350 SPRING IMAGE ARENA

For well over a year, we’ve immersed ourselves in the evolving landscape of contemporary imagery. As we shaped this issue of Flash Art, global events forced us – like the rest of the world – to continuously reassess themes, content, and our editorial approach. This journey led us to explore a more grounded visual language, moving away (even though not entirely) from heavily manipulated digital aesthetics in favor of imagery that feels raw, immediate, and non-indexical.

At the heart of the spring issue of Flash Art are artists who have forged profound connections with photography and filmmaking. With each one of our publications – and through our daily presence on social media – we search for the ideal image: one that captures a state of mind, resonates with readers, lends itself to being ossified, or politicizes a concept when necessary. The artists featured in his issue redefine photographic and cinematic narratives, offering fresh perspectives on how we perceive and construct reality. 

Our point of departure was to locate a distinct visual language, and we sought a pioneer to embody that essence. Enter Sophie Calle. Her diaristic approach to storytelling guided our editorial vision toward greater authenticity. Joshua Woods photographed Calle in her home and studio in the Parisian suburb of Malakoff, capturing her wearing Chanel for our cover – a deeply intimate portrayal. In an expansive conversation with Flash Art editor-in-chief Gea Politi, Calle reflects on her career from its inception to the present, leading up to her exhibition “Séance de rattrapage” at Perrotin, Paris.

As an extreme counterpoint, Jon Rafman was invited to share insights on his latest video, Main Stream Media Network (2025), in which he revisits the golden age of unidirectional broadcast media – MTV, VH1, and their like – refracted though the lens of today’s post-digital, post-AI mass culture. Rafman also designed a special cover for Flash Art, pushing the boundaries of digital aesthetics even further.

Another cover star, Christine Sun Kim, was captured by Joseph Kadow in her studio in Berlin, wearing Bottega Veneta and Kuboraum eyewear. Ahead of the major institutional survey “All Day All Night” at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Kim sat down with Olivia Parkes to discuss her multidisciplinary practice, which spans performance, drawing, video, sculpture, and site-specific murals, all deeply rooted in the dimensionality of ASL and music.

Nat Faulkner also takes the cover, photographed in his London studio by Oscar Foster-Kane wearing Stone Island. Anya Harrison writes about his practice, exploring his ability to “sculpt with images and give materiality to perception, embracing its inherent fluidity and malleability.”

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