Context is queen
NEW RELEASES 004: An art print that bridges cultures; a limited-edition magazine from a celebrated designer
If content is king, then context is queen.
We can all enjoy creative work as a pure sensory experience. YES.
But it’s when we get context for that work — who made it, how it was made, what ideas, scenes, and history surround it — that joy turns into a deeper appreciation — one of love.
Context is the missing element in culture today. We consume giant feeds that flatten everything — advertising, harrowing news, self-promotion, life updates, creative work — into a never-ending stream.
The content is endless. The context much harder to find.
While creating Metalabel, context is central to our thinking. We want to celebrate the work, the who, the how, and the why. We want the work to not just get eyeballs. We want it to be seen.
This celebration of context is why every Metalabel release has:
A long storytelling gallery where people can tell the story of their work in rich and deep ways
A Notes section with links, background, and further context, like a dedicated Tumblr for just that release
Unique edition numbers and provenance that allow every collector to show off their support and be seen by the artist, too
Dive into the rich context behind this week’s pair of featured releases from the worlds of art and design. Gain some context of your own by collecting your own unique edition of their excellent work.
New Releases
Twins
By Paul Waters and Jamie Nami Kim
18 x 24 inch fine art print
50 editions
This week on Metalabel we premiere work by two NYC-based painters who have come together to bridge differences in backgrounds to make a stunning piece that reflects them as distinct individuals and, as they call themselves, creative “twins.”
Paul Waters (born 1936) is an African-American painter who has created oil painting collages using hand-application techniques on the Bowery in NYC since the 1960s. His work’s fascination with shadows and symbols creates a timeless language and playful feel.
Jamie Nami Kim (born 1977) is a Korean-Canadian artist who also makes large, finger-painted and collaged canvases with vibrant colors and warm figures. Kim’s work explores ancestry, family, dreams, and “the thing that no one wants to talk about” dealing with the suffering of Korean women during Japanese occupation. Kim’s work turns these areas into colorful and surreal dreams, with a warm, contemplative, and welcoming tone.
“Twins” is the first work made by the two artists together in the studio they share on the Bowery. It features The Dancer — a common figure in Kim’s work — and The Bird — a common figure in Waters’s paintings — in a loving dance that stretches across time.
Waters and Kim have turned their collaborative painting into a series of 100 high-quality fine art prints, 50 of which made available on Metalabel.
50 editions | $150
NUTS: ISSUE ONE and Art Print
By Richard Turley
Physical book and inkjet print
50 editions
Richard Turley is one of the most celebrated graphic designers working today. Past stints as Creative Director at Business Week, Interview Magazine, and collaborating with various creative institutions and projects have earned him numerous awards, plaudits, and ink as a designer of distinction.
Turley is also behind some of the most celebrated new zines and fashion publications, including CIVILIZATION and his latest project, NUTS, both immersive and all-encompassing.
“You kind of create worlds when you make magazines,” Turley told Vogue. “I wanted to make something big that’s light. Magazines are objects, right? They have a presence in the world. I just wanted to think about that from a different perspective and I wanted it to feel different. I wanted it to smile, I wanted it to be kind.”
Today on Metalabel, Turley opens up his archive to offer some of the last remaining copies of NUTS ISSUE ONE. Each of the fifty limited editions comes with a unique inkjet print.
50 editions | $50
Define your context
Interested in defining the context around your work?
Sign up for our waitlist and share what you’re working on.
Sometimes when projects catch our eye, we reach out. 🙂
Release Updates
Artist Cristine Brache’s two poetry performances sold out on Metalabel this week. Congratulations to Brache and the whole team. We’ll report back on the shows in a coming missive. Collect a copy of Brache’s poetry book Goodnight Sweet Thing here.
Writer Yancey Strickler’s “The Post Individual” sold out all 250 editions this past week. Congratulations to all the collectors who got one.
The artist Shantell Martin, whose new album Bad Ideas is exclusively available via Metalabel, will perform a release show in NYC tonight. Details here. Get Bad Ideas here.
Moment of Zen
The Dark Forest Anthology of the Internet was discussed this week at the Museum of Modern Art (watch).
She sure is. And collaboration is their offspring. I am noticing a movement towards collaboration by common and ordinary participants in the SPACE and I am glad. Thanks, Yancey, and to Metalabel, for facilitating this process.