Aaron Fabian
Aaron Fabian is a graphic designer, publisher, and editor-in-chief of innen. He founded the independent publishing house innen in Budapest in 2006. He lives and works in Zurich and offers unconventional, unique perspectives on art and contemporary trends through his zines. In 2010, he launched Zug Magazine, a series of books featuring carefully selected contemporary artworks. In 2020, he co-founded innen Japan with Hiroshi Iguchi, through which he releases zines of Japanese artists.
www.innenbooks.com
Instagram: @innenbooks

innen, an independent publisher from Zurich, Switzerland, has published over 400 zines and books, offering unconventional perspectives on art and subcultures. We have received news from the publisher, Aaron Fabian, that they are releasing an anniversary book summarizing their activities over the past 18 years (innen became adult). Published by P.A.M. / Perks and Mini and supported by Carhartt WIP, fashion brands with which he has been in a close relationship, the approximately 500-page hardcover is packed with past publications and unpublished materials from the archives. A launch event was held at “The Community Centre” in Paris from April 29 to May 14 to celebrate its publication. In addition to the zines published so far, rare and original materials, rare goods, and works by artists who have been friends with “innen” were exhibited. We asked Aaron, who had just returned to Zurich from Paris after the opening, about his encounter with zines, the launch of “innen,” and the secret story behind his work with artists.

I was drawn naturally into the world of ZINE.

–First of foremost, congratulations on the launch of your anniversary book! How was the event in Paris?

Aaron Fabian (Aaron): Thank you! Having so many people there was fun, and we got great feedback. And Will Bankhead from the London music label The Trilogy Tapes did a great job DJing.

–Why did you make an anniversary book this time?

Aaron: We wanted to do it for our 15th anniversary but kept postponing it, so we finally made it happen for our 18th anniversary. Once again, I’m impressed that 18 years have passed, and innen has grown up – became an adult (laughs). It was challenging to put together all the past publications and unpublished material from the archives, but I’m glad I could cast my ideas into shape. Hans Ulrich Obrist wrote a preface to it, and American graphic designer Edward Fella did the cover design.

–I wanted to ask you a lot about yourself and innen. First of all, please tell us about your encounter with zines.

Aaron: I’m from Budapest, Hungary. My mother is an artist and art history teacher, and my father is a book designer and typographer. My grandmother worked in publishing. I grew up in an artistic family, so the printing and publishing culture was very close to me, and I first encountered photocopy-style fanzines at a local anarchic bookstore when I was 8 or 9 years old. Then, as a teenager, I created a punk culture fanzine with my elementary school friends. I was really into grayscale and black-and-white photocopying back then.

–Who did your zines feature back then?

Aaron: My stepfather was fond of punk. Partly because of his influence, we featured evergreen classic punks like The Exploited and Nina Hagen. That was the first zine I ever made, a funky punk fanzine I made with friends purely for fun.

–What is the zine culture like in Budapest, Hungary?

Aaron: I have some friends who create and publish zines, and in the last few years, there have been zine and book fairs.

Communication tools for connecting artists and the scene

–And you founded innen in 2006, but what motivated you to start it? 　

Aaron: Everything just happened naturally. I was studying graphic design in Budapest back then after in Prague, and I had to design a magazine for my final exam. I wanted to give the magazine a unique name. So when having drinks with some friends at a bar, I told them I was looking for a cool name, and one of them came up with innen. I liked it right away. I said, “It’s so cool!” and we had a few beers for that. By the way, innen means “inside to outside.”

Then, when I was in the first year of college, I started innen. The first zine I released was “F – Fotos” by my friend Füredi Tamás from Budapest. He is a very creative painter and graphic designer, and I love the photos he takes. Even after that, I made another zine for another friend, and so on. Finally, after publishing about 10 to 15 works, I found myself becoming a publisher.

I was surrounded by creative people and art through family and friends. I wanted to connect in some way or another with those people and scenes and produce something new. Zines are an easy way to communicate with them and become friends.

–Zine is a communication tool for you. So why and how are you particular about the 13 x 19 cm size of the zine?

Aaron: Benjamin from “Nieves” started five years before innen, and he used a 14 x 20 cm format, so I wanted a different size. B5 size was just too big, and I wanted to make zines pocketable, so it ended up with this size, and I will hold onto it.

–How do you find artists, and from what perspective do you select them?

Aaron: I simply choose artists I like. innen is an open platform, and it doesn’t matter how old they are, how well-known they are, or what genre they are in, as long as they have something unique to offer. It’s friendly and open and creates a conversation between culture and people. Well, I mean, it’s just real (laughs). How I look for artists depends on the situation. I might find someone online, in libraries, bookstores, and galleries, or even ask friends for recommendations.

I started innen Japan with Hiroshi (Iguchi) in 2020, and I’m a big fan of Japanese culture, so I always get a lot of information about Japanese artists from him. He is ninja and reliable.

The miraculous collaborations created through human connections

–You have worked with many prominent artists for their zines, and I would like you to share some of the stories behind the zine production process with them. For example, what was the work process with Yoko Ono like?

Aaron: “Franklin Summer” is the drawing project she has been working on since 1994. I wanted to make a zine of this series of works. The curator, Hans Ulrich Obrist, introduced me to her assistant, who gave me high-resolution scans to make it happen. I was fortunate, and I am very grateful to Hans and Yoko.

— The production takes time, right?

Aaron: The work with Yoko was completed surprisingly quickly, but sometimes it takes 5 to 6 years. For example, the work with photographer Nobuyoshi Araki took five years. I first talked to Taka Ishii Gallery, but my proposal was rejected. Brett Ratner who works as a producer in Hollywood had a collection of his Polaroids. I was amazed at how extensive the archives were. With that, I contacted the gallery again, and we managed to make it happen. It was another lucky situation. The title on the cover is handwritten by the artist himself.

I have some mutual friends with Jun Takahashi, the designer of Undercover, and when I asked him about publishing his zine, he readily agreed. I usually edit, but he did all the layouts this time. So what I did was just print. It was a luxurious situation, which I am so thankful for.

–Speaking about international celebrities, you have also worked with Chloë Sevigny.

Aaron: Her zine is a collection of photos of her exes and other men she has loved in her life, as well as articles about her in the New York Post. It was actually one of innen’s best sellers sold out quickly. I didn’t know she had a big fandom.

–I’m also looking forward to your upcoming zine releases! What do you think is good about the zine as a medium?

Aaron: Zines are one of the easiest and cheapest publications to make. There are no advertisements, and it’s a platform where you can edit freely. Printing is also affordable and fast, and we can share them easily. Today, I produce zines with offset printing, but we usually used black-and-white and grayscale photocopying back in the day. Don’t you think black-and-white and grayscale are very simple and powerful color combinations?

–Lastly, do you have any message for people fond of making zines?

Aaron: Be unique, don’t stress yourself out, and enjoy the time you spend making zines!

Photography innen

The post Eighteen Years of Connecting Artists and the Scene:<br>Aaron Fabian of innen Talks about ZINE Culture appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

From Japan to Germany: cassette tapes and letters across the sea

Makoto Ori: The first Der Plan album that I and my fellow (of Picky Picnic) listened to was “Normalette Surprise”. I was still a high school student at the time, and I didn’t even know the term German New Wave. It was avant-garde, but still very pop. It was as compact as music in advertisement, but very dark and humorous. I was attracted to that taste and came to want to make this kind of music. So I decided to make a cassette tape and send it with an English letter to Der Plan. That was 1982.

Moritz R®️: I fell in love with it as soon as I listened to it. I felt the same spirit and didn’t need any discussion. For us, The Residents from America, Der Plan from Germany, and his Picky Picnic from Tokyo share the same sense of value. The name Picky Picnic is also good. But have you forgotten to put K in PICNIC? What does that mean, a grumpy person?

