Lodown #120

The last year and a half didn’t necessarily feel like a walk in the park for the very majority of us, concluding in the unfortunate fact that it actually shouldn’t be so goddamn exhausting just to be alive. Life might be the most exciting when you need to improvise, but if exception turns into a forced routine, the figure climbing out of the ashes can only be a damaged one in the end.

And that’s exactly why we close 2021 with The Simple Issue, an essential antidote for a predominately tiring year. It’s bursting with off the cuff visual grandeur, floating off into your subconscious and beyond while delivering a colorful slice of life to prove that things still feel free for those who dream.

Highlights of our The (Simple) Life issue include…

MIKE MILLS… His latest movie tells a story about the ties and strong interrelationship between kids and adults - and he does so in the most generous and truthful way. While “Beginners“ reflected on the life of his dad, and “20th Century Women“ put his mom and growing up in a matriarchal household in the spotlight, “C’mon C’mon“ is inspired by the relationship Mills has with his very own child, Hopper.

LISA VACCINO… The majority of us would initially refer to music, movies, family, and the friends we made when we think about our very own socialization. Some bright minds would then probably throw traveling and the brands we cherished at a specific time into the mix. And while Swedish artist Lisa Vaccino does all that, she adds a heavy dose of junk culture to her paintings as well that often feel like a trip down memory lane filtered through a messed-up dreamcatcher.

JAMES JARVIS… The body of work of London-based artist James Jarvis is constantly evolving, no matter if you like it or not. Having left his vector-friendly trademark style (partially) behind with “Spheric Dialogues“ already, the pandemic and connected lockdown saw him performing at his most free and adventurous: from static CGI through rather abstract collages to his latest series of consciously bad drawings.

CODY HUDSON… Chicago-based, heavily prolific artist Cody Hudson is constantly switching gears between a rather hectic life in the Windy City and finding a little peace and quiet in his small studio in Wisconsin - not necessarily trying to capture the essence of nature, but using it to find a place within himself.

- plus more elaborate features and visual awesomeness from the likes of: EVAN HECOX, ROB JABBAZ, RYAN SZULC, DANIELE VITA, ARTHUR LONGO, JULIEN BABIGEON and many others.