[...] Ryan McGinley’s steep ascent within the world of photography appears almost as effortless as his images: Born in 1977 in New Jersey, he moved to New York in 1996 to study graphic design at Parsons School of Design, where almost by accident he discovered his love for photography. Incessantly shooting his friends and surroundings, McGinley inadvertently documented the microcosm of youth culture in New York at the turn of the millennium in a body of work that stood out for its energy and optimism, despite the grit and rawness of the images – a style that should later draw comparisons to the work of Nan Goldin, Larry Clark and Robert Frank. In the meantime, McGinley befriended a group of local artists and creative types – among them his close friends Dan Colen and the late Dash Snow – that would soon be hyped as a ‘new movement’ by the press, a label based more on the excessive lifestyle the three had in common than their actual and quite disparate work.[...] (Englisch)

Martino first attracted widespread attention in 2007 with the project 100 Chairs in 100 Days, for which he reworked elements of existing chairs into a collection of charismatic new pieces of furniture. Taking on the ultimate design object of the chair within severe self-imposed constraints in terms of time and material, the results were odd, to put it mildly – at times impractical, at times funny-looking, but always refreshingly unexpected. Martino returned to the idea of remaking several times, most notoriously when he dis- and reassembled furnishings by famed architect and designer Gio Ponti into new pieces, an act of homage that was misinterpreted by some as irreverence.[...] (Englisch)

[...] Cyprien Gaillard examines the buildings and landscapes as well as the people who inhabit them. In previous works, the modernist housing block was a recurring theme, a structure associated with the utopian aspirations of the architectural avant-garde in the early 20th century that became ubiquitous in the post-war era. As many of the buildings turned into failed experiments, municipalities in various regions decided to dismantle the structures. At times, the demolitions were turned into spectacular sound and light shows. Gaillard has examined these buildings from different vantage points: depicting them as monuments that conjure up associations with ancient ruins or medieval castles, as backdrops for fringe group behaviour, as sites for mega-spectacles, and once demolished, as massive installations. The digital video Desniansky Raion rehearses these aspects particularly vigorously but they find expression in a number of other works as well. Within these spaces, Gaillard occasionally turns his eye to the rituals of young men (binge-drinking students in Cancún, a gang member dancing, packs of young men meeting in a parking lot in St. Petersburg to fight each other) who appear briefly, like mirages, amidst tower blocks and ancient ruins. [...] (Englisch)

Sonic Youth, of course, created a legacy of musical innovation. Thriving on the playgrounds of noise music for more than three decades, they stoically pursued their own particularly dirty blend of noise-punk experimental rock music, building along the way not only a league of dedicated followers, but also miraculously achieving mainstream success without ever ceding ground to mediocrity. If anything, Sonic Youth became a household name for integrity and that specific kind of cool in a genre where cool is firmly attached to youth – which certainly had a lot to do with the unfailing detached charisma of Kim Gordon, who brought a certain glamour to her male counterparts, Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore. (Englisch)

Bless begins with a beautiful story: In 1996, the entirely unknown fashion label of sorts announced its existence to the world via an advertisement in the British style bible i-D, offering a – fur wig. Maybe naively expecting the world to take notice, the phone ended up ringing just once, but as it happens, it turned out to be a call from Paris. A few months later, all models for Maison Martin Margiela’s Autumn / Winter 1997 collection ended up wearing fur wigs on the catwalk. The fashion world took notice, and Bless got the attention it had hoped for, after all. [...] (Englisch)

In the rare realm of people who have mastered art and music as blended elements, Carsten Nicolai continues to drive creative processes into new directions.

Frank Leder is an odd character. Seemingly easy to pinpoint, yet at second glance surprisingly off-centre—it is like with a joke when you realize you have just laughed at the wrong place. One can never be quite sure.

Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor appeared out of Nowhere, USA, with his debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, in 1989. His tortured disco pop should prove a favourite on the college radio circuit

mono.kultur is an interview magazine in full length and depth, extensive and unfiltered.
One interview per issue. Quarterly.

#4 features Zeruya Shalev, the most successful female writer in Israel today.
Interview by Shira Hadad
Photography by Uri Gershuni
Design by Gila Kaplan

At first glance, there really seem to be some parallels between Romain, the protagonist of François Ozon’s latest film, Time to Leave, and the director and screenwriter who invented him: Both are young artists in their thirties, brought up in a loving and supportive upper middle-class family in Paris and are self-conscious about their homosexuality.

Matias Faldbakken, born in 1973, lives and works as an artist and writer in Oslo. Son of the celebrated Norwegian author Knut Faldbakken, he published two novels,

mono.kultur is an interview magazine in full length and depth, extensive and unfiltered.
One interview per issue. Quarterly.

#8 features Wolfgang Voigt
Interview by Andrew Cannon and Kai von Rabenau
Photography by Juergen Teller
Design by Laurent Benner

Disclaimer: You might find yourself approaching some kind of fit, choking on your own laughter and chuckling away happily forever after when first encountering the disturbingly sinister and truly enchanting work of Glasgow based artist David Shrigley. You might also want to follow the advice given by the master himself: ‘Feel Free to Howl.’

mono.kultur is an interview magazine in full length and depth, extensive and unfiltered.
One interview per issue. Quarterly.

#11 features David LaChappelle
Interview by Magdalena Magiera and Kai von Rabenau
Photography by David LaChapelle

We are not who we think we are; and we need stories, just to remain intact.

mono.kultur is an interview magazine in full length and depth, extensive and unfiltered.
One interview per issue. Quarterly.

#13 features GZA/WU-Tang Clan
Interview by Renko Heuer
Photography by Sue Kwon
Design by Kai von Rabenau

I love utopia, but I’m deeply frightened of complete projects.

I ask myself all the big questions, every Sunday.

We see the Earth changing, we monitor its development, and we react.

My path just seems to have gone
where others’ don’t.

I love to learn from things I can’t appreciate.

First, silence. Then, as from afar, frantically, a violin descends, emerging from the shadows, ever more insistently. A piano answers, slows the pace. And thus begins a careful courtship of two opposing voices: teasing, complaining, questioning, refuting, embracing. And thus begins one of the most compelling recordings of modern music.

Later on, we hear a bell, the pulse, introducing the second movement – a requiem, a dream, a heart-stopping descent, unreeling slowly, ever so relentlessly, into a depth where there is nothing but mourning, brutal, encompassing, rapturous. [...] (Englisch)

o.A.

This issue was a long process, so we are particularly proud to announce mono.kultur #23 featuring Norwegian scientist and artist Sissel Tolaas who has dedicated her life and work to the world of smells.

mono.kultur is an interview magazine in full length and depth, extensive and unfiltered.
One interview per issue. Quarterly.

#19 features Michael Ballhaus
Interview by Edda Bauer
Film Stills by Michael Ballhaus
Design by Claudia Schenk