Ori: I was a high school student at the time, so I didn’t understand English very well, and when I looked up the dictionary, Picky was explained as a synonymous of “noisy.” Noisy picnics sounded good to me. Then I decided to name ourselves as Picky Picnic. I was so excited to receive a positive response from Der Plan. Around that time, since we got an offer for recording of an album from a Japanese indie label, we were working on the 1st album “Ha! Ha! Tarachine”. The release of the foreign edition was also decided. Of course, I asked Moritz to design the album jacket for both the original and foreign version.

Moritz: Computer graphics were new at the time, and I used the Commodore 64 and the KoalaPad. The impression of Japan that I got from my first visit is modern, electronic, and computer-like. So I thought the computer-generated graphics would fit the image of your duo perfectly. Then I sent the artwork, and you decided to use it. Looking at it now, the resolution is quite low (laughs).

Ori: By the way, Moritz was absent when I went to the Ata Tak studio in Dusseldorf with a member of Picky Picnic.

Moritz: I was living in Hamburg at that time. The first time we met and talked was the last year’s tour to Japan.

Ori: Partly because of that, Moritz’s image was mysterious and artistic.

Moritz: Since I didn’t know much about you, I was not sure what you were like. But I remember you sent me a photo with the letter. Maybe you were visiting some world fair and a naked woman was lying behind you. That’s my image of you.

Ori: What was it? I don’t remember at all (laughs).

The 2020 concert in Japan: meeting each other for the first time

Ori: We met each other for the first time last year when you came to Japan, so we took a photo with everyone around. A lot of musicians I knew gathered at the venue. That’s when I realized everyone liked Der Plan.

Moritz: You know, our recent live show is different from the past ones. In the past, We used to use a lot of masks and cardboard-painted props because there was no video projection. Also, I was lip-synching because I wanted to focus on visual rather than music. You can’t sing if you wear a mask in the first place, and if you want to listen to music, you can put on a record on the floor. But on the new tour, I’m singing all the songs for the first time. It’s a big challenge for me, and this is the biggest difference from the past ones.

Ori: I remember your first show in Japan in 1984 was a kind of mocking live performance without playing any instrument. And I thought that’s exactly what Der Plan should do. Actually, I went to that show with my fellow. At that time, there were people in the art and fashion fields who loved new things dealt with at the legendary record shop WAVE, and I am sure that kind of performance was attractive to them. I had known from the internet that you guys were doing the live show in a way that you did last year. I loved it as well, and I was like, “that’s how you do it.”

Moritz: Did Picky Picnic do shows a lot?

Ori: No, only once. Since a manga artist Kiriko Kubo joined the group, we did a one-off performance in the event at Aoyama CAY organized by a publisher she was involved. For that show, we had two women in swimsuits lying down at the venue as part of performance. Do you think the photo you talked about earlier was depicting that scene?

Moritz: No, I don’t think so. Wait a minute, maybe I have some data so I’ll send it. (Moritz sent a photo on Zoom) Do you remember?

Ori: Oh, this is the one that my fellow sent just as a joke(laughs). A photo of us taken at Atami Hihokan (=The humorous sex museum located in a seaside town ). I was surprised that Moritz still had it (laughs). But the world of Picky Picnic is as tricky, surreal and humorous as that place is. And I think Der Plan also has the same taste.

Moritz: Yeah, I think so too. I love the song “It’s A Hysterical Place” from the album “Cynical Hysteria World”. It’s like a polka or a Disneyland attraction which makes you feel as if you are going through a mysterious world. I was just impressed so much. Half pop, half weird and dark world, which was my cup of tea.

Ori: I made that album as a theme of Kiriko Kubo’s manga. An amusement park is absolutely essential because it is a manga depicting the world of children.

Moritz: In relation to amusement parks, I went to Tokyo Disneyland with the members in 1984. It has the Enchanted Tiki Room, that only the original Disneyland in California has too; the other Disneylands don’t have it, but the one in Tokyo is better. That was really moving.

The creation of original music from our own culture

Moritz: When I first came to Japan, I became obsessed with Japanese culture. Watching a TV commercial at the hotel, I was like “this is exactly like Der Plan!” Another thing I strongly remember is the robot. I bought a dinosaur robot in Kiddy Land. It’s already broken, but it’s cool, isn’t it? The best thing is that it has a golden pilot in its head. The instruction says that this pilot is a doll, which is reminiscent of our origins. I thought it’s strange because it’s just a children’s toy (laughs).

Ori: Haha, that’s amazing.

Moritz: To be honest, I don’t know much about old Japanese culture, but I like modern Japanese culture including architecture, design and pop culture. I often listen to Blue Heron Radio, which plays Japanese music, and I also like Kabuki music. Interestingly, westerners in the 1960s and 70s said that Japanese people were just copying their culture. But that’s not true at all. I think traditional Japanese culture is really rich, which also influences robots and modern culture.

Ori: You have such a wide range of interests. It’s related to your new album, but Moritz’s works and music always have an exotic feeling that transcends continents. It feels like it does consists of more than one culture. That’s one of the charms of Der Plan, and I also felt it from your solo work.

Moritz: We can’t ignore American culture, including rock and roll, but I wanted to connect with the traditional culture of my area. So when we started Der Plan, we wanted to sing in German instead of English. I think it was the same in Japan, and so was Picky Picnic. Of course American culture is there and I was influenced by it, but I’m still trying to create something original by myself. I want to create music from my own culture, just as America created art from their own culture. I am sure you can feel it from Der Plan and my music. That’s the similarity between us, right?

Ori: I think we are the same in terms of making original things while always looking at various cultures. As an aside, after I had stopped creating music for Picky Picnic, I was performing as a bassist for rock bands such as Original Love and The Collectors, which embody the orthodox road rock and roll style. By playing that kind of music in the band, I came to have a clear view of what kind of music I had been inspired and impressed by when I first started Picky Picnic, and what made me decided to make music by myself. This experience may have been a great factor that enabled me to feel amazed by my own self. Francis, my solo project, is something closer to what I really want to do.

Moritz: By the way, my son’s name is Franz. It’s the German version of Francis. He was born in 2006.

Ori: Haha, I started Francis in 1994. Actually, this year, I will release the album for the first time in 27 years. By the way, why did you decide to release a solo album this time?

Moritz: The other members also released solo work, and there was a lot of unused lyrics and music originally for Der Plan. I was working at home during the lockdown and it just ended up with a solo album. One of the good things about solo work is that you don’t need to ask anyone what he/she wants to do. You make all the decisions yourself and you can enjoy it. “Silberner Manta” and “Dunkel Wars” were originally released as songs of Der Plan, and I also have a cover of Frank Zappa. Just for your information, “Wochenend und Sonnenschein” is a cover of the record I listened to for the first time when I was 3 years old. It was a popular song in Germany in the 1920s. So this album is very personal and conceptual. That’s why the title of it is “To your heart’s content”.

Ori: I was surprised at how many songs it has. Just as the other works of Moritz, every song has a slightly exotic atmosphere, which I love. The artwork is also interesting.

Moritz: If you look closely, you can see the rubber between the two faces, right? That implies that the mask is actually my true face and my face is actually the mask.

Ori: This is also Der Plan’s world (laughs). You put on and take off masks during the performance.

Moritz: I was talking to the members when I made the previous album. We were like, “we’re old now, so let’s take a picture of this old face like a mask (laughs)”.

