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Hi-Fructose: Collected Edition, Vol. 1
Hi-Fructose magazine showcases an eclectic mix of underground artists, pop surrealists, emerging and rediscovered countercultures, and awe-inspiring spectacles from around the world. For the first time, this critically acclaimed arts magazine is collected in an expanded hardcover edition, compiling the best of the sought-after, long-sold-out first four volumes. Features the art of Mark Ryden, Tim Biskup, Junko Mizuno, Dave Cooper, Greg "Craola" Simkins, Gary Baseman, Alex Pardee, Gary Taxali, Scott Musgrove, Jeff Soto, Ray Ceasar, JennyBird, Joe Ledbetter, Longo Land, Michael Salter, Fawn Gehweiler Kurt Halsey, Invader, Ron English, Wilfrid Wood, Jim Woodring, Seen, Leslie Reppetaux, Brian McCarty, Attaboy, Saur Kids, Chris Uphues, Kaiju Big Battel, Chris Uphues, PShaw!, Ragnar, Cat Chow, and more.
- GenresArtNonfiction
100 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 14, 2016
Hi-Fructose is a contemporary art magazine that has been around for a few years. This big book volume collects the first issues featuring a wide range of underground artists, pop surrealists, emerging and rediscovered countercultures, bizarrities the world over. I only knew a few artists such as Jim Woodring and Chris Ware from this volume, which is kinda the point of looking at it, to see what the last decade of avant-garde art might look like. David Pescovitz's intro, "Change Your Mind" makes it clear the mag is going in a Timothy Leary "reality tunnel" direction, mind-blowing, mind-bending, mind expansion, all that. Fantasy, sometimes with a creepy edge. Dreams, but also nightmares.
The language I use to describe this stuff uses old words to explain new concepts. You can't use your father's words to dismantle your father's house, you need new words.
I like the bizarre toy photography of Brian McCarty: There's lots of stuff in here with kids and toys. And interviews with artists, cool stuff. I should include examples but I'm lazy today.
September 7, 2022
Get ready for some truly wild, weird, and wacky art in these pages. As with any collection by varied artists, there were things I liked a lot and those I didn't care for. I felt the formatting could have been a little better for a large glossy book such as this. HI-FRUCTOSE made me aware of some creators I knew nothing about but whose work I enjoy, as well as some bizarre historical relics.
August 25, 2013
Greg "Craola" Simkins make sure you check out his art.
May 27, 2009
If your friends make an insanely cool magazine, and you shoot some stories for it, and then the first issues of the magazine go out of print, and then they release a box set with all kinds of extra cool stuff in it, then you should give it 5 stars. That's what I did.
June 4, 2015
Hi-Fructose is the perfect name for this magazine. It's sugary sweet and juicy thick.
Hi-Fructose definitely works better as a collected book than a magazine, even if it loses its timeliness. The contemporary art world moves so fast that reading this first volume felt like diving back in deep, dark depths of time. I suppose that's my fault though, I only just picked this up a few months ago in a little gallery in Melbourne.
All the usual suspects are here; Gary Baseman, Mark Ryden, Tim Biskup, Ray Ceasar and Jeff Soto, though there are a good number of "lesser known" (though still massive) names sprinkled throughout the pages. Actually, reading back that list of names makes me realise that none of the big feature articles in this edition (apart from maybe Fawn Gehweiler's pages) are dedicated to female artists. Hmmm...
I love the celebration of accessible art culture, but I feel Hi-Fructose doesn't venture far enough into the "unknown". The writers have stayed in the safe space of big name contemporary artists for the most part.
I must complain about the apparent lack of proof-reading however. It seems when they dumped the text and imagery from their magazine files into this book that a lot of the formatting was lost (ie, interviewer's words are not bolded to distinguish them from the interviewee at parts) which makes some pages very troublesome to read.
Never-the-less, I'd love to pick up the next edition when I can come across it. I will definitely take my sweet time with it though, as rushing through this was almost painful.
Hi-Fructose definitely works better as a collected book than a magazine, even if it loses its timeliness. The contemporary art world moves so fast that reading this first volume felt like diving back in deep, dark depths of time. I suppose that's my fault though, I only just picked this up a few months ago in a little gallery in Melbourne.
All the usual suspects are here; Gary Baseman, Mark Ryden, Tim Biskup, Ray Ceasar and Jeff Soto, though there are a good number of "lesser known" (though still massive) names sprinkled throughout the pages. Actually, reading back that list of names makes me realise that none of the big feature articles in this edition (apart from maybe Fawn Gehweiler's pages) are dedicated to female artists. Hmmm...
I love the celebration of accessible art culture, but I feel Hi-Fructose doesn't venture far enough into the "unknown". The writers have stayed in the safe space of big name contemporary artists for the most part.
I must complain about the apparent lack of proof-reading however. It seems when they dumped the text and imagery from their magazine files into this book that a lot of the formatting was lost (ie, interviewer's words are not bolded to distinguish them from the interviewee at parts) which makes some pages very troublesome to read.
Never-the-less, I'd love to pick up the next edition when I can come across it. I will definitely take my sweet time with it though, as rushing through this was almost painful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2010
an awesome collection of interviews and works by lots of freaky low-brow artists. most of the interviews are with attaboy or annie owens. great short pieces, a really nice collection. and it comes in a really cool box!
May 14, 2009
This is a collection of the first few issues of Hi-Fructose Magazine, an art magazine that focuses on the pop surrealist (low brow) art movement.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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