WERK Magazine delves into its archives with a special exhibition and pop-up store at BELOWGROUND showcasing its out-of-print and highly collectable issues.
Founded by Singaporean artist and graphic designer Theseus Chan (b. 1961), WERK magazine has garnered international acclaim for its experimental publication design since its founding in 2000.
Aiming to distort our collective understanding of print media, each issue fuses visual and physical experimentation through the visual arts, materials, printing and processing. Whilst some covers look like they may fall apart upon opening, others can involve typography that look deliberately undecipherable.
Embracing all forms of paper and cardboard through his work, Chan chooses 30 FedEx boxes as the vessels to examine his creative process for this exhibition at BELOWGROUND. Recalling Walead Beshty’s artful use of shipping, the artist hand paints each box, transforming the packaging into a work of art in its own right.
Each FedEx box will contain a selected curation of 7-8 rare issues of WERK magazine, forging a link between container and content. A unique testament to the magazine’s influence in design and visual storytelling, the exhibition showcases print’s physicality and tactile nature in the digital world of today.
The WERK Magazine exhibition and pop-up store runs at BELOWGROUND from 25 February to 12 March, 2024. Follow @belowground.hk on Instagram for regular updates.
