C international Photo Magazine has a unique design. As a bilingual publication, it can be viewed from the front in English and from the back in Chinese; the same applies to the Spanish/Japanese edition. The magazine itself is divided into three major sections with differing varieties of paper. The “Front” section provides a forum for discussion on the topic of photography, from the likes of curators, academics, artists, writers and philosophers. The central pages of the magazine are exclusively devoted to displaying photographic works. This section is printed in 9 inks and 3 varnishes to ensure the highest quality of reproduction. The final section, entitled “Seen”, includes interviews with artists and collaborators, bios of the artists, as well as all technical information on the printed works.
Within the core photographic pages, each issue has familiar sub-sections; namely Collector, Archive, Scope, Portfolio, C Action, Vintage and Guest.
COLLECTOR
In every issue the magazine will publish a private or public collection alongside an interview with the owner of the collection or the curator responsible in order to understand the criteria behing the creation of the collection.
ARCHIVE
The archive section sheds light on previously unpublished or unknown works, such as those of Isamu Noguchi, and Francis Bacon, and archives charting the history of cities such as London and Shanghai.
SCOPE
This section provides an eclectic view of the world of international image making. Scope shows a selection of contemporary artists that are each represented by one work. It aims to illustrate the creative pulse of contemporary photography.
PORTFOLIO
Portfolio presents works created by contemporary photographers. Some of them comprise recent and unpublished works, while others live alongside previous series that help to bring each artist’s work into context and to outline their evolution over the last few years.
C ACTION
C Photo Magazine has established an initiative to promote creation in contemporary photography. In each issue at least two artists are commissioned for a series that is published exclusively in this section of the magazine. The authors are awarded a cash grant as a contribution to the production of a portfolio that is made up of a minimum of six photographs. An edition of up to four copies is made from these works.
The series created in this way for the C Action initiative has become part of C International Photo Magazine's Collection of Contemporary Photography, and will gradually be circulated both within its pages and through other media. The selection of participating artists is made by the editorial team of the magazine, in collaboration with various curators, gallery owners and the photography specialists of private and public institutions. The selected artists' profiles are not subject to any prior conditions including geographical origin or subject matter of the work presented.
VINTAGE
The legacy of the masters of photography is represented in this section; works that have evoked a turning point in our aesthetic sensibilities and consequently affected the evolution and construction of the photographic language. The section is one of recovery and celebration, gathering the works that have contributed most profoundly to the history of this medium.
GUEST
In each issue, C Photo Magazine invites a ‘guest’, generally from a creative field outside of photography, to reveal their most recent ventures into photography or how they use it in their creative processes. This section approaches photography from a different angle, and as a result, reveals the multi-faceted nature of this medium. Wim Wenders, Brian Eno, Bill Viola and Marina Abramovic are amongst guest collaborators.
