As a bona fide artist book and magazine junkie, I often feel like I’ve seen it all, so it’s rare that a new publication really knocks my socks off. But I find Tunica magazine (now on its second issue) irresistible—each issue is full of bright, splashy pages and enticing images taken on street corners around the world. It’s the ultimate travel journal. Luckily for me, not only do we carry Tunica at Opening Ceremony, but the magazine is also based in the heart of the Lower East Side. I made the short trip over to the studio, nestled in a converted school building, to ask the team a few questions.
Photos by James Parker
Shannan Elinor Smith: Why did you guys decide to make Tunica?
Tunica: Tunica was born out of a DIY attitude. Some of us were working for other magazines, and the first baby step was believing in self-publishing as a way to show the work of our friends and of other more established artists in the same publication. We also realized that our own projects fit in well, so we included them too.
Each issue features different art directors and guest editors. In the past, we've worked with Braulio Amado/Alva studio in Portugal, and Christopher and Kathleen Slobeda from the states. The latest issue was designed by Folch Studio in Barcelona and the next one will be art directed by Mexico's Nrmal Studio, with the New York gallery ED. Varie as a guest editor.
Why is it called Tunica?
Tunica means "tunic" in English; the name comes from the idea of capturing different cultures under the same fabric.
Tunica includes contributions from all over the world. Why did you want a magazine based in NYC to have such a global feel?
The synergy of New York is really important for creating and spreading a project like Tunica. New York is a place where you can find people from around the world working in the same field, ready to share their projects and enjoy the work of other artists. It doesn’t matter where they come from.
Why did you choose the metropolis as the theme for issue #1?
The metropolis was the reason this project ever saw the light of day, and it's the center of our lives. But we didn’t want to close off the theme too much, we wanted to leave it open for our collaborators.
What is your favorite foreign metropolis to visit?
Mexico City is really interesting to us. The country's history is so rich, the culture is so strong, and the gastronomy is amazing. You can feel the rhythm and the energy of the people in the city. We just published works by Pedro Friedeberg in the new issue. He is one of the biggest artists in Mexico and we're excited to showcase even more amazing Mexican artists in the next issue as well.
The first two issues are like personalized travel journals. Is this a concept you are going to continue with?
We love travel journals—the more personal the better! The idea was to make the issues about countries and continents we feel curious about but without any special order or preference. We follow our whims!
Tunica has a very digital feel to me—when I flip through it’s almost like scrolling down someone’s blog, is this intentional?
That was the idea. The blog is a format we really like to use: it's fast and easy and that's really important nowadays. We are working on a new website at the moment, where there'll be a digital edition, updates, and special online contributions by artists.
Do you have a favorite gallery in New York?
We really like, and enjoy sha
Photos by James Parker
Shannan Elinor Smith: Why did you guys decide to make Tunica?
Tunica: Tunica was born out of a DIY attitude. Some of us were working for other magazines, and the first baby step was believing in self-publishing as a way to show the work of our friends and of other more established artists in the same publication. We also realized that our own projects fit in well, so we included them too.
Each issue features different art directors and guest editors. In the past, we've worked with Braulio Amado/Alva studio in Portugal, and Christopher and Kathleen Slobeda from the states. The latest issue was designed by Folch Studio in Barcelona and the next one will be art directed by Mexico's Nrmal Studio, with the New York gallery ED. Varie as a guest editor.
Why is it called Tunica?
Tunica means "tunic" in English; the name comes from the idea of capturing different cultures under the same fabric.
Tunica includes contributions from all over the world. Why did you want a magazine based in NYC to have such a global feel?
The synergy of New York is really important for creating and spreading a project like Tunica. New York is a place where you can find people from around the world working in the same field, ready to share their projects and enjoy the work of other artists. It doesn’t matter where they come from.
Why did you choose the metropolis as the theme for issue #1?
The metropolis was the reason this project ever saw the light of day, and it's the center of our lives. But we didn’t want to close off the theme too much, we wanted to leave it open for our collaborators.
What is your favorite foreign metropolis to visit?
Mexico City is really interesting to us. The country's history is so rich, the culture is so strong, and the gastronomy is amazing. You can feel the rhythm and the energy of the people in the city. We just published works by Pedro Friedeberg in the new issue. He is one of the biggest artists in Mexico and we're excited to showcase even more amazing Mexican artists in the next issue as well.
The first two issues are like personalized travel journals. Is this a concept you are going to continue with?
We love travel journals—the more personal the better! The idea was to make the issues about countries and continents we feel curious about but without any special order or preference. We follow our whims!
Tunica has a very digital feel to me—when I flip through it’s almost like scrolling down someone’s blog, is this intentional?
That was the idea. The blog is a format we really like to use: it's fast and easy and that's really important nowadays. We are working on a new website at the moment, where there'll be a digital edition, updates, and special online contributions by artists.
Do you have a favorite gallery in New York?
We really like, and enjoy sha