Moritz R®
Born in Halle, Germany in 1955, now lives in Berlin. His real name is Moritz Reichelt. He is the main vocalist of Der Plan, a band that represents Neue Deutsche Welle in the 1980s. He is also a talented artist who also works as an art direction for the band. In February 2020, he came to Japan for the first time in 36 years as a member of Der Plan, and in 2021 released his first solo album “Nach Herzenslust”. www.moritz-r.de

Makoto Ori
Born in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan in 1965. He formed a strange techno pop duo, Picky Picnic, with his high school friend. In 1985, he started his musical career with the release of the album “Ha! Ha! Tarachine!” from Der Plan’s label Ata Tak. After working as a bassist for The Red Curtain (now Original Love) and The Collectors, he started to solely focus on his own project in 2015. He has been active as a solo unit Francis since 1994, and has released two mini-albums under the name of the collaboration unit “Haruko and Francis” with Haruko Tajima. He is going to release a new solo album this year. www.orimakoto.com

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Days of exhaustive research and practice

–Can you tell us the reasons behind your new project Familie suchen?

Rie: I’m over the marriageable age, and I didn’t even really want to start a family; I’m not married. When you consider or try starting a family, one of the keywords is “marriage.” I started my research focusing on Japan, where searching for a partner specifically for marriage (marriage hunting) is widespread; I’m concerned about the values and behaviors of modern people’s families, as well as the reasons for building one.

–You’ve been actively participating in Japanese speed dating parties for your research; how do you prepare before going to such events?

Rie: To gain a general sense of how it works, I researched what women focus on for marriage hunting and put it into practice. First of all, I joined a gym on New Year’s Day 2019; I thought that if I didn’t do it on the first of the year, I would end up never doing it (laughs). I learned how to put on a kimono just to able to write it on the special skills section of my profile card. I also whitened my teeth, put on contact lenses, went to a hair salon and changed my hairstyle to something more soft and fluffy; I even had my fortune told with tarot cards and prayed to the god of Izumo Taisha, a sacred shrine famous for being the home of the deity of marriage. I went to class reunions and blind-date izakayas; I basically practiced what everyone does for about a year. I summarized my research activities in an installation booklet as a “marriage hunting diary.”

–I guess your lifestyle completely changes, right?

Rie: It made me realize how many things I was procrastinating on. I thought it was fine for me, but I noticed that, for society, it’s not. I don’t think it’s normal, but I was ok not doing them. The only things I kept doing after I was done with the project are going to the gym, care about my teeth and putting on contacts. I also wanted to learn more about Japanese culture, so learning how to properly wear a kimono was kind of two birds with one stone.

Discovering your “true self” through marriage hunting parties

–So, after such preparations, you decided to attend marriage hunting parties. 

Rie: In 2019, I stayed in Japan for one month and returned to Germany four times. I wanted to meet as many different people as I could in short periods, so I mainly attended those events on weekends when there are more people; I’d even go to two or three parties in a day. This is apparently pretty normal, so you often meet the same participants from the previous parties. I went to more than 50 parties in four different locations: my hometown of Nagoya, Kantō, Kansai, and Kyūshū; I met people that varied in age, from guys in their early twenties to mid-fifties. I’d also choose the events based on what the participants would comment on them. 

–Are there any people who left an impression on you?

Rie: A man in his thirties wearing a suit; he was in his second year of marriage hunting. He was stuck in a loop, tired of it, and he advised me to decide on someone in my first three months: if you meet too many people, it gets hard to make a decision, and you may end up not even knowing what kind of person you want to meet. That being the case, he couldn’t decide on a partner, but he still had nothing to do on the weekends, so he continued to go to these parties. Another one who left a strong impression on me was a woman who’d often socialize with the other female participants. She told me that befriending other women at these events improves your chances of finding a partner because they would often invite you to gokon parties or introduce their guy friends to you. She was clearly someone who was deep in the marriage hunting game. The most memorable profile was the one of a vice chief priest of a Buddhist temple in his thirties; he loved his scooter. 

–Meeting a lot of people in a short amount of time expanded your understanding of your project and your questions about it. At that time, did you notice any changes in yourself?

Rie: My communication skills improved, as well as my ability to observe others and myself. At first, I saw my activities as a project, but as I kept at it, I started worrying about what kind of woman people want to marry and what to change about myself to better fit that mold. I gradually felt myself falling into an identity crisis, and I began to think about myself, as seen from the other person’s perspective, and my “true self.”

–What do you mean by “true self?”

Rie: I was concerned about how the other person would see and judge me, so I would put away my personality and image of myself; I’d control and limit my feelings, and my “fake self” would come out. I fell into the illusion of losing my ”true self,” although I did know there is no answer to what my “true self” is: your self-image is affected by the influence of others and your own belief, your freedom, and other people’s approval. That’s your “true self,” which we find by being accepted by others, be it in marriage hunting or society. I put too many restrictions on myself and my emotions, and I looked at myself through other people’s eyes, facial expressions and reactions too much, like staring at a mirror. However, thanks to that, I was able to once again reflect on the significance of using “family” as a theme for my art and the value of my own existence.

An installation with a mirror as a metaphor

–For your project, you acted and dressed up as the 63 men you met through such marriage hunting events; did you do everything by yourself?

Rie: Yes, I did everything in Berlin, based on the sketches and memos I drew from my memory. I bought the clothes at second-hand clothing stores or borrowed them from some friends, and I already owned about 60 wigs, but I had to buy more. At the university studio, I was taking pictures of myself dressed up like three, four different people a day. Sometimes some students I didn’t know would come in and be startled by what I was doing. I could’ve used Photoshop to process the faces I was trying to re-emulate so they would look closer to the original person, but I had the confidence that I could do that only with make-up and facial expression, so I didn’t retouch them. I prepared a full-length mirror next to the camera and took the pictures with a self-timer. 

—Familie suchen seems to be an installation rather than an exhibition.

Rie: I built it as an interactive installation to get closer to my experience. The participant starts by seeing themself in the mirror, which is actually a magic mirror. When they sit down, a built-in sensor reacts, and the tablet on the desk boots up. As they scroll like in a matching app, the mirror becomes a monitor, and it shows a portrait of the man the participant selected. When you try to look at yourself in the mirror, you see yourself through the other person’s eyes. The mirror is a metaphor; I’m adopting it as my point of output. VIVITA provided their prototyping tool VIVIWARE Cell, and their engineer Fumio Yamamori helped develop the control program.

–How was the reaction overseas?

Rie: I had the installation open to the public once in the middle of production, but after that, it became impossible due to the pandemic. Although online-only, I presented it as my university graduation project. First of all, it was hard for people to understand the concept of marriage hunting. In Germany, they have speed dating, but it’s not for marriage purposes, so even if they can understand what marriage matchmaking services are, they may not be convinced of the reason why people would do that; they would experience some sort of culture shock. On the other hand, many people would connect the dots and recognize the mirror as a metaphor. This year’s exhibition will be outside of school, so I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of feedback I’ll receive.

–Are there any other differences between Japanese marriage hunting and German speed dating?

Rie: In Japan, the main premise is to find a marriage partner, but in Germany, it’s not the same: in Berlin, there are speed dating services such as Fisch sucht Fahrrad (in German, fish seeks bike) and Topf sucht Deckel (in German, pot seeks lid), which start in clubs on weekend nights. They’re different from Japanese group matchmaking services. I couldn’t research in Germany due to the pandemic, but I hope to be able for my next project.

A personal, unconventional family

–Are there any differences in the way Germany and Japan see marriage and family?

Rie: Even though the household legal system(Ie seido) was abolished after the war in Japan, many people have particular feelings toward marriage and family because of the family register system(Koseki) and the concept of “household,” deeply rooted in the mind of Japanese people. In Germany, the system is managed on an individual basis rather than a household one. the system is managed on an individual basis rather than a household one. You can discuss and decide with your partner whether you choose to get married or not, so society recognizes a diverse range of moral values on the matter. 

