In Gigi Journal Part II, Gigi Hadid presents a medley of innovative art and fresh perspectives. A follow-up to 2017’s Gigi Journal Part I, “Part II” began in early 2020, with Gigi and V launching an open-call search for artist contributors via Instagram. But 20,000 submissions later, Gigi pivoted to a new direction. Though originally conceived to document of creativity in social isolation, the Journal’s theme, “Quaranti[me],” the journal expanded once the revival of the Black Lives Matter movement reignited. As Gigi explains as part of her Editor’s Letter, “With only about a week left til this journal’s deadline, at the height of Black Lives Matter protests in the US and around the globe, I felt strongly that it was [our] responsibility to amplify Black-American voices using this platform and privilege.” As a result, with only a week to go before the initial deadline, Gigi reopened submissions, in order to specifically represent more artists and writers of color.
Available now for pre-order, the finished Journal also features written contributions from four thought leaders in the racial justice movement: Black Lives Matter’s founder Patrisse Cullors, author and Campaign Zero co-founder DeRay McKesson, chef and activist Sophia Roe, and Nicole Counts, Senior Editor at One World. These, in addition to work by 12 emerging visual artists of color, provide not only inspiration, but also a call to action: “[These] minds are so important for us to continue learning from,” Gigi’s letter notes. “I am honored to have their presence in this journal, and appreciate the energy and time they have taken to progress the fight against racial injustice.”
V hope that the Journal’s diverse content, from writing to miniature sculpture to protest art, will not only encapsulate our current moment but also help to initiate change. With Gigi as Guest Editor and Creative Director, this breakthrough special edition is a labor of love and a true keepsake.
Get to know the artists and their creative processes with our behind-the-scenes gallery below and don’t forget to reserve your copy today.
Brigette Hoffman
@brigettehoffman
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Medium: Plasticine sculpting
“She is a description of my initial reaction to the pandemic. A clean freak monster paranoid to her teets!”
Chanté Glover
@copper.raven.studio
Location: Santa Barbara, California
Medium: Acrylic paint, gold leaf, pencil & plywood
Glover’s final thoughts on this project: “Support & uplift Black Indigenous, Queer, P.O.C. voices, lives and work.”
Kathrin Marchenko
@kathrin_marchenko
Location: Moscow, Russia
Medium: Tulle, cotton thread, wooden hoop
Expresses her theme of quarantine through: “[A] girl in a mask, she can be anyone: a doctor, a nurse, an artist, an ordinary passerby.”
Tatsuya Tanaka
@tanaka_tatsuya
Location: Kagoshima, Japan
Medium: Miniature figures and mask
Tanaka explains the evolution of his creative process during COVID by: “[U]sing images and motifs connected with the unique situation, such as masks, remote work or medical workers.
Chloé Le
@momo_4011
Location: Berlin, Germany
Medium: Procreate on iPad
The illustrator honed her craft at a young age, explaining: “Drawing figures with my sister was my most favorite activity as a child, and I basically never stopped doing what brings me joy.”
Tess Murdoch
@tess_murdoch
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Medium: Natural fibers/yardage, Natural dyestuff (silks, linen, cotton), repurposed yarn/thread from Materials for the Arts NY.
One thing Tess wanted the world to know about her art: ”There is so much magic in the re-purposed materials and giving existing resources a new life through creative processes.”
Austin J. Cuttino
@awesometheaustin
Location: South Jersey, NJ
Medium: Silver gelatin photographic scan, Hasselblad 500CM Camera, Kodak TRI-X B&W Film, Epson V550 Scanner
Dream project: “A toss-up between directing a movie or shooting a cover for a magazine.”
Valeria Azulay
@valeriaazulay_ilustraciones
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Medium: Markers, pencils, inks and scissors
Three keepsakes kept around while creating: “Calm App on Google Nest, chocolate and lots of Bob Dylan and music playing.”
Sheena Liam
@times.new.romance
Location: Penang, Malaysia
Medium: Embroidery on canvas
Sheena’s shout out: “I want to let the supporters of Black Lives Matter know that their message resonates across the world and that we stand with you against racism and police brutality.”
Andrea Love
@andreaanimates
Location: Port Townsend, Washington
Medium: Needle felted wool and felt over a rigid foam base
“I’ve felt a lot of growth over the last couple of months, particularly as an animator. Turns out practicing 8 hours a day for months on end can make a noticeable difference.”
Holly Razavi
@hollyrazaviart
Location: Falmouth Cornwall, England
Medium: Oil and wood
“I decided to paint my living room with me, my son and my mum. We spent all our time here, except for going out to exercise for an hour each day.”
