212 #4
We’ve shared our excitement at the format and scale of Istanbul’s 212 magazine here before. It has always used its large pages to make the best use of great photography, but this issue has pushed this part of the project further.
Themed ‘Only You,’ the issue promises personal histories and struggles, and we meet Coco Capitain, Gucci collaborator (above), film director David Lynch and scientific disruptor Nelly Ben Hayoun. These are good interviews, albeit featuring familiar faces. But what makes the issue sing is the visual content – the art and photography throughout is stunning.
Part of the appeal of the imagery is its uniqueness. We’re used to seeing the same artists and photographers appearing in magazines; I can’t say that all the material here is unpublished but together it presents a unique combination of work, from Alicia Moneva’s series of polyptychs of people in the bath (above) to Julia Fullerton-Batten’s story that portrays the clash of the old and new in South Korea (below)
212 has always trodden carefully around the current issue of censorship in its home country, but a series of Turkish artist Ali Elmaci’s extraordinary works about government oppression include a couple of new pieces titled, ‘I Can’t Reciprocate Your Feelings, Osman,’ (one above) that refer to state control.
A fashion shoot by Charlie Engman provides some lighter, brighter relief (above) and Cooper and Gorfer offer a beautiful series of images of the Sami people of the Arctic Circle (below).
Since launch, we’ve enjoyed 212’s unique mix of content, spanning east and west as befits their Turkish location. This issue presents a unique visual report on our world, and is our latest Magazine of the Week. As well as sharing the physicsal scale of Victory Journal, it is now matching that favourite for visual impact.
Creative director: Ilkay Gurpinar
Editor-in-chief: Heval Okcuoglu