–Has your personal view of marriage and family changed with your projects?

Rie:When I was working on my previous project Familie werden, I didn’t want to get married, but now I don’t care whether or not I do. Living in Germany made me realize that it doesn’t really matter whether you’re married or not. Also, through my projects, I came to understand that our roles within a family are not defined. Here in Germany, I’ve met many people who live their life unapologetically, regardless of age or gender. I’ve come to realize that you can take on several roles, even if you’re just one person.

–If there is no fixed division of roles, there is more than one shape of family.

Rie: Soon enough, families of one will be considered families too. In Japan, if you don’t marry, you’re seen as a loser, and if you do, you’re seen as a proper adult; to this day, I’m still questioning this trend of society. The concept of family always matches its era, and it transforms to conform to it. We are now in an era where we can choose for ourselves. In the 21st century, we can pursue the shape of family that suits us. Now that social changes have diversified our activities, interests, and time spent outside the family, the need to belong to a family is less prominent. Now that households and families are no longer the predominant social units, they will be replaced by individuals. 

–It’s an unconventional, new shape of family. This year, I hear that you will finally start producing the third part of your project.

Rie: That’s right. For the third part, Familie gründen (in German, start a family), I’m planning to include both Japan and Germany again in the project. The theme is about what kind of family I will build and how. 

Rie Yamada
Born in Aichi prefecture, Rie Yamada is an artist based in Berlin. She moved to Germany in 2011 and enrolled in the Weißensee University of Fine Arts in Berlin. She won numerous awards, including the “gute aussichten: new german photography” award for her project Familie werden. She completed her master’s in 2020 and is currently enrolled in the Meisterschüler program. She will be holding a solo exhibition in Cologne in 2021 and Novi Sad in 2022. She also produces art pieces in the fields of fashion and culture. 
www.rieyamada.com　Instagram：@rie_bergfeld

Picture Provided: Rie Yamada

Translation Leandro Di Rosa

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―― It seems that the work “Live for the Weather” was shot in your hometown before you came to the United States.

Marie Tomanova：Right, it was taken in my hometown of Mikulov, Czech Republic, from 2005 to 2011 when I went to the United States. Back then, I didn’t have an iPhone, so I shot it with a camera phone, the only one in my small town. I took more than 7,000 photos that were meant just for myself, for my personal archive. They were filled with memories of friends, love and broken hearts, and youth dramas. I never thought I would show it to someone or include it in an exhibition.

―― It is very personal and emotional work. Do you have any feelings now that you are based in NY?

Marie：It’s a completely different world and reality. I’m now living a completely different life in the United States. Nowadays, I feel that NY is more at home. So it seems like I’m looking at someone else’s al-bum, not mine. It’s a special work that connects me to my hometown.

―― You showed them as a video work as well. The BGM was “London Calling” by The Clash. Is it a memorable song?

Marie：Actually, I didn’t really know it at all. A friend, Sam Centore, who edited the video added it because it matches the work perfectly. And it also gave me the title of the work because I thought they say, “Live for the weather,” in the song. In fact, I mostly listened to Czech music. I love a band called J.A.R, and at that time, I participated in all their concerts. During my stay in Prague last year, I went to their live show after a long time. It was nostalgic and fun. I also love the band called Lucie. For me, these two are the iconic Czech bands of the ’90s.

―― Music makes us return to the mood of those days, just like photos.

Marie：The title of the work is often inspired by music. “Young American” is from David Bowie’s song, and “New York New York” is from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

―― “New York New York” is a new work shot during the lockdown this year.

Marie：The lockdown started just when I returned from the Czech Republic in March. I couldn’t go any-where and meet my friends, so I spent all my time at home. At that time, there were a lot of police officers and protesters in the city. Partly because of BLM (Black Lives Matter), the police officers arrested people at night. I’m an immigrant and even with a green card. I didn’t feel safe to go out when the sun went down because I didn’t know what would happen. In addition to that, fireworks went up in the neighborhood at night, which caused stressful days and sleepless nights. It was ex-tremely crazy.

――When were you able to start shooting?

Marie：From July, I finally met people and started shooting on the rooftops and along the river on sunny days. It was essential to meet and talk with my friends about our self-quarantine days, BLM, and fu-ture hopes. It was very special to see people again after such a long time. The work “New York New York” was born at that time. “Young American” is a portrait series that captures the people them-selves, while “New York New York” is a work that captures the space, moments, and feelings. It is also a portrait, but also a portrait of New York City. Like a photograph of my friend Isabel, a skater girl with injured elbow standing in front of flowers on the Lower East Side.

―― I have the impression that each work values the connection with the subject. Is there anything you keep in mind when shooting?

Marie：It is important that the subject feels comfortable and happy and they open their hearts. Most of the photo shoots was our first time meeting, so it is important to me to relax any tension and connect with each other. I always start by asking where are they from and getting to know them. Everyone in my home town knows each other, but NYC is different. Each person has a different origin, past, race, religion, and most young people have dreams and gather in this city. It’s great to see life from different perspectives through them, and that’s why I like to meet and photograph people.

―― What do you want to express as a photographer at this time?

Marie：The main messages in “Young American” and “New York New York” are all the same. Everyone is hu-man, a member of this world, should be able to be themselves, and have the same opportunity. Diver-sity and equality are significant to me. For example, in the Czech Republic, it isn’t easy to work as a female artist, that’s why I came to the United States. I still remember a university professor saying, “Only male artists can succeed.” This is the story of 2010, not the story of the ’80s. Break down the barriers of race, religion, and class, take good care of yourself and spread love. This is what I’m trying to convey. Not only the reaction from young generations, but it really touches me and makes me hap-py that the audience in their 60s and 70s come to me and say “Thank you for showing us hope.” The youth captured in my photographs gives them hope that the world is going in a good direction.

――It’s wonderful that it has reached generations. How was your first visit to Japan in August last year?

Marie：Incredible! It’s the best trip I’ve ever had. Everyone I met was wonderful and had a good time. Actual-ly, when I exhibited at EEP Berlin in Berlin last year, I met Seiichi Kato of MODEST BOOKS, and he connected Japan and me. He introduced me to Kazuo Suzuki and “Lula Japan” and to Daikanyama Tsutaya Books where I held a book signing event, and I was able to come to Japan. When I was look-ing for an exhibition place in Tokyo, my NY friend Shimpei Nakagawa introduced me to Shin Oki-shima, the owner of SO1 in Harajuku where I had the show “Like a Dream”. The trip was only two and a half weeks, but it was incredible. It really was like a dream.

―― It was realized through the connections of various people. Where did you go during your stay?

Marie：Shin took me to great restaurants. I went to Tonkatsu Tonki in Meguro on the first night. Also, “Narukiyo” is amazing as well. Not only their food, but the menu table here was great. I received it at the end and went into the kitchen to take a picture together. Kazuo also took me to an amazing res-taurant on a beautiful little street to celebrate our collaboration. It was very special.

―― You shot young people on the street in Tokyo, did you see any difference compared to other cities?

Marie：I photographed the people who came to the exhibition and the people I saw on the streets. As I said before, I usually talk and shoot, but it was a little difficult because of the language barrier. People who came to the exhibition were easy to shoot, but sometimes people I talked to on the street were surprised. Even so, it was excellent to be able to take photos in Japan. I showed it at an exhibition in Prague last year, and everyone was curious about the culture and style they had never known before.

―― It sounds like an exchange transcends generations and national borders in each city. I’m looking forward to your future success.

