Intimist: A Blog Review of iGNANT

http://www.ignant.de/

Simplicity lends itself to a transformative experience for its viewer. The elaborate, colorful, overwhelming pieces of the past give way to ordinary images and depictions of the usual at iGNANT magazine’s blog site. The viewer is attracted to the photographs due to its calming familiarity, yet the photographs have a distinct otherness. The architecture and designs displayed mesmerize its audience, and the fashion section sports a modernist look. iGNANT curates for its viewers an intimate array of art.

Located in Berlin, iGNANT’s team publishes work by both established artists and up-and-coming talents. iGNANT’s mission is to target moods and find expression in the works they place on their site. In addition to uploading works by others, the team also takes time to interview artists and upload editorial reviews on certain projects. Its social media presence spans across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, an individual website, and a newsletter. Founded by Caroline Kurze, the blog has an attentive readership across the world, boasting 1.6 million pageviews monthly. The Golden Lead Awards awarded iGNANT the “Weblog of the Year” award in 2011.

The blog sets its posts on a white background, demanding the viewer to focus solely on the posts’ content. There is a notable lack of advertisements. The team presents its latest post as the largest on its homepage, with older posts following right after. The site itself is spread into five main sections – Art, Design, Photography, Architecture, and Fashion – making it simpler for visitors to find what they are most interested in. Subsections are helpful for those looking for incredibly narrow assortments of art – whether it be the ‘On The Road’ series that depicts travels, the ‘Two of Kind’ series that contrasts different objects, or any of the other five total currently running compilations.

While its sleek interface welcomes the viewer and warmly invites them to stay and look around, what really captures the viewer are the projects themselves. All of the posts provide an unmistakable feeling of openness, freshness. It is unfamiliar, but it is an unfamiliarity that individuals are all too familiar with. The works expose some of humanity’s deepest desires. We ask ourselves: Are we ourselves? What do we know of ourselves, and of humanity? What do we hold to be meaningful?

‘In Search of the Yellow Shirt’, ‘A Body of Work’, ‘In the Company of Men’, ‘Please Come Back Soon’, and ‘Water’ are all featured on the photography section that evoke such emotion. Even design features such as ‘The Beauty in the Boring’ and ‘Sculptural Fish Tanks’ guide us in admiring the ability of humans to produce intricate forms.

iGNANT is an intimate experience that remains unparalleled on other blog sites. It connects viewers to art that speaks to them in the current world by presenting illuminate, mystical stills that strike a chord with our desires for intimacy and understanding.

Review by Caroline Zuba