Kaleidoscope #26 – Winter 2015/16

KALEIDOSCOPE's new issue #26 is blessed with two supercovers featuring iconic artist Vanessa Beecroft and the legendary Robert Longo.
In the opening section of HIGHLIGHTS, twelve profiles account for the best of the season: Andrea Crespo (by Tobi Haslett), Paulo Nimer Pjota (by Germano Dushá), Diane Simpson (by Christopher Schreck), Tetsumi Kudo (by Alexander Shulan), 8-Ball (by Alexandre Stipanovich), Julie Bena (by Daniel Palmer), Kathryn Andrews (by Samantha Gregg), Max Hooper Schneider (by Martha Kirszenbaum), Rochelle Goldberg (by Maxwell Smith-Holmes), Yuri Pattison (by Attilia Fattori Franchini), Lu Yang (by Xin Wang), and Melike Kara (by George Vasey).
Make sure to follow the watermark on this issue's covers to find inside an ambitious MAIN THEME survey dedicated to the notion of “iconic”—or, for a more contemporary take on language, of SUPERIMAGES. What makes such an image in the age of mass information? We address this question by means of three interviews with influential image-makers—Robert Longo (by Ross Simonini), Vanessa Beecroft (by Alessio Ascari) and Katy Grannan (by Charlie White). The survey is completed by a round table about future perspectives moderated by Hanne Mugaas, featuring Jonathan Horowitz, Darren Bader, Katja Novitskova, Ed Fornieles, Olia Lialina, Guthrie Lonergan and Takeshi Murata; and a case study on cult magazine Colors.
To follow, this issue's MONO section is dedicated to French-Algerian artist Neïl Beloufa (born 1985). Making films, sculptures and installations informed by his rejection of hierarchy and unapologetic mix of influences, Beloufa has an intense 2016 ahead of him, with his US institutional debut coming up at New York's MoMA and exhibitions in Los Angeles and Shanghai. We visited him at his studio and took a sneak peek at Hotel Occidental, the setting of his ambitious, soon-to-be-released movie. This definitive monographic survey comprises an original photo shoot by Léonard Méchineau, an interview by Camille Blatrix and an essay by Myriam Ben Salah, who we're happy to announce is joining our team as Associate Editor along with Alexander Shulan from New York.
Later on, the VISIONS section invites the eye to an enthralling journey across visual contributions by artists and creators including Isa Genzken (by Beatrix Ruf), Louisa Gagliardi, Jon Rafman (by Francesca Gavin), Josh Kolbo (by Ned Vena), and Gaea Woods; and interviews with practitioners including curator Pierre Bal-Blanc feat. design studio Vier5, Texte Zur Kunst's founder Isabelle Graw, and the Printed Matter team from New York.
Be sure to check out the closing section of REGULARS for a roster of columnists enriched by the addition of global curator Maria Lind and young LA-based writer Fiona Duncan, with two new series dedicated to the social role of art and to sexual politics respectively. Besides, “Producers” features Carson Chan in conversation with artist and entrepreneur Nik Kosmas; in “Futura 89+,” Hans Ulrich Obrist and Simon Castets (with Katherine Dionysius) interview young British artist Matt Copson; Jeffrey Deitch looks into the art of Kenny Scharf in his “Renaissance Man” column; Fredi Fischli and Niels Olsen talk to Sylvie Fleury as part of the “Pioneers” series; and lastly, in “What's Next,” we look forward to the season with collector and museum founder Michael Xufu Huang.
This issue is dedicated to the memory of David Bowie, a visual culture groundbreaker and living “superimage,” without whom this magazine wouldn't exist as it is. We pay him tribute with a collectable poster by artist and designer Scott King, which you can find enclosed to the magazine.