Martha Haversham
@smallditch
Location: Essex, UK
Medium: Surgical mask and paper
“I make fashion from found objects of low status but high value — the detritus of life; both natural and trash, the discarded and over-looked.”
Misha Japanwala
@misha_japanwala
Location: Jersey City, USA
Medium: silicone, plaster bandages, resin (+my face!)
“I first began experimenting with body casting as sculptural garments at Parsons. While working on my thesis collection to honor the strength + agency of Pakistani women, I used my physical body as a visual anchor — and haven’t looked back since!”
Hyei Oh
@hyei.oh
Location: Plano, Texas
Medium: canvas, yarn, metal, fabric, paper
“My art is simply for me. A way for me to heal, express, and create with my hands. My art is a very abstract way to show how I feel.”
Erika Lee Sears
@erikaleesears
Location: Portland, Oregon
Medium: oil on wood panel
“I am a self-taught oil painter. One day, I decided to buy an introductory kit and not let myself be held back in learning something new.”
PHOBYMO
@phobymo
Location: Philly
Medium: Canon 5D Mark iii — 24-70 mm lens — prismatic filter and crown made with afro picks, a paper plate, paper flowers, a lot of hot glue + gold spray paint
“I’ve always loved taking photos but I didn’t take it seriously until I got my first accounting job after graduating from college. I hated it so much that I decided to buy a camera and see where it took me.”
Adam Hillman
@witenry
Location: Hamilton, New Jersey
Medium: toothpicks, Q-tips, paperclips
“Don’t feel like you should interpret either in a specific way — there’s no right or wrong way to experience my work.”
Laleh Mohmedi
@jacobs_food_diaries
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Medium: food — mashed potato, pickle, red capsicum, golden ropes, flat bread
“May 2015 I turned my son’s spelt pancakes into a lion for a bit of fun, he absolutely loved it. I had so much fun making the creations and seeing my son’s enjoyment that we continued to do it and it turned into a career for me.”
Ike Slimster
@artbyslimster
Location: New York
Medium: acrylic paint and ink
“I was 8 in Lagos, Nigeria and I started making caveman paintings with my mother’s lipstick, but never actually seriously picked up painting because resources were hard to come by until I moved to America. I loved the concept of watching a piece come to life layer after layer, it was a very rewarding exercise of patience.”
Eric McArthur
@ericjmcarthur
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Medium: Canon F-1, Portra 400, Ektar 100 (Pushed to 400)
“I’m driven by this sense of nostalgia. This misplaced longing. I want my images to convey all the tenderness and insecurity of being Black, Latin and gay in New York.”
Emily Joyce
@emilyjoyceartwork
Location: Toronto, ON. Canada
Medium: oil paint on wood panel
“My art is inspired and influenced by my love for art history, placing myself in the shoes of master painters to learn more about their craft by means of imitation.”
Ran
@konel_bread
Location: My Home
Medium: Oven / Flour, sugar, salt, butter, dry yeast, vegetable powder, water
“I want my designed breads to be produced in many other bakeries. It would be great if people could actually buy cute breads I designed!”
Kike Besada
@kikebesada
Location: Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Medium: Household paper scraps: cardboard containers, Amazon envelopes, cookie box, clothes tags, black spray paint, acrylic markers, graphite pure pencil
“I have a strange passion for old mugshots, they range from the 1900s to the ‘80s. I have a large collection I started when I stumbled upon one at a Brooklyn flea market 11 years ago.”
Jon Moody
@thejonmoody
Location: New Orleans
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
“I first learned my craft as a child, drawing cartoons and random images around the house. It was at age of about 3 that my parents encouraged my little art pictures, which led me to the passion I have now as a visual artist!”
Amber Doe
@amberdoe
Location: Sonoran Desert
Medium: Textiles
“The explosion of BLM protests forced me to acknowledge ‘microaggressions’ that really hurt me but also inspire my work.”
Gigi Journal Part II Contributors
Adam Hillman
Adrian Brandon
Amber Doe
Andrea Love
Austin J. Cuttino
Austyn Weiner
Brigette Hoffman
Chanté Glover
Chloé Le
Cleo Wade
DeRay McKesson
Emily Joyce
Eric McArthur
Erika Lee Sears
Holly Razavi
Hyei Oh
Ike Slimster
Jon Moody
Kathrin Marchenko
Kike Besada
Laleh Mohmedi
Martha Haversham
Misha Japanwala
Nicole Counts
Patrisse Cullors
PHOBYMO
Ran
Sheena Liam
Sophia Roe
Tatsuya Tanaka
Tess Murdoch
Valeria Azulay
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