CONTENTS

June/July/August 2023

SCOTT SAMPLER’S SECRET SAUCE

For the former filmmaker turned viticulture renegade, natural wine is a form of artistic expression and resistance against a conformist industry.

SEAWATER AND PSYCHEDELICS

Tara Walters’s ethereal painting practice is informed by a fine blend of psychic retreats and spiritualists.

THE TIMELESSNESS OF TØKIO M¥ERS

The British musician and producer has a slate of collaborations and solo projects on the horizon. They’re pulling him in new and exciting directions.

WELCOME TO THE BALMING TIGER UNIVERSE

As K-pop sweeps the globe, the rising Seoul-based group is adding new dimensions to the genre.

YOUNG CURATORS 2023

The annual list features six practitioners blazing new paths in a crowded field.

LITTLE STUDIO OF HORRORS

Javier Barrios’s practice, rooted in the work that surrounded him in childhood, will be on view this summer for his first solo show with Clearing in Brussels.

STANDING ON THE CORNER

The music collective is heralded for blending sounds of the African diaspora with the raw energy of New York. This summer, they present an avant-garde sonic installation at MoMA PS1.

SHYGIRL’S FANTASYLAND

The musician speaks with Jeremy O. Harris about forming her own sultry, silky brand of experimental pop.

BILLIE

124

BRONTEZ PURNELL AND STEVE LACY ON CHURCH CHOIRS AND CLUB RECORDS

Brontez Purnell DMs his friend, musician Steve Lacy, for a conversation about gatekeeping, witchcraft, and being the loudest one in the room.

130

MARTINE SYMS AND BEN BABBITT ON CELLISTS AND HYPNOTISTS

The artists dissect their fortuitous meeting, the connection between the human body and technology, and the creative potential of hanging out.

136

THE MAN WHO TURNED BLONDIE’S HAIR BLACK

Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein reminisce about their collaboration with the late Swiss artist H.R. Giger.

140

3 RECORDS THAT CHANGED HANIF ABDURRAQIB’S LIFE

Writer and poet Hanif Abdurraqib takes a break from penning his forthcoming book to reflect on the albums that raised him.

146

EVERYONE HAS QUESTIONS FOR CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS

To mark the release of his latest album, the musician answers questions on life and love from his friends and collaborators.

150

INTO THE WILD

With its Autumn/Winter 2023 collection, Dior pens a billet-doux to three women who subverted the dictums of their time: Catherine Dior, Édith Piaf, and Juliette Gréco.

Photographer

Minneapolis-based photographer Alec Soth has published over 25 books of his work—including Songbook (2015), I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating (2019), and A Pound of Pictures (2022)—and has had over 50 solo exhibitions at institutions including the Jeu de Paume in Paris and Media Space in London. In 2008, he created Little Brown Mushroom, a multimedia enterprise focused on visual storytelling, and in 2013, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is also a member of Magnum Photos. For this issue, Soth shot poet Danez Smith, a fellow Minneapolis creative, at home. “I’ve been a fan of Danez’s urgent poetry for a long time,” says Soth. “What a pleasure to peek into their world.”

Artist

Martine Syms has captured the art world’s imagination with a practice that combines conceptual grit, humor, and social commentary. She has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, and received a Guggenheim Fellowship this year. Syms has written and directed three feature films: The Mundane Afrofuturist Manifesto, Incense Sweaters & Ice, and The African Desperate. Ahead of her first solo Sprüth Magers show, she speaks with fellow artist, frequent collaborator, and friend Ben Babbitt.