ELEPHANT Magazine issue 40

Established in late 2009, Elephant is a quarterly magazine on contemporary art and visual culture. Edited by Marc Valli, Elephant features up-to-the-minute visual material, fresh faces and original voices, covering and uncovering new trends and talent in contemporary visual culture.

Issue 40 – Me, Myself and Art – 10th Anniversary Issue!

The cult of self-care is ever growing. Forest bathing, spa days for one, alone time, days free from digital technology (which must be announced pre- and post- break on social media – where else?)

The desire to take considered care of ourselves with helpful actions, no matter how small, is a global phenomenon.

Self-care has been both mocked and embraced: brushed off by some as the narcissistic whims of the “Snowflake Generation” but recognized by many as a way of combating anxiety and increasing self-love in a world that can’t stop piling the pressure on. Many artists have found themselves interrogating notions of self-care, and its troubling appropriation by the wellness industry, often from an angle of both intrigue and cynicism.