Yay, we go a little surprise for you! We live to love art and promote it! So it was quite nice when Brian Stevn Hansen the editor of the book magazine Overgrunden was more than happy to put a YayArt pieces on the frontcover! The magazine is distributed in 10.000 copies all around bookstores in Denmark, so a lot of people will be seeing some YayArt.
Brian Stevn Hansen holds a master in Danish literature and Philosophy and felt that a lot of books didn't get the attention they deserved. What is then more obvious than starting a magazine devoted to that? We got to ask Brian a few question.
Hey Brian, where are you from?
I live in the northern part of Denmark near Aalborg.
Tell me about the magazine your from?
Overgrunden is mostly about fictionbooks. We don’t concentrate much about the day-to-day critic, but try to look behind the titles with interviews, theme-articles and portraits of classical writers for example. Overgrunden is also the place where publichers can inform the readers by advertising new titles. Our target group is people who pick up a book at least as often as they pick the remote control. The magazine is distributed to around 270 bookshops and 50 libraries in around 10.000 copies.
How do you find your front cover material?
I have found material both in ordinary art galleries and on the web. For example I found the material for Overgrunden #3 in an online gallery. It is quite great to contact an artist to suggest him or her to have a piece on the cover of a nation wide magazine. A really important part of the process of finding cover material is named Christian Brandt – he is the graphic designer of Overgrunden.
You choose a YayArt piece for the front cover of Overgrunden?
There is a part of idealism in making Overgrunden. Reading and writing bestsellers is fine, but there should also be room for the experimenting, fun, mad and challenging books beside the ordinary good book. By the way it’s quite rare that writers become bestsellers by their first book. I feel the same part of idealism in YayArt, but most important: it’s a nice piece.
Which art pieces did you choose and why?
We chose the Lost Memory by Tang Yau Hoong you see on the cover because of its simplicity. We felt it gave attention to the magazine. Besides, the piece tells a story. We like stories… ;)
I know, you got a YayArt piece in your home as well, tell me about it?
All the front covers are framed hanging in our living room. Yay, here was the chance of getting the real deal.
Do you have anything else on your mind right now, you'd like to share with the YayArt community?
Overgrunden is a magazine mostly concerned with literary art, but art is also great pictures. It is gourmet food, music and telling great jokes. Art is maybe most of all a state of mind, when we meet the extraordinary. I’ll keep an eye on YayArt. Feel free to tip us about art-pieces on www.overgrunden.dk.
Thanks to Brian, you're a darling. You can see the magazine online at Overgrunden online edition 6 or visit their web at Overgrunden.dk, but beware it's all in Danish. ;)
