Arkitip No. 46, Beams T

nik.mercer — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:53:03 -0700

Arkitip is a rare publication: the Los Angeles-based art magazine has been churning out periodical treasures for years and years, altering format, packaging, layout, inserts, and content on a frequent basis while always staying true to its founding principles of unearthing the under-appreciated artists around us, exposing the scenes in which we immerse ourselves, and projecting what the future holds. A model to aspire towards. Also, every issue includes a killer bonus item of some sort, making the actual purchase of one all the more exciting!

With the forty-sixth issue, Arkitip looks at Japan's Beams T. The Beams subsidiary has been pumping out spectacular t-shirt designs created by an international and varied cast of illustrators, designers, and painters for quite some time and deserves some credit for revamping the otherwise passé medium of the graphic tee.

While we've yet to get our hands on a copy of No. 46, it looks stunning. Kevin Lyons, Michael Leon, and Ben Drury―all Beams T contributing artists―each put together their own cover designs, leaving us with three to choose from. The 112-page glossy includes editorials from Studio von Birken/Ben Pogue, Tony Arcabascio, Nieves, C.R. Stecyk III, Frank Novak, and Joshua Gregory, includes a blank cotton shirt for applying heat transfers to, and is limited to a run of 1500 copies... so pick one (or two or three!) up quick style and add one more of the beautiful books to that otherwise bare shelf you've got collecting dust in your living room.