Marie：Next year, I plan to stay in Mikulov to take part in a month – long Residency Program. It will be the first time that I will be home for such a long time, so I’m excited. For the moment, I’m working on the next photobook, I’d like to introduce and launch in Japan again. I can’t wait to go back to Ton-katsu Tonki and Narukiyo!

Marie Tomanova
Born in former Czechoslovakia. She left for the United States in 2011 and currently based in NY to create works that focus on identity, sexuality, gender and diversity. Since 2015, she has been working on the portrait series “Young American”, which shoots real young people in NY, and released it as the first photo book in 2019. In the same year, she made her first visit to Japan with the solo exhibition “Like a Dream” held at SO1 in Tokyo.
www.marietomanova.com

Picture Provided Marie Tomanova
Translation Elie Inoue

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Lodown Magazine connects them.

Dear Shobu,
I hope this letter finds you well. It’s been a long time now since our pathes have crossed… I remember the first time I witnessed your work. It was at a friends place in Vienna – my dear friend Patrick Pulsinger. We were working on a soundtrack for my book ‘M – transforming language’ a kind of a precursor for Instagram it I look at it now… anyways… Patrick just went to Japan this time and brought a catalog from your exhibition. I was really impressed – so I thought I should contact you for a feature in Lodown… and thats how it started back on 2002. Ever since I can count on you, if I ask for a submission for Lodown or other. I always find your work amazing, the Burger shop in Lodown 36, the cover for Lo #39, the contribution for the Superstar book 35^th anniversary or the work we did for ABSOLUT WORLDS… and lately the ‘Stay Puff’ shirt…

You have been in Berlin once, but that’s also a long time ago… I can’t ever remember… for sure it was before travel restrictions in the first world… How have you been lately… What has COVID-19 made you?

Dear Thomas,
How have you been?
I get the latest issue of LODOWN sent to me, so I still feel you are nearby.
The first time I saw LODOWN, which was in 1999 as I remember, was amazing!
It was in “On Sundays” in Aoyama. I still have that early LODOWN clipped. Since then, LODOWN has been a textbook for me. There is no sense of corporation or authority and I agree with the editor’s philosophy, which seems to be embodied by the magazine. Also, I felt that the magazine itself was building a new culture which excited me tremendously.  
I clearly remember the idea that “freedom is here” echoing around my mind. The collection of works that Patrick bought for me was made by copying the size of LODOWN at the time.
Thank you for watching over my creativity for all this time.
I may have confused you with the changing illustration styles of the time. I also feel LODOWN has changed. Recently, I feel the strength of art from the magazine. You seem to be an active artist. Do you focus a lot on artistic activities? There is a large space in Berlin. Do you have your own Atelier? I see you’ve started a family, too. That is a fantastic development! Can you still go snowboarding in winter, or have you had to change your lifestyle to focus on your family? Do you still have a collection of sports shoes?
I was so happy with my special feature in LODOWN issue 32, that I could have died on the spot. But there was no one to evaluate my painting at that time back in 2002.
I had worked on special projects such as the Adidas Superstar 35th Anniversary Book and ABSOLUTE WORLDS. I want to evolve and express the images I created in these projects.  
The “Stay Puff” T-shirt I could include the other day was fantastic!
Thank you for using the OPEN MINDED SERIES.  I laughed a lot when I found learned of the meaning of Stay Puff. It seems a lifetime since the exhibition at The Firmament in Berlin in 2015 when the CHILDHOOD’S END series was selected over the OPEN MINDED series.  
After Tokyo was captured by COVID-19, I started cycling a lot. It was a strange to ride through the usually bustling areas of Shibuya, Aoyama, and Harajuku, which are now quiet due to the emergency declaration.
In August, 2.5D acrylic figures were put on sale in VINYL, a new store in Tokyo Station. The new series is called “Characters that go mad”.  

How to deal with cultural transitions and pandemics

Dear Shobu,

Thanks for your second letter – its always nice to hear from you. I like it that you always have something going on since we first hooked up and its always fresh with a slight comment on society.

Yeah I agree, Lodown was and is a free platform and we never sold out, haha… and thats why we are still the smallest independent you can think of. Since our focus was print we never made it to Lodown 3.0 although we had an Ipad version which was promised the next big thing and had potential but Apple put it to a grave with their restrictions and updates. For us it was a money grave. Anyways everything moves forward never backwards… at least I hope. From an artistic view i must say the COVID19 was a big break for me. A lot of stuff just fell off my radar and it doesn’t interest me anymore and since our beloved pop culture is so drenched by corporate greed its hard to find an essence that has potential to enlight. Really… its all rubbish and recycle of previously good stuff and its repetition only sucks its value. Whats out there…? I hope you find your path to create, because thats the only thing that matters.

Let’s see whats coming up I hope the youth is not so blind to consumerism as our generation has developed to…

Dear Thomas,

Thank you for your reply.
The iPad edition of LODOWN was disappointing.

Compared to LODOWN’s first publication in 1995, I don’t think there is any denying that street culture and pop culture have lost their early, simple fun feeling. This is like the change that happens when a small gathering, as in a salon, increases to become a large group. Both street and pop culture are now mainstream. When I was a child in 1980, there was the ridiculous trend of people appropriating punk culture in artistic motifs and conversation when they weren’t part of that culture themselves. Now the environment is such that everyone can talk freely about anything. It feels as though a new expression or culture is developing from the current situation. I’m excited by this new reinterpretation.

I think the epidemic has darkened the city and people and has atrophied society. Even in such times, galleries and illustrators are putting measures in place to remain open. I think it is important now to maintain our lifestyle at the bare minimum despite the inefficiency.
LODOWN (byLODOWN) has recently published two issues on the youth of today. I strongly feel expectations and ideas for your youth.
The rugged force and strength exuded by the printed copy of the magazine each month cannot be easily experienced on the web.
However, LODOWN’s website is skillfully linked with the magazine even though it takes a completely different approach to the composition.

I want to see into the future, even if it’s only one second! This is how much I want to find my creativity. It would be good if a new expression from me was new for the world, but this is quite difficult. I thought the experience gained throughout my career would increase my knowledge. In fact, the opposite is true. We held a solo exhibition in 2018 that was at the beginning of the second half of my creative life. As a commercial illustrator, I have single-mindedly responded to client requests, but in this exhibition, I became the client. I asked how my philosophy and message was being shown to the world and where I stood amongst it all? The exhibition was to confirm my thoughts. I believe commercial illustrators should not insert too many messages into their work, but I naturally add subtle messages. The current situation is boosting me.

A long time ago, when you came to Japan and we dinner at Takehana, which has since closed down, I said life was complicated and troublesome, but I still remember you replying, “I think it’s simple.”  Oh, and I remember getting a sense for the difference in food culture when you asked to eat sushi as an appetizer.

What can we do to pass down our beloved culture to the next generations? 

Dear Shobu,

Thank you for your second letter. I am sitting on a plane back to Berlin right now. Me and my little family made it to Portugal for 9 days and I was able to catch some waves. I was so desperate to be at the beach, the last trip was to Hokkaido in March, just when this pandemic started. It was a great trip although this anxiety about an unknown virus was swinging with it. The slopes were empty though. Anyways, yes, I think out subculture has been eaten and digested over and over again but that’s okey, we had a good time just doing what we like. I always say the gods love the youth and this should remain.
Unfortunately, today everything is sucked up so fast and has to be evaluated in money, this hyper capitalism just drenches culture, I don’t understand how value is generated, its so erratic. For me its just a failure if you spend a fortune on some sweatshop made sneaker and people are living in poverty.
That is not (sneaker) culture that is exploitation and decadence. But the whole luxury goods industry is kind a dated…

Nevertheless I should embrace change, a new common sense is needed now. We have to build on forgotten knowledge I guess… when real is no longer what it was – nostalgia assumes its full meaning (Baudrillard quote). I am trying to escape the flatness of information overdrive. The best is to go surf or snowboard to become one entity in time. For me its the epitome of simpleness. I don’t seek misery because it will come to everyone anyways.
I hope humankind will brake the current cycle of mistrust and manipulation.
Remember the joy of our existence.

