Issue 33 of Elephant magazine explores why comedy is important in contemporary art 

How can laughter help to ease pain? What is the world’s oldest joke? Why did the elephant cross the road? In issue 33 Elephant speaks with artists who are making funny, often using humour to explore life’s dark or bewildering elements. For many artists, comedy can be a bridge-maker—between people, cultures and art forms—and a way to address otherwise impenetrable topics with honesty and catharsis.

The issue features work by Lubaina Himid, joel Meyerowitz, Anne Collier, Kehinde Wiley and features Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg’s evil wolf/grandma hybrid on the cover and ‘Passing Comfort’ (2016) featured above. The Paper Gallery features the work of Shezad Dawood whose textiles depict objects lost at sea by migrants.

Elephants columnists, Mel Byars and Ben Eastham, discuss healing with humour and romantic delusions, while Paul Carey-Kent talks through seven artworks that happen to tickle his funny bone, for example Christian Jankowski’s ‘Massage Masters (Promise)’ (2017), in which masseurs cared for the wellbeing of statues by giving them full-body massages.

Following on from the new look launched in issue 32, for this issue Journal has had an update, with the addition of exhibition and book reviews – Emily McDermott reviews Pierre Huyghe at Skulptur Projekte Münster and Muriel Zagha reviews Studio 54 by Ian Schrager, the creator of the legendary nightclub.

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