A Magazine curated by

The 27th issue has been curated by Glenn Martens, the Belgian creative director of both Diesel and Y/Project.

Martens’ work is steeped in gothic imagery taken from the Flemish masters, often reworked through a contemporary digitally-informed lens. This juxtaposition plays a central role in his issue, balancing the historical with the now. A substantial portfolio shot in Martens’ hometown of Bruges plays on this theme; Photographer Arnaud Lajeunie and stylist Ursina Gysi photographed 10 years of Y/Project on iconic Belgian models like Anouck Lepere, Delphine Bafort, Kim Peers, Anne-Catherine Lacroix and Roos Van Bosstraeten throughout the medieval city.

The fascination of a muse, in this case the Pre-Raphaelite artist Elizabeth Siddal, is dissected in an essay by Nicole DeMarco, exploring how all redhead muses of history might owe their it-girl statuses to Siddal. The longest extensions made by hair artist Cyndia Harvey is photographed in a series of images by Jordan Hemingway and stylist Robbie Spencer inspired by women like Siddal with fashion by Diesel, Y/Project and Jean Paul Gaultier Couture. Turning the idea on its head, in a series of self-portraits Sharok, the Iranian-American adult performer, takes his agency back in a discussion about the self and representation.

A continuation of this contemplation, Paul Kooiker photographs a longtime muse, using clay and forms to play with the shape of the body. The sitter becomes sculpture. Similarly, a carte blache beauty series by makeup artist Inge Grognard and photographer Zhong Lin turns face into the canvas of artwork — with the striking cover image of A MAGAZINE curated by GLENN MARTENS being taken from this series.

Contributors in alphabetical order:

Arnaud Lajeunie, Bob & Julie Bagnall, Cyndia Harvey, Fredrik Nielsen, Inge Grognard, Jordan Hemingway, Josh Kline, Kacper Kasprzyk, Kristien Hanselaer, Lars Byrresen Petersen, Michael Abel, Michelle Deng, Nicole DeMarco, Paul Kooiker, Robbie Spencer, Senjan Jansen, Sharok, Silvia Prada, Ursina Gysi, Zac Bayly, Zhong Lin