Gogy Esparza’s Magic Playplace

March 01, 2024

On Wednesday night, BOOM at The Standard was filled with all kinds of artists — from performers like Eartheater, Isaiah Barr, and David Frazier Jr., to the eight visual artists celebrating their group exhibition, “Magic’s Playplace.” Curated by Gogy Esparza, “Magic’s Playplace” features Shaun Crawford, Destiny Mata, Weirdo Dave, Shawn Powers, Nick Sethi, Devin Kyle Cuthbertson, and the duo FANTACÍA — which consists of Isaiah Barr and Esparza himself. The exhibition is meant to capture the offputting vibrancy of the fast-food play-centers that lined America from the 80s to the 00s. With bloodied miniatures of cherubs set against eye-strainingly bright colors, “Magic’s Playplace” is meant to feel eerily familiar. It’s dreamlike and nostalgic in a way we can’t place — playing off an “almost forgotten energy of New York City.” “Almost” is the keyword here. With support from Supreme, cultural club Whaam! threw the afterparty, highlighting a specific New York artistic energy that never fails to come out at night.

Photography by Nikole Naloy

Art

PRESENTE CONTINUO: the intimate ties between then&now

May 29, 2025

Artist and visionary Ivano Atzori is giving us an extensive look into his genius with the launch of his brand new book titled PRESENTE CONTINUO. Created in collaboration with C.P. Company, the book is filled to the brim with photographs and stories, offering us a chance to take a deeper dive into his artistic world and multifaceted inspirations. Beginning his journey in the early 90’s under the pseudonym DUMBO, Atzori has a unique way of fusing counter-cultural essence with the art and fashion of the mainstream. His innovative point of view was instrumental in shifting the world's perception of Milan, presenting it as an inventive place where contemporary art and unique voices could collide.

The book tells the story of Atzori’s undeniably meaningful impact on Milan’s cultural fabric while paying homage to the voices of those who have influenced and supported him along the way. Reflecting C.P. Company’s efforts to support valuable creative initiatives, the book is curated in a way that can ignite a passion for artistry and innovation in any reader. Combining an emphasis on the underground with intimate sentiments, PRESENTE CONTINUO illustrates the importance of carrying forward that which has formed the present moment.

Words by Abby Dillingham
Cover photo by Sha Ribeiro

Vivienne Westwood, One Size Fits All, 2010

Risk, Gee &, Chiste. Outtake One Size Fits All, 2010

Federico Peltretti, Coney Island, New York, 2007

Starting May 30, PRESENTE CONTINUO will be available to purchase on presentecontinuo.com, cpcompany.com, and at the C.P. Company flagship store in Milan, Corso Matteotti 7.

Art

Sidepiece by Charlie Knepper

May 27, 2025

Photographer Charlie Knepper’s debut book Sidepiece doesn’t ask for your permission — it simply exists, like a blurry night out that starts at 2 a.m. and ends sometime after sunrise. It’s messy, intimate, sexy, confrontational, and, above all, honest. Part portraiture, part diary, Sidepiece is a raw archive of queer youth living, loving, and sometimes fucking on the fringes — without apology.

What is a sidepiece? “Honestly, it can be whatever you want it to be,” Knepper says. “But for me, it’s about being outside the lines — outside traditional relationships, outside societal norms. It’s not about shame.” And the work reflects that ethos: shot mostly in New York, the images are immediate and emotionally charged, capturing bodies in motion, vulnerability in between poses, and the seductive chaos of chosen family.

Photography Charlie Knepper

It’s not about shame

I wish I saw something like this when I was younger

There’s a playful provocation that runs through the book. When asked if he’s slept with everyone featured, Knepper laughs: “No comment. I’ve done some damage, but not everyone.” That energy — part confession, part myth-making — pulses throughout the pages. It’s a document of queer life without moral boundaries, but not without heart.

More than anything, Sidepiece is about visibility. “I wish I saw something like this when I was younger,” Knepper says. “This isn’t about labels. It’s just about being a young New Yorker, breaking some rules, figuring it out with your friends, and living with no apologies.”

In a culture that still urges people to hide their mess, Knepper offers a tender middle finger. Sidepiece doesn't glamorize destruction — it simply acknowledges that the path to becoming yourself is rarely neat. And sometimes, the sidepiece is the real story.

Art

TOILETPAPER visits Fotografiska Berlin

Now, that visual universe explodes into three dimensions with ToiletFotoPaperGrafiska, the duo’s first major Berlin exhibition, open at Fotografiska Berlin through August 2025. Think magazine spreads brought to life: immersive, disorienting, surreal, and sexy. "It’s like being invited to the best party of your life, where everyone is wildly intoxicated and you’re the only sober person in the room," Maurizio and Pierpaolo said. Visitors are pulled into a world of pool-sized banana pits, garish visual riddles, and worlds that defy logic and resist explanation.

After years of letting their images do the talking, office finally got a few words out of Maurizio and Pierpaolo.

TOILETPAPER feels like a high-gloss fever dream. Where did the original idea come from?

It came from a very specific need: we didn’t want to talk anymore—we just wanted to scream through images. TOILETPAPER was born as a silent manifesto with the volume all the way up. A way to say everything, even the opposite, without ever really explaining ourselves.

How did you come up with the name?

We wanted something essential, universal, and a bit annoying. Everyone uses toilet paper. Every day. It's democratic and we liked the idea that the images could be torn up, used, and thrown away. Like certain thoughts you just can't flush out of your head.

What makes an image a “TOILETPAPER” image?

Is there a rulebook or just a shared gut feeling between you two? If it makes you laugh and provokes a little, then it works. When an image is both disturbing and desirable, then it’s TOILETPAPER. But above all, if it sparks a debate—if it raises more questions than it answers—then it hits the mark.

we didn’t want to talk anymore—we just wanted to scream through images

Do you think that your experience in commercial photography has influenced the imagery you choose?

Of course. It’s like using the enemy’s weapon against them. Advertising teaches you how to seduce— we use that seduction to take you to places you never meant to go.

If TOILETPAPER had a smell, what would it be?

Spaghetti al pomodoro.

So much of your work delicately balances discomfort—chopped-up fingers, lipstick on teeth, raw meat. What role does disgust play in the visual language of TOILETPAPER?

"Unease is a trigger. When you can’t look away, even though part of you wants to, it works. It’s that feeling of ‘I wasn’t ready to see this—but now it’s burned into my brain.’" questa come risposta?

Spaghetti al pomodoro

Your images walk the line between attraction and repulsion, humor and horror. How do you know when you’ve found the right balance?

If it doesn’t make you a little uncomfortable, then it’s not TOILETPAPER yet. The perfect line is where you start laughing—and immediately wonder if you should feel ashamed.

Has there been an image that made you laugh out loud?

All the pictures with animals always put me in a good mood. For example the one about the polyamory of cats hugging each other.

we use that seduction to take you to places you never meant to go

If the world ended tomorrow, and someone found a copy of TOILETPAPER buried in the rubble—what would you want them to understand about humans?

We disappeared because we took everything too seriously, and nothing seriously enough. And yet, we tried to be funny—sinking with style in a bathtub full of rubber ducks.

What is the last thing in each of your search histories?

“How to escape an interview gracefully”.

What’s the weirdest thing in your trash cans right now?

Our youths.

What’s your ideal office?

On a beach in Costa Rica.