[PRESS Blog] From "nothing" to the desire to imagine

Apr 23, 2013

I found the perfect magazine.

It's called "Perfect Magazine." The magazine is directed by London-based curator Mathieu Copeland. Its contents are truly sumptuous, featuring pages featuring the work of around 50 actors, including artists, critics, and galleries, including Gilbert and George, Martin Creed, Christian Boltanski, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Daniel Buren, Liam Gillick, and Yoko Ono.

The reason is that it's printed in white ink on white paper, and every page, including the cover, is completely white. The reflection of the ink gives a faint glimpse of the content of each page. The magazine contains advertisements printed in white, as well as white photographs, white graphics, and even the ISBN number, all printed in white.

While it is a magazine in its formal form, the contents are obscured, inciting the reader into far-flung fantasies. It's no exaggeration to say that this magazine, which invites deep reflection on the concept of "magazine," is itself a work of art. This perfect magazine, transporting readers to an infinite imaginary space, is a one-off publication.

Since Ives Klein's "Empty Space" exhibition in 1958, the expression of those who create "non-existence" has diversified and crossed various disciplines: architects who don't build, photographers who don't take pictures, artists who don't create works, film directors who don't tell stories, and musicians who don't make sound.

Expressing "non-existence" is itself an antithesis to existing thinking, while at the same time inspiring a romance for what might have been. It's a complex and fascinating topic. Perfect Magazine expresses this topic very well.

Perhaps what we desire most right now are works, actions, and situations that expand the human imagination. By thinking and imagining, humans infinitely expand their own possibilities and discover the meaning of life.

If something like an "imagination business" were to emerge in the future that satisfies this desire, which is comparable to the three basic human needs... what kind of business could we imagine? That's what I'm thinking.
Maya Junqueira Shiboh
  • Perfect Magazine
  • Perfect Magazine
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