A Note From Our Publisher.
Jen takes a moment. Photo: Emily Shur.
From artist collective and creative agency GIANT ARTISTS, I bring you the inaugural issue of GIGANTIC, our online digital art magazine. GIGANTIC tells the communal story of the creative mavericks and kindred spirits who shape our agency and our extended family of makers. The magazine is a home for visual storytellers, specially curated for our fellow art enthusiasts.
Each issue centers on a theme that our artists are invited to interpret however they see fit. For issue 1, we chose the theme Stay, and as you will see, there are many fascinating ways to explore that concept visually.
Cover photographer Christaan Felber ventured out (masked and gloved!) in Woodstock, NY, where he’s quarantined at his mother’s cabin, to connect from six feet away with his subjects in town. Dustin Aksland collaborated with friends far and wide for his series of global FaceTime portraits, and Art Streiber explored a film noir perspective on his nightly neighborhood walks.
Putting their home studios to good use, photographers Jessica Antola and Justin Fantl shot beautiful floral still lifes and an interactive game of Boggle, respectively. Inspired by his young son, Collin Erie experimented with textural photographic techniques, and Jonpaul Douglass expressed what we’ve all been thinking: The future feels weird.
Others opted to turn inward, revisiting their archives and finding new meaning in their images. Emily Shur shared a thoughtful selection of photos she shot on recent trips to Japan and talked about why that country continues to inspire her. And Micaiah Carter reflected on why his short film, “Baby Boy,” is especially poignant to him now. GIANT collaborator Alexa Johnson used mixed media to mirror some of the emotions that so many of us are feeling. And Jonpaul takes us out with a playlist that says it all.
I am grateful for the creativity that lies within the GIANT ARTISTS family and thankful for the digital medium enabling us to share our GIGANTIC talents with you. Wherever you find yourself today, we wish you health and safety during our shared cultural disruption.
Be well,
Jen Jenkins
Publisher, April 2020