You all might remember Arkitip from April when we shared a post of their teamwork with Incase. They curate a quarterly line of products with them and Incase designed the custom packaging solutions for two of the issues here.
See more photos and information about specific issues after the jump.
1. Arkitip Issue No. 0048, Ryan McGinness
Issue Information:
McGinness makes his second appearance in Arkitip, the first being way back in Issue No. 0005, published in May 2000. Art Director Sas was first impressed by the artist in 1999, meeting him shortly after his picking up his book, Flatnessisgod. McGinness’ art career has flourished exponentially since that time. In addition to being represented by Deitch Galleries and Pace Prints, he has produced over 27 solo shows in galleries worldwide, and recently created a major exhibition as part of Art Basel Miami in 2008.
The book entitled Aesthetic Comfort is published by Arkitip on the occasion of the Aesthetic Comfort exhibitions in the Fall of 2008. This artist’s book features details of McGinness’ paintings converted to coarse halftones and printed in 4 fluorescent inks: orange, yellow, pink, and green. It will accompany each issue edition, which is packaged in a custom designed box made exclusively for Arkitip by Incase.
McGinness has been accurately described as “A Warhol for the 21st Century” (Black Book) and “a leading pioneer of the new semiotics” (Vogue). Using iconic representations of logos and symbols, he weaves and spins them into something supremely elegant.
2. Arkitip Issue No. 0049, Peter Saville
Issue Information:
Peter is best known for creating the seminal designs of Factory Records’ recording artists including Joy Division and New Order. His proclivity for subtle rebellion against the design status quo kept his designs on the edge throughout his career, and fans eagerly awaiting his next direction. He has always felt that “our cultural history could inform our commercial or everyday reality,” and he has continued designed from this standpoint.
Creating visual communication for popular music has put him in a unique position to influence the minds of young people. Most people grow out of the designs that adorned their walls in their teens or early twenties, but Saville’s work borrowed from cultural references which influenced the viewer by presenting them with an artist or typographer that they may not have been aware of. While the designer maintains that the quality of the writing and the music is what makes people keep the records adorned by his designs, he is happy that these images “create a visual influence which the recipient could take with them in their adult life.”
He has often appropriated fine art images in his work while being careful treat them respectfully. Introducing these images in this way to the masses he says is, “probably the most useful thing that I’ve done.”
Arkitip No. 0049 will be a virtual catalog of Peter’s work including essays from Saville’s colleagues throughout his career. It will also include two original prints from the designer in an edition of 1500. The prints will be 12 x 12 inches on 100 lb. archival stock and will sit on top of the magazine inside a custom designed box carefully encasing the magazine and prints.
After another groundbreaking year in publishing for Arkitip, we aim to end the year in style by collaborating with one of the most influential designers of our generation.
3. Arkitip Issue No. 0051, Shepard Fairey
Issue Information:
Shepard Fairey is arguably the most famous artist of the Arkitip alumni group, and could quite possibly be the artist most remembered of his generation. We celebrate Shepard’s methods not only because they are beautiful and effective but also because he took on the mainstream art establishment and after 20 long years, he seems to be winning.
His recent rise to popularity punctuated by his support of the Obama Presidential campaign has made Shepard Fairey a household name. His iconic portrait of Barack Obama has come to symbolize the historic campaign of the first African American to be elected President and now that image graces the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian. He’s an artist who stands by what he believes in and has done more to communicate his causes to the masses than most of his contemporaries, which is admirable on any level. His campaigns have done more to shape the public consciousness than any other artist because you don’t have go to a gallery to see his work, its ubiquity is well established.
This issue will be truly historic, as we celebrate 20 Years of Shepard’s seminal ‘Obey’ campaign. Because Shepard has not been a guest of Arkitip magazine since issue edition No. 0003, this reunion collaboration has been long overdue and is a guaranteed to be another groundbreaking Arkitip classic.
4. Arkitip Issue No. 0052, Steven Harrington
Issue Information:
Steven Harrington lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Aside from owning and operating National Forest Design with fellow artist Justin Krietemeyer, he still finds time to work on both commissioned and self-inspired art projects of his own.
Influenced by images discovered in Time Life Encyclopedias 1965-1982, thrift stores and Bill Withers, his art might be termed contextual objectivism. He views each piece he creates as a tangible object that is part and parcel of a larger context; the object helps define the context and the context helps define the object. Whatever feel or meaning the observer takes away from the piece belongs to the observer. Nothing is shoved down his or her throat. Discovery is the key.
He has exhibited work in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Montreal, Tokyo, Melbourne, Barcelona, Paris, Milan, and Berlin.
