There is so mush stuff that we are urged to make more and more room for more and more stuff. Art long ceased to exist as a sacerdotal craft. When art is merely an actual state of things, main character of all communications from politics to intimate life, it turns out that nobody goes to countless exhibitions, and all images, good or ill, disappear in the same white noise of information stream of
the Net. Some even feel the lack of presence and the warm touch. Photography books and local magazines again are a useful tool of presentation. So today is a good day for small publishers, a good day for reemergence of the zine and DIY culture of the 80’s and beyond, where limited editions are made to measure, hand printed and numbered just for one’s own pleasure. One can order it on-line, one can go to a local store, as small book sellers are in the trend once again. Every concept for a zine is compelled to be naïve and heroic simply to compel the attention and homage. Each zine is interesting and beautiful, as it is designed to serve as a direct link between the reader and the creator, who is often the publisher. Idealistic goal of zine publishers is to reclaim the importance of a single image and artists’ photographic intention. That’s what all of them tell you. The publishers of “The End” luckily seem a bit more sceptic, the name proves it, as well as the joyous idea to pack each issue of “The End” in a blank white vacuum sleeve, so the contents cannot be seen. One may never open the package after the purchase. It’s like “The End” is to remind oneself of the image by getting rid of the image, hiding the image.
“Images are for the poor in spirit”, Ad Reinhardt, American pioneer of the minimal art, loved to say. Clearly, in the end there is only one final image. [One in every issue]. Mitya Nesterov, Moscow Institute of Kosmic Anomalities
