032c

For the Danish Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, Maja Malou Lyse takes as her starting point a real scientific finding: that men who watch pornography through VR technology produce measurably more motile sperm. The show, Things To Come, developed with New York collective DIS, centres on a film shot in a real sperm bank, with Brazzers performers working the labs and directing humiliation at the donors — staged as a musical loosely scripted by writer Patrik Sandberg.

ANTON track jacket ADIDAS PERFORMANCE (DFB), shorts GESTUZ, jewelry OFF-WHITE MIMI polo ADIDAS PERFORMANCE (DFB), shorts CLOSED LUTHANDO T-shirt ADIDAS PERFORMANCE (DFB), pants GMBH, chain MODEL'S OWN. LEFT: LUTHANDO T-shirt ADIDAS PERFORMANCE (DFB), pants GMBH, chain MODEL'S OWN MIMI polo ADIDAS PERFORMANCE (DFB), shorts CLOSED, earrings HUGO KREIT. jacket ADIDAS ORIGINALS shirt DSQUARED2. jacket ZADIG & VOLTAIRE, track jacket ADIDAS ORIGINALS (DFB).

CG: I’m very curious about what it was like to grow up in Albany, Georgia. ES: I went to school with just, like, straight hood kids. It was cool. I wasn’t ostracized—that’s not the word, I think I’m somewhat autistic—but I didn’t understand how to interact with them. I didn’t get it. I wouldn’t even say it’s because I’m autistic, I just feel like that culture is— CG: Very specific.

LS: There’s so much myth embedded in your photographs. I am enticed, for example, by the Malibu picture of Nina Hagen and Ari Up, which is a centerpiece in the Fotografiska exhibition. What is the lore behind that? AC: I’ve told a lot of people that story, and I’m trying to limit what I say about pictures. But since it’s out there somewhere… The Slits asked me to do the album sleeve for Return of the Giant Slits (1981), and they wanted naked pictures in the desert.

Luna Sferdianu: Culture has a very convoluted relationship to pop. Back in the day, it was often deemed antithetical to “real” music by avid “musicheads.” Now the paradigm has shifted entirely. What is your relationship to pop? Namasenda: It’s a broad descriptor. I think you can put the pop stamp on almost anything. I’ve always been interested in pop culture. It’s my life. It’s going to be exciting to see what people say in 10-15 years from now as well. LS: The album’s name is Limbo.

SS: I remember being a fan of Lady Gaga growing up, and people would always ask her, “Who is Gaga and who is Stefani?” And she would say they’re the same. At the time, I thought that was kind of bullshit, but now I think it’s actually true. The performed self can be the more authentic version of you, because it’s something you actively choose to build. U: Definitely. When people say they’re putting something on as a character, I don’t fully believe it. That is just you.

Cassidy George: When I saw the Sister cover, I thought of this article I read in The Atlantic in 2022 called “Why Did We All Have the Same Childhood?” The writer cites it as an example of a ritual and legend that children develop and pass on to each other, which researchers call “childlore.” What does this icon mean to you? Angel Prost: It’s weird—everyone thinks it belongs to their generation or that it is unique to where they grew up, but it’s actually a universal bond shared between people.

Exclusive artwork for 032c by Jamie Hewlett Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett in 2010 by Pennie Smith Band members 2D, Noodle, Murdoc Niccals, and Russel Hobbs Gorillaz / Reuben Bastienne-Lewis Blur by Kevin Westernberg Gorillaz hold the Guinness World Record for the "Most Successful Virtual Band" The band was named after the birth year of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, which is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac Artwork for The Mountain, 2025

Cassidy George: I have the feeling that ambient music is enjoying a renaissance at the moment. I can’t tell if it’s because I am personally more aware of it or if it’s a broader phenomenon. Do you think its cultural value has remained pretty consistent, or have you also noticed a swell in interest and appreciation? Barbara Braccini: It’s hard for me to tell because I don’t listen to a lot of ambient.