I was born and raised in Los Angeles. Native Angelenos are a rarity in a city that experiences nearly perennial sunshine. Are people really born here? As such, the landscape shines with the promises of renewal, reinvention, and opportunity. California will forever be a part of my DNA, imprinted on my tongue, as are the 13,879 sunrises and sunsets saved in my optical and sensory memories. In 2011, I left my job as an editorial assistant at The Los Angeles Times Magazine, dreaming of starting my own publication. This was a golden moment in time as social media existed, but our addiction to it hadn’t officially begun, and that was mainly due to the available technology. Apple had yet to introduce Retina displays on their iPad or iPhone. Mobile screens were small, and the printed word was sacred. I believed in the power of digital transmission and fought to realize a passion project, Installation Magzine, as the first all-digital Contemporary art magazine. There were some problems. The use case for the iPad was non-existent, inaccessible, expensive, and still in its infancy. While venture capitalists circled with interest, none would bite. I marched on anyway. In 2011, the first issue of Installation Magazine was released as a limited, printed edition. Hugh Holland’s photograph, “Skate Contest Spectators, Torrance (No. 62),” captured in 1975, was selected as the cover.
The eyes can’t help but pan the crowd like an opening scene from a Robert Altman film. Each spectator is a character that makes the tapestry of California so eclectic and magical. It is with a heavy heart that I learned of Hugh Holland’s passing today. His photography documented the subculture of skateboarding, the fearless asphalt angels who turned makeshift planks of wood and roller skate wheels into an art form. Hugh Holland’s work was essential in telling the story of California. I wanted to honor Hugh by sharing the first “Editor’s Letter” from the printed issue in its original form. While many years have passed since writing the manifesto, I am revived by the innocent spirit I feel in these words. That optimism and wonderment feel desperately needed as the City of Angels fights to rise from the ashes. I love you, Los Angeles. California is my yesterday, today, and tomorrow. You will be missed, Hugh. Thank you.
“There’s a feeling I get when I look to the West…”
-Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven
When the word “California” rolls off the tongue, it has a transformative power- infusing the body with the sensation of basking in golden sunshine while rushing through Pacific Coast Highway at top speed in a convertible. Or it could be the sensation of millions of grains of sand creeping in between one’s toes while ruminating over the crash of the Pacific Ocean. The utterance of “California” is loaded with possibility – a subject, a verb, a destination, and a state of mind. It’s an incubator of dreams, the scene for realizations, the Left Coast, and a place that fosters a burgeoning art scene that can never compete with New York City but will forge its path in the sand instead. What’s most significant about California for the creators of Installation Magazine is that it’s our home. Through the lens of this state, we have defined an understanding of artists and their work. It feels appropriate to dedicate our first issue to California as she gave us our start in the art world, and it only seems appropriate that we return the favor.
Our Featured Artists span the experiential spectrum from emerging to mid-career to established. While the narrative of California unites the artists, we created a way for emerging artists to enter into an unexpected dialogue between established leaders in their medium. The “transitions” that appear before each feature are original works of art that speak to the styles or themes presented by the Featured Artists but are also imbued with their point of view.
As architects of the magazine, we designed specific editorial departments that share an investigative spirit and a means to introduce each artist’s distinct personalities and styles to the reader. I/Focus Feature explores an artist or collector’s private space to discuss their practice and share personal stories about their works. Dialogue + Discover converses with emerging and established artists working in all mediums. Plates + Slides catalogs work in various mediums, giving the reader a scope of the artist’s work.
Installation Media is proud to present our first issue of a series of limited-edition quarterly magazines available in printed and digital formats. Issue 1 represents our diverse interests in the intersection of art disciplines, including painting, fine art photography, street art, and sculpture.
Our curiosity knows no bounds, and we express equal affection for the featured artists in the issue—Lisa Adams, Jay Brockman, David Eddington, Keegan Gibbs, the collection of Michael and Sirje Gold, Hugh Holland, the artists from Known Gallery, Cole Rise, Spencer Lowell, Quam Odunsi, and Vasa.
Thank you for welcoming us into your studios and minds with open arms and for embracing our ambitious dreams.
Welcome to California.
Photograph © Hugh Holland and M+B Gallery
Skate Contest Spectators, Torrance (no. 62), 1975