visionaire sixty: religion

photograph by danko steiner, ana steiner, and jared buckhiester for visionaire’s sixtieth issue, ‘religion’, guest edited by givenchy’s artistic director riccardo tisci

for its sixtieth issue, devoted to the theme of religion, fashion and art publication visionaire collaborates with riccardo tisci, artistic director of givenchy and now guest editor of the special june 2011 edition. ‘independent of any divination‘, the publishers reflect, ‘the issue’s theme draws inspiration from ‘religion’ as a synonym for obsession, ritual, worship, apparition, and the celebration of humanity.‘

leatherbound in black-on-black and encased in a split-door wooden box reminiscent of a church alterpiece, the 228-page edition is limited to 3000 numbered copies. as in other issues of visionaire, the artists and photographers commissioned by tisci are given considerable creative freedom in their work. in ‘religion’, a series of photographs re-enacts biblical tropes, ranging from lara stone on a burning cross, photographed by mert alas and marcus piggot to mario sorrenti’s interpretation of madonna and child; giovanna battaglia and pierpaolo ferrari reimagine lea t as a veiled martyr, while danko and ana steiner and jared buckheister restage the crucifixation at a lectern, and daniele and iango set christina ricci as the spanish madonna. a photograph of tisci sucking the breast of artist marina abramovic interrogates the relationship between the worlds of fashion and art; jefferson hack, co-founder of dazed & confused, curates polaroids taken by patti smith; and givaudan perfumer yann vasnier creates the scent of religion; amidst the hundreds of other works featured.

the pressed leather cover of ‘visionaire sixty religion’