Polanski Vol. 04
A peek inside the pages of the playful, NSFW yet sophisticated magazine
In 2010, NYC-based Art Director Irwin Tobias Matutina started
Polanski, a Tumblr dedicated to excellent found photography featuring equally attractive women. Needless to say, their collective sharp eye for high-quality images quickly gathered a large following, including a number of first-rate photographers with a similar aesthetic to that of Matutina. A year later, with their large audience in mind, the founders decided to defy the notion that print is dead and put their publication in physical form. “We started reaching out to photographers who wanted to contribute to a printed publication and once we had enough contributors, the first issue was born,” Matutina tells CH.
Four successful years later,
Polanski Vol. 04 hits the stands today. With a limited run of 500, Polanski Magazine is filled with photography shot exclusively for the publication, a major triumph for a publication that started out as a blog. “The transition happened very organically, but slowly,” says Matutina. “It’s allowed us to work with talented creatives, as well as art direct and design a physical version of our digital ideas.”
Featuring work by photographers including
Emanuele Ferrari and
Stefano Fabbri, Polanski Vol. 04 packs the tastefully provocative aesthetic that first drew people to Polanski’s Tumblr into 180 glossy pages. “We like to work with up-and-coming photographers who have a unique point of view and share the same sensibilities we do,” Matutina explains. “And the printed publication also allowed us to access a wider audience.” Going print of course is not without its drawbacks, with some contributors backing out at the last minute—a problem that running a Tumblr rarely faces. This doesn’t keep the founders from remaining positive, though; while 11th hour dropouts can be difficult, Matutina says that it only “keeps us on our toes.”
As a hand-numbered limited edition, Polanski Vol. 4 promises to please whoever’s lucky enough to get their hands on a copy. “We see the publication as an edition art book, which is why each issue is hand-numbered,” Matutina explains, “We believe less is more—plus it would take a really long time to hand-number 50,000 copies.”
Polanski Vol. 04 is available for
pre-order online now, and at
select retailers for $28.
Images courtesy of Polanski
