Current Issue

50 / Printed Matter

January 19, 2012. Serial publications have the power to link what’s in print with what’s happening now, reflecting the impermanence and transience not only of the medium, but also of the ideas catalogued therein. As an online venue, Art Practical strives to create such a connective dialogue that brings today’s art to life, but it also aims to historicize the interactions between artwork and viewer, writer and reader. “Printed Matter” is concerned with Art Practical’s indebtedness to print culture; we ponder the extent to which Art Practical can serve as an archive while constantly evolving alongside its own conversations as part of an ever-shifting digital frontier. There’s a tension between the ephemerality of being in the present and the staying power of a constructed archive. Our fiftieth issue, “Printed Matter” is a self-reflexive pause within this space. Enjoy. CM