We are delighted to announce the release of KALEIDOSCOPE’s new issue #30 (summer 2017), a special anniversary edition premiering at Art Basel.
Crossing the threshold of 30 issues came as an opportunity to take stock of the years behind us and envision the trajectory ahead. We have chosen 50 monographic stories from KALEIDOSCOPE’s past 29 issues, spanning a diversity of media, generations and attitudes towards art. The result is a snapshot of what’s happening in visual culture now, a document of the zeitgeist—and the perfect issue to keep you company during the summer.
In addition, to celebrate this special issue, we commissioned a major visual project to young Los Angeles-based artist Martine Syms. Often described as “conceptual entrepreneur,” Syms combines autobiographical material with historical narratives and tropes from popular culture, examining representations of blackness and its relationship to American vernacular, situation comedy, feminist movements and radical traditions.
This 30+ page cover story runs parallel and serves as a spin-off to the artist’s first US solo museum exhibition a New York’s MoMA, centered around her new feature-length film, Incense Sweaters & Ice. Here, Syms creates a complex visual system featuring a conversation with Yale academic Rizvana Bradley and a constellation of film stills, script excerpts, pop-cultural references, self-preservation rules and found family photographs.
Parallel to this project, Syms launched WYD?, a digital app created in collaboration with developer Brent David Freaney. Find the app’s icon on the cover and inside the magazine, point your camera to the image and turn your audio on to activate video and augmented reality content.
A limited edition of 500 copies of this issue will come with an enclosed flexi disc, published in collaboration with Know Wave, featuring the track “Untitled (Stomp and Words Mix)” composed by London-based DJ and producer Shamos for the film’s score.
Culminating in a pop-up presentation at Depot Basel, where all the elements that compose this project come together in an immersive experience, this collaboration reaffirms KALEIDOSCOPE’s idea of the magazine as a multi-platform and experimental space for new possibilities in visual culture.
Come find us at our booth in the Magazines sector of Art Basel from June 12–18, and join us on Friday June 16 at Depot Basel from 7–10pm for a live set by Shamos powered by Carhartt WIP.
