I am holding in my hands a copy of the first Pictoplasma magazine, which is now available in stores and online—and am happy to report that it exceeds, in every way, the promise made by the founders of the leading proponent of character design in their email invitation. Lars Denicke and Peter Thaler wrote, “[The] first issue of Pictoplasma’s new magazine for character design art examines current artistic strategies that deal with the human face. Above: from the 2019 Pictoplasma Berlin Conference

“From masks to digital filters, design to performance, pandemics to protests, the face remains a strategic zone where our identity and privacy are constantly being challenged and redefined – and new characters emerge.” Tempting as this statement is, all that follows the title page looks in to a new reality for an age that will, more than likely, cleverly escape any kind of new normality.

An international roster of art, design, performance, and thought leaders (including a medical anthropologist), populate  these pages. Designed by Studio Fides Sigeneger, the tabloid-size publication offers a rare kind of space that allows each feature, whether a single page or a portfolio section, to come alive.

The titles themselves prompt a quick dive into the magazine: When Did Exposure Become a Currency That We Trade in?; The Uncharted Territories of Face Filters; Drawing, Dreaming, Changing; Embracing Imperfection; Occupying a Gender Space in Between; The Color Pink Should Be Celebrated; Losing Public Space and Natural Connection; Animation Can Be Your Best Friend; Are the Masks That We Wear Against COVID-19 Really ‘Masks’?

The essays that accompany the features are thought provoking and informative, as are the pull-quotes that spice up the layouts: Why is there this assumption that we all want to be known?; The masks work for themselves; There’s this element to it that you can’t control; I consider everything to be reference material; We don’t really see a big movement of people burning condoms on the streets like we do with people burning masks.

So for this post, all I can offer is a sample of what is ahead for anyone lucky enough to get their hands on a copy of Pictoplasma #1FaceValue. @Pictoplasma. All images courtesy of Pictoplasma.com

While the magazine is now on sale in Europe, the best place to get your copy is on Pictoplasma’s webshop here Online registration for the LIVE and Online 17th Pictoplasma Berlin Conference, to be held on four days in August and three days in September, will begin on May 1 (12:00 CEST), with limited Early Bird Tickets available. 
The Call for Entries will follow soon after. Info

Note from My Desk at The Home Office
If you want to master transparent watercolor, please join me for a painting immersion in six 2-hour segments: The Interaction of Watercolor, on SculptorsAlliance.org via Zoom, runs from April 12-May 17. Free to NYC residents thanks to Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs. Info   Register  @Sculptors.Alliance @peggy.roalf  Contact: peggyroalf@gmail.com