JUXTAPOZ ISSUE 172 / MAY 2015

Issue 172 is Juxtapoz in full storyteller mode—quiet, meticulous, and emotionally rich, anchored by one of the greats of sequential art: Chris Ware. It opens with a visit to Ware’s Oak Park studio, a space as precise and considered as his drawings, setting a reflective tone before the issue widens into its usual mix of street culture and contemporary design.

The Report checks in on Slang Aesthetics at LAMAG, a Robert Williams–led celebration of lowbrow surrealism, followed by a Profile on Molotow Wholetrain, digging into the legacy of graffiti trains and hardcore paint culture. Bryan Schutmaat’s Picture Book brings a blast of stark American photography—landscapes, working-class faces, and the quiet loneliness of rural sprawl.

Design lands with Richard Bravery’s clean, conceptual visual identity work, while the fashion pages spotlight John Fluevog, whose shoes straddle art object and cult artifact. Influences passes the mic to Hiro Murai, the filmmaker behind atmospheric, dreamlike music videos long before Atlanta made him a household name.

The artist features are stacked:
• Chris Ware returns for a full-length feature—melancholy, architectural, deeply human.
• Sarah Cain splashes the page with abstract colour and improvisation.
• Kevin Earl Taylor brings surreal animal imagery and symbolic storytelling.
• Trevor Wheatley bends typography into sculptural installations.
• Dabs Myla deliver their cartoon-bright, mural-friendly graphic world.
• Søren Solkær adds sleek, cinematic portraiture.

The back of the issue keeps the momentum: a Detroit Travel Insider piece charting the city’s post-industrial art revival, an In Session look at Fullerton College, plus book reviews, event rundowns (Surreal Salon 7 and RYCA at Brit Week), product picks, and Sieben’s “Start Right Now,” a nudge to stop overthinking and make the work. It closes with a Perspective honoring Sam Simon, the late co-creator of The Simpsons—a fittingly heartfelt end note.

A warm, thoughtful, artist-heavy issue—perfect for Ware fans and lovers of quiet, crafted storytelling.