After the unexpected “success” of issue #1, I decided to invest a small amount of money and get 1,000 copies of issue #2 offset printed. It was risky, but I was young and didn’t fear debt.
By 2002, my network of creative internet friends was growing, and putting this issue together felt like a real accomplishment. Sure it was only 54 pages, but I had contributions from some creatives I respected, including an interview with Shepard Fairey that is surprisingly still interesting and relevant 2 decades later.
Like issue #1, there was no theme, but what is interesting to me is how the visual trends started becoming obvious. Faesthetic was always intended to be a bit of a time capsule, and it’s clear that in 2002 people were just figuring out how to make computer-aided art with tools intended for design.
This issue also represents an important moment in my curatorial career, as it was the gateway object that introduced me to John Esguerra, who was at the time, the creative director for 55DSL, which ended up being my first corporate curatorial client.
Faesthetic #2 is SOLD OUT!
Featuring work from DEDass, Niko Stumpo, Prate™, James Patterson, Mike Cina, Naesden Control Centre, Graphic Havoc, Craig Metzger, Anthony Yankovic, THS, Faile, Rich Mains, Andy Mueller, Andrew Johnstone, Don Pendelton, Jon Burgerman, Drew Heffron, Damien Oh, UPSO, Eduardo Recife and an interview with Shepard Fairey!