JUXTAPOZ ISSUE 189 / OCTOBER 2016

Issue 189 is Juxtapoz at its most eccentric and mischievous, anchored by the king of lowbrow himself: Robert Williams. The issue opens inside his home studio—part laboratory, part shrine, all chaos—where oil paints, hot rods, and surreal visions collide. From there it jumps into Home Land Security in San Francisco, a politically charged exhibition staged inside historic military batteries, and then over to the experimental Black Mountain School, carrying that renegade, DIY-art-education energy. The Report zeroes in on Slang Aesthetics! in Santa Fe, a Williams-led display of raw, psychedelic, anti-establishment painting.

The Picture Book section dives into Diane Arbus at the Met Breuer—portraits that stare back with unsettling intensity—before the tone swings playful with Jack Sachs’ animated, dancing sandwich in the design feature. Antonio Lopez brings fashion flair with his futurist funk illustrations, and Christian Rex van Minnen steps into Influences with his glossy, grotesque, old-master-meets-body-horror still lifes.

The artist features go deep: 2501’s monochrome linework and optical rhythms; Marnie Weber’s dark, theatrical dreamworlds; Jordan Bogash’s polished, Americana-tinged narratives; Adam Miller’s lush, mythic figurative painting; and Dan Christofferson’s mystical “spiritual alphabet,” an entire personal folklore built from symbols, runes, and Utah frontier mysticism.

The back half stretches out with a Travel Insider piece on EKTA in Gothenburg, book reviews spanning Pettibon to A-B-Cheeeeese!, and a Profile documenting outdoor creative life in Rio. Product reviews spotlight Wet Paint, Vans, and Public Enemy gear, before Sieben closes in with a thank-you to Mr. Hrechko. The issue wraps with Pop Life snapshots from LA, SF, and NYC, and a final perspective on The Nib’s impact at the Democratic National Convention—politics, cartoons, and sharp commentary blending into one last punch.

A strong, weird, painter-heavy issue—prime Juxtapoz energy.