The journal, despite its lightweight size and shape, is a dense compendium of contemporary art theory, stemming (in case the Off Modern moniker didn’t ring any bells for you) from the 1920’s avant-garde movements in Modernism, refracted through the Postmodern and Elephant & Castle’s underpasses. Despite occasionally disagreeing with a nuance or two in the actual theory, stemming myself more from the Postmodern/Deconstruction school of thought, the ideas espoused within are overall eloquently expressed and tightly argued and the journal held my attention for well in excess of five hours.
One thing that really needs mentioning is the style and feel of the publication; it really is a beautiful little book, every page has clearly been long thought-out and laboured over, from layout to use of colour. Here at Clinic we’re suckers for beautiful printing and this really fits the bill, with the guys over at Ditto Press bringing their excellent Risograph skills to the table (the page texture is to die for). The actual artwork contained within the book is also of a very high standard, with Tom Rees’s collage work and Guy Gormley’s photographs marking a real high point.
The inclusion of this calibre of work creates a real tension between the art and the theory exhibited; it has always been my belief that art should be able and allowed to speak for itself, containing its own theories and ideas – which when required can be produced in prosaic form. The overbearing focus on the essay and manifesto here feels a little outdated, coercing the artwork into a dialogue in which the essay takes precedence, detracting somewhat from the work’s ability to speak for itself – as the book itself lucidly points out, ‘this isn’t Paris and it isn’t 1924’.
At times, it has to be said, the journal does veer into wild generalisation, a particular passage defining WWII as a clash between romantic and anti-romantic thought standing out as a rather insensitive example; while another passage comparing Dubai to the perhaps too-close-to-home Elephant & Castle comes across as rather twee, guilty of the same easy ‘armchair-anthropology’ levied at Levi-Strauss’s studies from the safety of his study.
One question really came to mind when reading the journal: just who is this meant for? Off Modern have created an incredibly successful art-clubnight to which hundreds regularly flock for nights of aesthetic excess and although this journal is very much separate to that I often found myself wondering if any of the attendees have bought a copy, and if so what they make of it?
Pick up your copy of the journal here for a modest £5.