The Serpentine Reader launched its second edition earlier this week, inviting readers to hear live readings from contributors at a free event. The magazine is a new part of the galleries’ wider artistic mission and aims to give artists and writers an inclusive platform dedicated to long-form writing.
The new edition brings together a fascinating array of essays gathered loosely around the theme of wellness in the digital age, with the heading of ‘I hope this finds you well’. This phrase is a classic piece of 20th century netiquette that will be all too familiar to young creatives who have fired email after email into the digital void, but what does it actually mean? It’s vaguely comforting without any familiarity, friendly without a connection – part of a society trying its best to be healthy in a distinctly unhealthy time.
It’s these disruptive ideas the magazine explores; sitting at the intersection of language and art, it will likely draw young people wanting to engage deeply with the world around them.
The essays were brought to life with live readings from contributors Eliot Haworth, Alex Quicho, Jocelyn Longdon and Ebun Sodipo. There is something for everyone here: Longdon’s meticulously researched social history is contrasted with the engaging feature-style essays presented by Haworth and Quicho. Sodipo ended the night by reading not from her essay but from an upcoming poetry collection. Their work was powerful, considered and important. It’s a testament to the magazine’s slow publishing ethos that prioritises high-quality and careful production over rapid production. When I spoke to editor Hanna Girma, she told me:
“A lot of texts that come out of the art world are mostly geared towards what’s in the exhibition, with this constant need to comment on what’s happening now, or things that are on view. I wanted to create a space where the texts are given the same amount of space, care, and effort as any gallery show.”
“We work with so many amazing writers, and just want to nurture artists who have writing as a practice, who also maybe don’t get the right amount of funds or time to work through ideas, and platform them in the same way we platform anything else. I think Serpentine’s a really great place for experimentation.”
You can learn more about the Serpentine Reader and order a copy here.