Dear Thomas, 

This is the last letter of our correspondence; it went on so fast.
Every generation gets to experience a turbulent world. I shouldn’t need to borrow the words from the philosophers of Ancient Rome, but I guess it’s true that human nature never changes. With the tendency to continually increase its wealth disparity and inequality between people, our world is facing more exploitation and decadence. It may just be the result of humanity’s lust.

What is taking place in our society right now is the selection and elimination of the weak; I think you’re right by saying that “it’s not about (sneaker) culture anymore, just exploitation and decadence.”
The people who need help the most are out of reach. Some people can trick the system by making use of their surroundings, and some people don’t stand up in front of injustice, thus repeating the cycle; I feel anger toward such behaviors.

Our generation (although I am 12 years older than you) has experienced the conversion from analog to digital and the cultural transition from the 70s to the present. I see the cultural changes of the last 50 years as a counteraction to the previous generation. However, recent happenings seem to be completely dissociated from the rest of history.

I feel the same sense of discomfort when I see people deciding your worth by how much money you make, and when they do so by looking at your amount of followers and likes on social media. Not every exceptional form of expression gets likes. I think this is an era when we are more likely to be drawn to what’s right in front of our eyes, rather than when we were in our twenties. In a society where the economy is sluggish, and inequality is spreading (Japan is an accurate example,) this concept of evaluating people based on money or their number of followers will stubbornly continue to be present in our lives. I think the way popularity is made has changed. 

Even though the situation with COVID-19 is ever-changing, I imagine that when it’ll all calm down, we will take a sigh of relief and start unpacking our stress.
When that happens, will something change? Or will nothing change…? I can definitely tell that you’ll be visiting Hokkaidō again.Surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding and sneakers: I want a society where everything is as it should be.

Lodown has devoted many pages to unrecognized artists. I was one of them too. I am always looking forward to a new issue. As long as Lodown gets created and published, we can propagate and pass down our beloved culture to the next generations, thus creating a new movement!
I’ll end this letter with your own words.
They are wonderful words.

The gods love the youth
by Thomas Marecki

Thomas Marecki
Born in Berlin, 1972. Thomas is the founder and creative director of “Lodown Magazine.” He is active as a graphic designer under the alias of Marok. He founded the street culture magazine “Lodown Magazine.” Its regular publication ended with the 100th issue, in 2016. Nowadays, the magazine is only published for specific thematics, such as youth culture.
www.lodownmagazine.com
www.instagram.com/marok_tm/
www.instagram.com/lodownmag/

Shōbu Tsuchiya
Born in Buenos Aires, 1963, Shōbu is an illustrator. In 1996, he won the first prize of the yearly award “The Choice.” He works as an ad illustrator for different entities, such as Mori Building, Uniqlo, Kirin Hard Cidre, etcetera. He also presides over Apollo inc., which he founded with Makiko Umeki. Shōbu has been collaborating with “Lodown Magazine” since 2002; together, they released the t-shirt “Stay Puff” in 2020.
www.instagram.com/shobutsuchiya/

The post Thomas Marecki from “Lodown Magazine” and Shōbu Tsuchiya’s exchange of letters: passing down their beloved culture to the next generations appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

Collect them, produce them, exchange them: zines are still loved all over the world as a communication tool that anyone can easily reach as long as you are determined and passionate about them.  With that level of freedom as their weapon, Zurich-based independent publishing company “innen” has been releasing many unconventional works. innen’s publisher Aaron Fabian takes pride in his original and unique selection, featuring artists and fashion designers from different genres, from influential figures to up-and-coming young talents, such as Helmut Lang and Vivienne Westwood, to actress Chloe Sevigny.

For this article, Aaron chose Tokyo-based graphic designer Hiroshi Iguchi as his conversation partner. After seeing his artwork from his collection “CULT JAM (2009),” Aaron contacted him, and they naturally hit it off. This summer, he started the “innen Japan” project through TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS, planning to release an issue per month featuring carefully selected artists. I asked Aaron and Hiroshi to share seven volumes from innen they particularly liked, and by listening to their conversation, I even found out the original way zines were supposed to be enjoyed.

Holes / Hiroshi Iguchi

Hiroshi Iguchi: “Holes” is a broad interpretation of one of the pieces contained in “BIG VALUE DUB,” a collection of works in various styles based on a single concept, which was first released on innen in 2005. I have been working on this dot-based technique for over ten years, but this was the first time a whole anthology featured only this style.

Aaron Fabian: I like this dotted style. I have no idea how it’s drawn, but it’s super cool.

Hiroshi: It took a lot of time to hand-pick the good ones, but it was very important to me. I guess it felt like selecting the songs for a DJ mix.

Aaron: When I’m making the layout, I also value the story and flow. I’m usually in charge of the zine’s layout, but in Hiroshi’s case, I just print it at the end. It’s because I really believe in you.

Hiroshi: It’s a profoundly memorable zine for me. Thank you for the good opportunity.

Aaron: It’s me that should be thanking you.

Hiroshi: Ehron’s (Aaron’s nickname) style is a little different in texture from mine, but I feel like our attitude is similar.

Aaron: Haha! Yeah? Hiroshi has a very particular taste, and above anything else, it’s fun to work with him.

If I see You in My Dreams / Joji Nakamura

Aaron: I’d say it’s the first memorable volume of “innen Japan.” I met Joji once or twice at the Tokyo Art Book Fair last year. His artwork is simple and interesting; the painting is naive but colorful.

Hiroshi: I like the primitive dynamism of Joji-Kun’s work.

Aaron: I’m happy that Hiroshi always introduces me to Japanese artists I didn’t know about, like Joji. With “innen Japan,” we put our best efforts into research, focusing on real and high-quality art. At the end of the day, we go for what we like and enjoy, though.

Hiroshi:  We didn’t choose Joji-Kun because we’re on good terms, but rather because I’m hoping it becomes a good influence on innen. So, if I think Ehron might like an artist, I’ll suggest them to him, even if I’ve never met them in person. Right, I just went to see Joji-Kun’s exhibition, where he released his piece for “innen Japan” too; it was very good. I especially liked the piece on the last page (picture of a Mohican).

Aaron: It’s a good ending, right?

Sari (Dogod #3) / Akiko Watanabe

Aaron: This is the third work in the “Dogod” series by Berlin-based photographer Akiko Watanabe. She’s been a friend of mine since I met her in Berlin eleven years ago, and she started this series ten years ago. Rather than just art, this zine uses dogs to show personal, family-like experiences. The previous two entries of this series presented a collection of various dogs, but this time it focuses on Sari, Akiko’s beloved dog. I’ve never met Sari, but they’re really cute.

Hiroshi: I also loved it since I lived with three dogs so far. Although, Fufu, my Maltese, used to get mad at me and bite me on the nose (laughs). The order of authority in my family used to be my parents, Fufu, and then me and my siblings (laughs). When I was the only one at home, Fufu would really fawn on me, but as soon as my mom would come home, she would suddenly start barking at me. Girls’ feelings are so complicated (laughs).

Aaron: Haha! That’s funny. I also love dogs; I’ve had two so far. The previous one was my ex’s family’s dog, Rino. It was a mixed dog, so cute. By the way, I like dogs better than cats. Aren’t dogs more honest? If I had a cat, the bed would be covered with hair, and the furniture would be all scratched.

