Tokion - Revisionaries

Tokion is a magazine that removed the 'and' from Art and Culture by blurring those imaginary lines that separate the two. The magazine never tried to be about art or about culture but rather about art culture in whatever shape or form it happens to manifest itself. I bought my first issue on a whim from Eslite books near to Xhongxiao Tunhua MRT in Taipei simply because I liked the cover. What I found inside its beautifully printed and presented pages was everything that I had been looking for in an art publication. It wasn't as poncy as Wallpaper* or as specific as Lodown but had its own unique voice and a fair amount of humour that made those journeys back to Xinpu MRT near to where I lived all the more bearable.

They've since changed editor and publisher and in another post I'll compare the two and highlight the perils that come with an attempt at appealing to a broader audience. Basically it's not as good as it was, you'll see.

This book, which seems to be a parting grace from founder, Adam Glickman, and former Editor in-Chief, Ken Miller, is their chance to highlight a few of those artists that got their break in the magazine and who, for the most part, have gone on to bigger and brighter things. Adam claims that the book showcases the folk art of the 21st century, work which probably doesn't fit into the academic art mindset but art which, for me, transcends all the "I'll scratch your back and you'll scratch my back" bullshit that litters the mainstream art world and settles in a place that is as exiting and new as it is fresh. Thank you Tokion for reinvigorating the zeitgeist and more importantly for making me fall in love with art again.



The cover.



Chuck Anderson.



Ryan McGinness.



Barry McGee.



Os Gemeos.



Erika Somogyi.



Sebastiaan Bremer.

I bought mine from Urban Outfitters in Georgetown but you can also get it at Amazon.