Zine: FAN
Interview by Dillon Gray
"FAN zine is an expression of creativity born out of, and in reaction to, fan culture. Through its pages, paired artists freely explore and present visual commentary of one another using disposable cameras. Presenting artists in a gritty, under styled, lo-fi zine format. FAN is the anti-magazine.
I founded it in 2014 with my friends Dan Monick, Anton Yelchin and Christopher Cunningham. Issue One was born May 2015 in Los Angeles.
Prior to FAN, Dan, Anton and I collaborated on a fashion editorial where Anton was shot roaming the streets of Reseda with disposables shooting back and forth the process of the shoot itself. The editorial was later turned into a mini zine. This shoot and the lo-fi zine layout inspired the process and look of FAN.
The approach of a celebrity or artist both being the shooters is kind of a social experiment within the artist collaboration itself and as the world sees them together. It’s all experimental, raw and unformulated. Anything can happen, pairing artists together that are close, kind of know each other or are complete strangers."
-Gena Tuso
POND caught up with Gena to ask how FAN was born and how each collaboration and project emerged. Check out our exclusive sneak peak and Gena's commentary on the making of FAN, Issue One. If that's not enough, you can head over to FAN's website to get the full 80 page feel.
ANTON YELCHIN AND EVA LIN
"Anton takes pictures on his own which was influential to the idea behind FAN. An actor who is known for his acting, not his photography, is now shooting for a zine- on the other side of the camera- a release from the Hollywood machine. It was important that he be part of the first FAN story. We were all fascinated by Eva and knew someone that was friends with her. She had just moved to Vegas so we took a trip there and FAN’s first story was officially born. It was so amazing how both Anton and Eva’s pictures turned out. The experiment worked. They were the only pairing in Issue one that had never met each other prior to the shoot day."
CHERRY GLAZZERR AND THE BUTTERTONES
"After Anton & Eva's story, we knew we had something special. Moving onto music, I knew one of the Buttertones and thought Cherry Glazerr would be an obvious choice since the bands were all friends. They grabbed a few disposables (including waterproof!) and documented their lives together over a few weeks in LA. The outcome was perfect. Cherry Glazerr had so much hype and fashion surrounding them at the time that it was refreshing to see them candidly hanging out in real life in their own clothes, apartments, the beach…what real kids do. My favorite images are the beach shots using a waterproof disposable."
THE HAAS BROTHERS
"I wanted to make sure we covered the art world to some degree in FAN. The twin brothers, Simon and Nikolai Haas, were a great addition. Twins: the perfect symmetrical pairing for a FAN story. It was great to capture a behind the scenes kind of angle on the brothers and their first solo show in NY. They captured images of each other on and around their pieces for the show. Something usually documented by the press was instead a personal look into their world through their own eyes."
STAZ LINDES AND LILI SUMNER
"Staz was about to leave for New Zealand to visit her good buddy, Lili. I ran into her at a gallery opening and asked if the two of them would shoot each other during their time on holiday. The pictures were so cool. Just a couple of girls goofing around, having fun, taking pics as friends do when they are together. The typical two person vacation vibe photos where you take turns with the camera. My favorite is the toothbrush image. So gross and poppy at the same time."
ZOE ZAG AND MAX KUEHN
"Dan was buddies with the couple, Zoe and Max. Zoe, an LA artist and musician had recently done a cool zine and solo art show at Dan’s studio for his zine press co called Fathersons. Max plays drums in the LA band, Fidlar. Together they play in The Squirmers. I thought a couple would be cool and I love the repeat, copy cat set ups they did together. Made total sense. All similar if not exact set ups, both hanging out with a plate full of junk food, walking down a sidewalk, mural posing. Perfect addition to the balance or imbalance curation of FAN."
UPCOMING…