Hiroshi: Yeah, dogs are important to us.

The Edge of Hell  /  Sean Pablo

Aaron: I wanted to make a zine with NY skater Sean Pablo, so we made this. I’ve put together all the photos of his travels, personal life, and friends that he sent me. I was in charge of the layout, and Supreme helped us print it, although they didn’t put their logo in it.

Hiroshi: It’s so “innen.” I thought it was exactly the kind of atmosphere that Ehron likes.

Aaron: It connects to DIY and youth culture. Streetwear, skaters, music, and graffiti, these cultures are part of my origins too. I used to skate back in the days, but I don’t anymore. Sometimes I snowboard, I guess. Recently I’ve been swimming every day from Monday to Friday; I’m like a dolphin. But I haven’t been able to swim since the period of self-quarantine started.

Hiroshi: I admired Mike Vallely when he was under Powell Peralta, but I wasn’t very good myself. But I loved drawing, so I was really influenced by the graphics on skateboard decks and used to copy them a lot. Thinking about it, I often used to draw skulls. There are some pieces with skulls in “BIG VALUE DUB.” I also like them for their philosophical meaning. Oh yeah, last Saturday, I received a pint glass with the Powell Peralta logo on it from my senior from SKATETHING.

Aaron: Woah, that’s cool!

Selected Works From 2001 To 2009 / Dash Show

Aaron: This is the second zine from a collection of works by American artist Dash Snow. We co-published it with “Nieves,” another independent publisher based in Zurich. He passed away in 2009, but I got the copyrights for his installations and photos from the CFA gallery in Berlin to collect them. I’ve never met him in person, but I heard from a common friend in NY that he was a pretty radical person. The first edition was white, so for the second edition, I went for a punk-ish red.

Hiroshi: I love his works too.

Aaron: The first time I saw his works was around ten years ago. He was also producing his zine. zines are more exclusive and unique than books. Production and shipping costs are affordable, and it’s easier and faster to sell and spread than books, right?

Hiroshi: It feels as affordable as a sticker or a badge.

Aaron: Do you remember 90’s basketball cards? Every card is different, and sometimes you can find rare ones. It’s the same as zine culture. Each has its own characteristic, and when they’re sold out, their value goes up. More than anything else, it makes you want to collect them, right?

Hiroshi: I love Topps trading cards. Yeah, I understand how it makes you want to collect them.

I am a Blue Whale / Joe Roberts

Aaron: San Francisco-based artist Joe Roberts’ second piece. He’s a great artist who also designs for GX1000, a skateboard crew/label based in San Francisco.

Hiroshi: His style is nice. He uses motifs like Ninja Turtles and the Disney movie “Fantasia” for his art. Wait, I should have this zine somewhere. Let me look for it.

Aaron: I met Joe in Zurich last year. He loves nature and was hiking around Switzerland at the time. That’s why you can see the element of nature in his works, as well as Mickey Mouse doing LSD and drugs, Ninja Turtles eating pizza, etc.

Hiroshi: I found it (inside a mountain of zines). Every time Ehron comes to Japan, he brings a lot of zines in his hand-carry bag. At book fairs, his suitcase is always full.

Aaron: I wonder how much stuff I sent after last year’s Tokyo Art Book Fair. I think it was more than 100 kilos. I wanted to come back to Japan in November this year too, but it’s canceled due to the pandemic. Do you remember when we went to “Grand Fathers” together?

Hiroshi: Oh, that mellow rock bar in Shibuya. You really like that place, especially those big, triangular ashtrays they had there. The next day, I found it on Yahoo! Auctions and sent it to you.

Aaron: Yes, that one! Wait for a second! (Goes to get an ashtray) Right now, I only have this banana-shaped one. I have the triangular one at home, but they’re actually made by the same company. Izakayas were fun too. Hiroshi is the best guide.

Hiroshi: Last time we had a home party at Kensei Yabuno’s, our friend who released his zine through innen. Didn’t you make a lot of Japanese friends?

Aaron: Yeah. I also wanted to do something with Hiroshi for my gallery this year, but I guess it’ll be postponed too.

Hiroshi: It’s a little hard this year, but I want to make it happen next year.

efflorescence / VIRGIL ABLOH

Aaron: It’s a zine made by Virgil Abloh, “Off-White” designer, currently working as the men’s’ artistic director for Louis Vuitton. I love his fashion, and I thought it’d be interesting to produce a zine with him. I don’t know him directly, but I contacted him through a friend. It’s a collection of exclusive photos of his studio.

Hiroshi: Looking at his work, I feel like he knows a lot of universally good things. I met him only once, at a party four years ago. Just by coincidence, he was going to DJ right after me, but I don’t think he remembers that (laughs). 

Aaron: Huh, I didn’t know that. That’s cool! I guess it’s pretty common to connect through culture.

Aaron Fabian
Born in Hungary. Graphic designer, publisher, and editor-in-chief of “innen,” an independent publishing company he founded in 2006. Currently based in Zurich, this company provides an unconventional perspective of art and contemporary trends through zines. In 2010, he launched “Zug Magazine,” a carefully selected collection of contemporary artworks. In 2020, he founded “innen Japan” with Hiroshi Iguchi, with the prospect of releasing one zine every month.
www.innenbooks.com

Hiroshi Iguchi
Founder of the graphic team Illdozer, he started his own work production activity in 2001. He released different collections of works, such as “CULT JAM” (BARTS), “BIG VALUE DUB” (innen), and “Holes” (innen). In “innen Japan,” which he founded with Aaron Fabian, he is mainly in charge of curating and editing artists.
hiroshiiguchi.com

Translation Leandro Di Rosa

The post “innen Japan’s” Aaron Fabian and Hiroshi Iguchi’s hand-picked seven zines appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

Playing and working together. This truly exemplifies the relationship between the musician-cum-artist Carsten Nicolai, who is also known by the name Alva Noto, as well as the fashion designer Kostas Murkudis. The two men, who have been friends and collaborators for 25 years running, make a great pair that have produced numerous artworks to date, including the items and installations of Kostas Murkudis. We created an opportunity to talk in order to hear what they had to say. In Carsten’s studio, where the two frequently work together, we follow along with the story from when the two met down to the present.

ーーCould you please start by telling us how the two of you met?

Kostas Murkudis (referred to as Kostas below): We first met back in 1995 when Carsten held an opening at a gallery in Munich. At the time I was living in Munich, and went to the opening at the invitation of my younger brother Andreas (Andreas Murkudis). He said he had someone he wanted to introduce me to.

Carsten Nicolai (referred to as Carsten below): I had originally met Andreas when we were living in Berlin. 

Kostas: After the opening he said “I”ve got some secret pieces I’d like to show you, come with me,” and brought us outside. I was surprised that he then held a secret, private exhibition in a parked car on a street late at night. 

Carsten: Yeah, that one was special. Wasn’t it a single massive drawing? 

Kostas: No, I think it was a lot of drawings (laughs).

Carsten: Ah, maybe so. I don’t really remember. 

Kostas: I remember it quite well (laughs). Carsten was hesitant about showing these works to the gallerist, and seemed to be somewhat lacking in self-confidence. But your works were absolutely beautiful and I loved them. I remember that you gave me those pieces as a present the following year after my first collection. 

――And from there your friendship continued to deepen.

Carsten: After Kostas moved to Berlin we just grew closer and closer. There wasn’t anything particularly special to it, it just happened naturally. 

Kostas: When the two of us would meet up we’d talk about art, work, girlfriends and friends, politics, and everyday happenings. These conversations would generate ideas in us. 

