In Milan, the magazine was presented in Via Nino Bixio 47 at the Le Dictateur headquarters, another independent art magazine, self-produced by Federico Pepe and Pierpaolo Ferrari. The party held in the small space on September 9 was much in the spirit of the magazine: hostesses dressed in high heels, nun’s wimples and not much else were in charge of handing out the periodicals; fake priests served drinks to a backdrop of loud music.
Both Cattelan and Ferrari are obsessed by shocking, provocative, surreal and/or ironic images, often with subversive shifts of perspective. “The imagery proposed in Toilet Paper is not restricted to experts of the art world,” says Ferrari, “It is meant to be an egalitarian means of expression that can appeal to everybody. It’s supposed to make you stop and think, keep your mind sharp and stimulate new perceptual connections.” The pictures are indeed more powerful than words; their visual language is clear, direct and to the point, besides being artistic. Issue number 2 is expected to come out next November.
Cattelan and Ferrari work together on each photo, approaching it much like a painting. A team of experienced collaborators then brings it to life. “The final idea isn’t decided upon until the work is underway, as the photo is being taken. Afterward, we make a selection of the photos that will be published and define the right sequential order,” Ferrari adds, “The work is fun and very gratifying because it has no commercial end. We use the same formula for Le Dictateur, where Federico and I publish unpublished artwork by artists who we select in total freedom for their artistic affinity. We have no fixed rules.”
Sponsorship on behalf of the Deste Foundation consists in covering production costs and distributing Toilet Paper to a restricted circle of museums and bookshops around the world, where it is sold for ten euros – not too steep for such an artistic project. Loredana Mascheroni
