Mieke Kristine Faeste, currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism, is the founder of An Artist’s Vision, a magazine intent on utilizing art to change the world. The first issue, AAV x CLIMATE EMERGENCY, was launched in 2020. 

First of all, how come you  decided to start a magazine? Your tagline is „Can art change the world?“ (Yes it can) – in what way do you think or hope to achieve that? 

An Artist’s Vision was born out of a curiosity to understand how the arts and politics interfere, essentially wanting to figure out why and how art matters to us on a social, political level. 

As I began researching I found a wealth of incredibly talented artists who proved that the intersection of arts and politics is powerful, either by using their craft to inform their audience of issues happening around the world, or by providing innovative, creative solutions to these same issues. I wanted to showcase these artists to make the point that this intersection should be encouraged and seen as a tool to solve our common issues, and so a magazine felt like an effective way to explain this narrative and tell the story of the artists.

While I wanted to offer consumers a printed, physical magazine, the mission statement of An Artist’s Vision also became to offer an innovative approach to the print magazine industry, challenging how a magazine is traditionally consumed. An Artist’s Vision’s answer has been to include interactivity – this has so far meant pages that can be eaten, heard, smelled, felt, scanned, and more. Ideally, the purpose behind adding a sensory experience to the magazine is also to make the reader feel a deeper and more meaningful connection with the artist, understanding their purpose better.

I love that!  I think most of us consume art in one way or another as a form of entertainment and incorporating political issues, which can often be overwhelming or even burdensome to some people, is a great way to educate, spread the word on certain issues and encourage individuals to engage! 

Thank you, I’m glad to hear that you find that this concept resonates with you! I agree – I think that art provides a great medium for explaining and informing audiences on issues we should be aware about, even to an extent where it can be powerful enough to have us change our thoughts on a certain topic or behaviour.

How can I imagine „a page that can be eaten“?

I get that question a lot – the incredible artist Iñes Neto dos Santos, who works with food as her creative medium, created edible bookmarks that are placed in every issue of the first edition. The idea is to have the reader question how art can be sustainable in the first place! Using food as her medium she provides an interactive experience that is never forgotten, so that all that is left behind is a memory.

Wow, that’s insanely imaginative! 

Thank you! As soon as I thought of the idea of including a page that could be eaten, I researched for a while to find someone who I could work together with to produce these pages – and Iñes was the perfect person to collaborate with, I immediately admired her mission statement! I also felt that it fit that of An Artist’s Vision perfectly.

You’re taking part in the European Student Challenge. How did that happen? The topic of the first issue is very fitting, since we’re also focusing on sustainability and the climate crisis.

Yes, I did! It was a really great experience. I heard of the competition through a friend who suggested that I should apply for it.

Since the first issue has focused on climate change, I assume you plan on putting a different topic front and center for each issue, is that right? any plans on what the next one is going to be? Also how often do you plan on publishing a new issue?

The idea is that every second issue of An Artist’s Vision will centre around the climate emergency since it is such a serious and evolving problem that we face, and that every other will have a different focus. The next issue will focus on art that is used in the setting of protests and social movements. The aim is to produce issues biannually, but due to COVID, I have decided to focus on just one issue this year. This means that the next issue on protest art will be launched in the fall of 2021.

Anyone you would like to give a shout out to?

I would definitely give a shout out to my mentor Beate Reifenscheid who was a massive help during the process of launching the magazine, as well as every single artist in the magazine – they can be found on our instagram!

An Artists Vision is currently sold across 3 continents, in 38 stores as well as through the website and instagram page @anartistsvision

To get in touch you can find AAV on instagram @anartistsvision, visit the website anartistsvision.com or email Mieke personally: miekekri@gmail.com

A big thank you to Mieke for taking the time and the insightful answers!