk of iron cross or "why you have rebel hat", drinking of jack daniels etc has been talked so many times..... Some artists features, including friends of Irina.
Of course it's brutal turn-off to open magazine and see first spread being Audi advertizement, but if you can get over that, this particular issue is pretty good mix of art and fashion - and latter happens often in semi-nude b/w manner.. Lots of topless stuff.
Thick as fuck. You can pre-view 75 pages at:
http://www.zoomagazine.de/the_magazine/current_issue/
N-Sphere Art MagazineQuoteA monthly magazine featuring visual arts in various forms, from the old to the new, from the camera to the needle point. Gradually expanding to form its own galaxy, the N-Sphere includes an interconnected section with the music world.
At the passing of 2012, N-Sphere Omega, our last issue, includes: Predrag Pajdic, Die Selektion, Enfant Terrible's Exploitation, Cult of Youth, Popovy Sisters, Cronenberg's Stereo, Stranger Than Fiction, Francesca Mele, Kyle Thompson, Vincent Bergerat, Aëla Labbé, John Santerineross' Désiré Project, Guido Cagnacci.
http://sfere.ro/nsphere
Abraxas Journal
Nice English journal about art the occult, witchcraft etc by Fulgar.
I think good quality production for the price and fairly large in size.
http://fulgur.co.uk/abraxas/
I have been following NY based photographer, Chris Arnade for quite some time now. His photography is focused on addiction and the people around it. Along with his photos, he shares few words about what was happening during that time and he also gives brief introduction about the person and his past. If I remember correctly, his work was already discussed on this forum but HERE's (http://www.flickr.com/photos/arnade) some of his works.
The main reason why I started rambling about the works of Arnade is because he introduced me to another photographer with the same focus, documenting addiction in Ottawa. The guy, namely Tony Fouhse, has already published an book which can be viewed HERE (http://straylightpress.com/collections/books/products/live-through-this). I personally find this form of photography very intriguing. Photos of shattered destinies and broken dreams. On the other hand, I also find it interesting to hear their stories and sort of "see the faces of addiction".
This might not be the right topic for this kind of photography but I wasn't able to find a better one.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1001794_509027162485370_376798345_n.jpg)
Yeah, I'm a subscriber of Rokko's Adventures since issue 2 and it's one of my favourites. Very interesting and insight articles and interviews about a wide range of themes, often also about 'typical' Austrian ones, like recently the 'Prater Freaks'. It was also where I found out first about the work of Rimaldas Viksraitis.
So if you can read German (only occasional articles are in English) - I can only recommend it.
I also got the mentioned book Avant garde from below for free (maybe because I always pay a bit more when renewing the
subscription)
Quote from: Bob on April 11, 2013, 05:59:15 PM
Abraxas Journal
Nice English journal about art the occult, witchcraft etc by Fulgar.
I think good quality production for the price and fairly large in size.
http://fulgur.co.uk/abraxas/
abraxas journal is a fine uk occult/art thing with super quality printing, good articles etc. their film/occult issue is especially worth looking into.