''Public Illumination Magazine'' (''PIM'') is an artists' periodical published since 1979, notable for its tiny size (11 × 7 cm). Each issue features a given topic. The general flavor of the contents ranges from

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

to the absurd, with brevity a constant. ''Public Illumination Magazine'' mocks the traditions of mainstream magazines. The pocket-size of the magazine, its use of pseudonyms, and its irreverent tone tweak the expectations produced by the large format

glossy magazine A slick magazine is a magazine printed on smooth, high-quality glossy paper. The term may have come into use in the 1930s, and was used to distinguish these magazines from pulp magazines, which were printed on cheap, rough-textured paper. The ...

s. Long-time writers include: Sophie D. Lux, Fitty Sense, Rank Cologne, mr Basho and the King of France. The use of such pseudonyms is intended to mock contemporary mainstream magazines' obsession with celebrity. Founded in

underground art Underground art is any form of art that operates outside of conventional norms in the art world, part of underground culture. This can include essentially any genre of art that is not popular in the art world, including visionary art and stre ...

and literary circles in

lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

by Zagreus Bowery; originally "non-weekly", later "non-monthly", then "non-biannual", it is now "non-occasional" and published in Italy. Writers and artists who have contributed include: Ken Brown,

Steve Dalachinsky Steven Donald Dalachinsky (September 29, 1946 – September 16, 2019) was an American downtown New York City poet, active in the music, art, and free jazz scenes. He wrote poetry for most of his life and read frequently at Michael Dorf's club the ...

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the Graffiti in New York City, New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual l ...

, Michael Madore, David Sandlin,

Hal Sirowitz Hal Sirowitz (born 1949) is an American poet. Sirowitz has a degree from Hofstra in education. He first began to attract attention at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe where he was a frequent competitor in their Friday Night Poetry Slam. He eventually mad ...

, Sparrow, Mike Topp,

David Wojnarowicz David Michael Wojnarowicz ( ; September 14, 1954 – July 22, 1992) was an American painter, photographer, writer, filmmaker, performance artist, songwriter/recording artist, and HIV/AIDS activism, AIDS activist prominent in the East Village, Ma ...

, and

Diane Torr Diane Marian Torr (10 November 1948 – 31 May 2017) was an artist, writer and educator, particularly known as a male impersonator and for her drag king, "Man for a Day" and gender-as-performance workshops. For the last years of her life, Torr ...

. Complete series of the magazine are held by the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

in New York and the

Pompidou Center The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the (), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English and colloquially as Beaubourg, is a building complex in Paris, France. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the architectural team of ...

in Paris. Through 2017, 60 issues have been published covering the following themes: * Telephones * Virulence * Mass Transit * Little Girls * Cosmetic Mutilation * Livestock * War Games * Habits * The Truth * Husbands * Artifice * Tongues * Civilization * Rejects * Idols * Pain & Sorrow * Excess * Scales * Technique * Races * Contraception * Disguise * Comestibles * Vermin * Flora & Fauna * Heredity * Instruments * Propaganda * Home * Water Sports * The Future * Miracles * Casualties * Foreigners * Youth * Secrets * Organs * Fun * Mother * Hallucinations * Underwear * Enemies * Shadows * Neighbors * Balls * Busts * Luxury * Hair * Climate * Bullshit * Passion * Space * Trash * Spice * Doom & Gloom * Lethargy * Vehicles * Fortune * Flesh * Heaven

Notes

Sources

* p140 * {{cite book , last=Caputi , first=Jane , authorlink= , title=Goddesses and monsters: women, myth, power, and popular culture , publisher=Popular Press , year=2004 , location= , pages= , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C_r6meksRjUC , doi= , id= , isbn=978-0-299-19624-0 p225

External links

* Public Illumination Magazin
website
* Public Illumination Magazin
WorldCat
entry Magazines established in 1979 Visual arts magazines published in the United States Zines