An independent magazines exhibition at the Brno Biennial

Established in 1963, the Brno International Biennial of Graphic Design celebrates the best in visual culture around the world. Started by a group of Czechoslovak artists, their original aim was to exercise their right to artistic expression.

In today’s incarnation, the event hosts a series of talks, inviting speakers and design luminaries from around the world, along with exhibitions on typography, graphic art and printed matter, filling out the expansive Moravian Gallery. Stack was invited to curate an exhibition on independent magazines for this summer’s show — scroll down to take a look at what we’ve come up with, and read on for Steve’s thinking behind it all…

In the catalogue to the exhibition, Steve explains his rationale for choosing the magazines on display: “There is a new wave of beautiful, provocative and idiosyncratic magazines made for tight niches rather than broad demographics, and the titles assembled in this exhibition represent a selection of the most eye-catching and interesting publishing from the last two years.”

“The exhibition arranges them in groups to show some of the similarities and differences that exist between them, but it’s important to remember that they are first and foremost independent: They may feel affinities for one another’s work, and may even look to each other for support and inspiration, but they are each publishing according to their own ideas and experiences, and answer only to their own passions and priorities.”

Huge thanks to the event organisers Adam Štěch, Jan Kloss and Matěj Činčera of OKOLO, and Miroslava Pluháčková from the Moravian Gallery for including Stack in this brilliant event! The exhibitions will run until 26 August, and you can check their website for more information.