Carsten: Because we aren’t work colleagues, but personal friends. Since we have been acquainted for so long there are times when we meet up every day, and times when we don’t meet for three months or more due to work or travel. But when we return we make an effort to get together and talk about what we’ve been doing recently and what’s happened to us up to then. 

Kostas: I feel like we’ll go on forever in this way. Or at least for as long as we’re still alive. 

The collaborations between the two began via a natural course of events

――When did you begin collaborating with one another?

Kostas: I think it was in 1997 when we worked on a T-shirt for my second collection. I designed and printed a symbol with Carsten.

Carsten: Initially there were lots of pieces that involved printing on unique materials not used in fashion. Like paper textile dresses and the like. We’ve also test printed silk screens in this studio. Paintings that were abstract to me would be turned into abstract design pieces by Kostas. Only they were wearable. So it was in this manner that we evolved to a more experimental level of fashion. From there we photographed the pieces as art objects without any models, and came to take charge of the lighting and sound for fashion presentations and installations.

Kostas: Do you remember the Milano Collection from 2015? The fashion journalist Luke Leitch who watched the show wrote something to the effect that it was way too loud and that everyone in the venue was kind of freaked out by it, and that it messed up everyone’s ears. I couldn’t help but have a chuckle when I read that (laughs). It was incredible. 

Carsten: But if I’m being honest, they weren’t all that radical. The installations at the MMK Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt were much more radical. In a normal show the models walk the runway and it’s over in ten minutes, but in an art gallery space it’s totally fine if the people don’t move. That way they can better represent sculpture objects. 

Scenes of Japan as seen from their eyes

――You two are generally regarded as Japanophiles. When did you first visit Japan?

Carsten: For a concert in 1997. Since then I’ve gone to Japan at least twice a year. I stopped counting after my 50th trip. Because I’ll go about four or five times a year when I get to go often. I have tons of friends in  Japan, but they always say that I find more interesting things there than my friends in Tokyo do.

Kostas: It was 1997 for myself as well. I first came to Japan in the autumn at the invitation of a buyer in Japan. I had dreamed about going to Japan, so I figured there was nothing for me to do but go. The CEO was British, and they showed me around and went to Shibuya with me. But back then there weren’t any iPhones and there was no information in English. I remember bringing a map and compass with us and the two of us somehow found our way to the station. Now that I think about it, winter of 2017 was the first time we met up in Japan, wasn’t it? We did a live performance with Ryuichi Sakamoto at an event at the Canadian embassy. Where the Isamu Noguchi rock garden is located.

Carsten: It was a Glenn Gould tribute concert. Sogetsu Kaikan was an amazing venue.

――Do you have places you absolutely must visit when you come to Japan?

Carsten: I have to visit Kyoto, particularly the Japanese gardens. There are two Japanese gardens that I always just have to go to. These are Daitoku-ji’s Koto-in Temple and Shodenji Temple. I think that maybe Shodenji Temple isn’t as well known compared with other famous tourist attractions. The first time I visited Kyoto I walked around to try to make it to every single garden, where I found it by chance while I was walking around trying to find Ryoan-ji Temple. It’s right next to a golf course, so if you lose your way you’ll end up on the golf course (laughs).

Kostas: Well then I guess you better bring your golf clubs and shoes (laughs). Kyoto is a must-visit for me as well. I buy tons of kimonos at the markets and vintage shops, and like to spend a leisurely time visiting the temples and gardens.

Carsten: In Tokyo, I love the Nakameguro and Ebisu area, so I always stay there. It has great bookstores, and I love the atmosphere there. A while back it wasn’t the fashion area it’s now become, but it had a number of bars I really liked. I forget the names, but I think they must have either relocated or closed up shop. Tokyo is tricky. Even when you find restaurants and bars you like the pace is too fast there, and they tend to disappear quickly.

Kostas: The pace at which buildings get replaced is fast and furious.

Carsten: Truly. If I still have some spare time left I go to Ueno. There you can get a feel for the Tokyo of the 1970s. And I can’t leave out the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art. It was the first venue in Japan to hold solo exhibitions, and I’d love to meet the owners.

Kostas: I had previously gone to Kamakura by train with the fashion journalist Takeji Hirakawa. Everything from the buildings to the scenery and the atmosphere were just like something out of an Akira Kurosawa film. For the food as well, I got to eat my fill of not just sushi and sashimi, but also regional cuisines that give you a feel for the culture. I’m always looking to encounter places I’ve never been before and things I’ve never seen before. Now that I think of it, one time I went to a manga store with Nibo (Carsten’s assistant).

Carsten: It was Mandarake.

Kostas: Yeah, that one. It was incredible. Nibo didn’t seem to want to go inside, but I just said we’re going together and went in (laughs). I was glad to be able to see a part of Japanese culture, and an alternative scene, that is completely different from that in Europe.

The dream documentary project they are planning in secret

――The collaborative items for JAM HOME MADE you released last year are still fresh in my mind. If you were to do another collaboration set in Japan in the future, what would you like to do?

Carsten: Actually, we’re in the process of approaching museums in an effort to do a project together. Our idea is to go to Japan to gain inspiration from techniques from traditional handicrafts and the like as well as the culture. At the same time we would film a documentary, but one that would be different from mere typical documentaries. It would have a feel closer to that of making an experimental film than that of an exhibition.

Kostas: We would work together and hold conversations with people in the field, and film the whole process. The exchange would be that of a cultural conversation. While it would be a film, it would also be a performance.

Carsten: I feel that when I first went to Japan, it brought into view things that I hadn’t been able to see before. Because there has always been this “cultural feedback system” between Asia, particularly Japan, and Europe. For example, there are Japanese artists who have been influenced by the Bauhaus art movement, while the Bauhaus movement itself has been significantly influenced by Japanese culture. This cultural back-and-forth is always ongoing. And that being the case, it makes it extremely hard when you start to consider who did something first, and where the original came from. But I feel that this is indicative of this “cultural feedback system.”

Kostas: That’s exactly right. You learn about different cultures, and through that you give rise to new creations. It is of profound interest, and in some sense is a dreamlike scenario.

Carsten: We are still in the process of thinking through various ideas, but right now Kostas and Nibo are doing lots of research on handicrafts, techniques, and technologies. If this were to come about we’d probably be staying in Japan for quite a while.

Kostas: I would absolutely love for this to come about, but there are a number of open questions such as whether we would realistically be able to pull it off, and whether Japan and Germany would lend us assistance in this. But we don’t just want to go to Japan. We want to take a deep dive into Japanese culture.

Carsten Nicolai
Born in 1965 in Karl-Marx-Stadt (currently Chemnitz) in former East Germany. Moved to Berlin in the latter half of the 1990s, and is currently based out of Berlin and Chemnitz. As an artist, holds installations and releases visual artworks, and is also active as a musician under the name Alva Noto. Has high name recognition in Japan through his collaborations with Ryoji Ikeda as the musical unit Cyclo, as well as with Ryuichi Sakamoto. Worked on the soundtrack for the film The Revenant in 2016, which was nominated for a Grammy Award, among others.

Kostas Murkudis
Born in 1959 in Dresden, Germany. Resides in Berlin. Served as assistant designer to Helmut Lang from 1986 until 1993, and established his own label Kostas Murkudis in 1994. Released collections in Paris between the years 1996 and 2001. Has also acted as the creative director and a consultant for fashion brands like New York Industrie. Has focused on his own label since 2016, and has been developing innovative textiles and wearable items. 

Photography Ina Niehoff

The post “We want to take a deep dive into Japanese culture” — The cultural theory contemplated by Carsten Nicolai and Kostas Murkudis appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.