ISSUE 3 – WINTER 2025/26: NICO VASCELLARI

This issue spans over 256 pages, documenting our journey, starting in Rome, where Nico Vascellari tells us about the relationship between nature, humans, and machines, as well as the backstory of our cover 1/8: his VIT performance, in which he forcefully put himself to sleep and was then carried by a helicopter over the mountains. Shortly after, we speak with Alicja Kwade at the Villa Massimo in Rome about her art.

Our Italian journey did not end there. In Milan, we meet with Formafantasma, and the Italian designer tells us about holistic design and the histories and stories embedded into objects. Via Zoom, we catch up with Miles Greenberg about his new exhibition in Paris, titled Gods of Solaris. Meanwhile, we are on our way to London to speak with Hania Rani about her new piece, Non-Fiction – Piano Concerto in Four Movements.

Back in Berlin, we speak with Ewan Waddell and Liubov Dyvak, who have just returned from a screening in Ukraine of their new movie, The Longer You Bleed, which explores society’s desensitization to the regular circulation of war imagery online. With C/O Berlin’s program directors, Boaz Levin and Sophia Greiff, we discuss how they exhibit photography in the age of social media and Instagram, explore new exhibition formats, and address cuts to cultural funding by the Berlin Senate and their consequences. This is directly followed by an interview with Berlin’s Kultursenator, Sarah Wedl-Wilson, in which we discuss her vision for Berlin and the implications for the city’s independent arts scene.

In addition, we interviewed six artists who are or were Berlin-based: Viola Del Monte, Giulio Sammarro, Justin Fiedler, Su Yu Hsin, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, and Hanne Lippard. We traveled to Munich to speak with Sorry Press, investigating their origins and story, followed by a brief visit to OBS’ studio in Augsburg, catching a glimpse into their world.

Last but not least, we conclude our journey by speaking with editors-in-chief about the question: What does it mean to make a magazine today? Conversations with Götz Offergeld (Numéro Berlin), Elke Buhr (MONOPOL), Sascha Ehlert (Das Wetter), Anton Rahlwes, Nina Sieverding (The Thing), and Sascha Chaimowicz (ZEITmagazin) provide insight. Finally, Christoph Amend reveals how and why he is trying to retell the beauty of Die ZEIT.

Nico Vascellari, born in 1976 in Vittorio Veneto, lives and works between Rome and Vittorio Veneto. His work approaches the relationship between humans and nature in a reflective, almost anthropological manner. Animals in particular serve as a central point of reference, often placed in dialogue with machines, forming a kind of chronological evolution of human power structures: from humans, to stronger animals, to today’s dominant machines.

He weaves these themes together with personal experiences and employs a wide range of media to explore them, including performance, installation, and sculpture. He has exhibited in numerous institutions, including the Biennale di Venezia, KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin, the Forte di Belvedere in Florence, the Palazzo Reale in Milan, MAXXI in Rome, Palais de Tokyo, and many others.

It’s a warm November morning in Rome. From our apartment, Leif and I walk for an hour, passing the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus as the morning sun bathes the Italian capital in a bright light. We wander through the old quarter, follow the Tiber to an industrial area, and finally arrive at Nico Vascellari’s studio. Across the street, a small but busy café awaits, where Nico and his assistant join us for espresso. Nico orders orange juice, he gave up coffee three years ago, plans to quit alcohol soon, and has never smoked. Once we finish our drinks, we make our way to his studio, housed in a refurbished post office. Along the way, Nico tells me a little about his upbringing in Vittorio Veneto.

Purchase (€20)

• Purchase Issue 3 individually as a pre-order.
• Your order will ship in the second week of December.