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This article originally appeared in 'Hypebeast Magazine Issue 33: The Systems Issue.'Pouria Khojastepay, founder of the Amsterdam-based publishing house 550BC, chronicles those on the periphery: Tehran’s underground crime syndicate, favela drug lords and their proclivity for flaunting exotic animals, and the Ultras that orbit Europe's football stadiums. His use of harrowing archival imagery is intense and unapologetic. Any one of the 21 titles he’s published since 2018 may feature bricks of cocaine stacked next to gang members in balaclavas, sports fans with bloodied faces, or even teenagers wielding AK-47’s. The source material for the photo-books he curates often comes from the subjects themselves, making 550BC a raw, unvarnished visual diary of the world’s most nefarious subcultures and...

As Frieze Seoul, running from September 4 through 7, draws international attention, galleries as well as nonprofits across the city are unveiling a series of innovative and compelling exhibitions. The K11 Art Foundation opens with ‘Lunar Water,’ a generative art show featuring works by a’strict, Tyler Hobbs, and Cheng Ran, supported by Flipster and LG OLED. CR Collective's ‘Bongnae-san-Formosa Project’ delves into themes of marginalization through sculpture. Moreover, Kim Sajik’s ‘All Life Comes from the Center of the Circle' combines traditional Korean tales with contemporary themes. Sterling Ruby’s ‘The Flower Cutter Rests on Dust Covered Steps’ at Shinsegae Gallery and Oh Suk Kuhn’s ‘Practicality and Prosperity’ at AV Pavilion further explore perspectives through abstract lenses. Lastly...

Dabin Ahn often wonders what his career would have looked like if his studies hadn’t been halted to enlist in the Korean Air Force. Prior to his mandatory service, the Seoul born artist primarily focused on portraiture, a creative inclination subconsciously driven by his overly obsessed self image, he recounts. As the son of Ahn-Sung Ki, one of Korea’s most prolific actors, young Dabin, who also pursued deejaying, lived a luxurious lifestyle and featured as a model in a number of prominent publications.Two years of bootcamp, however, “is enough time to transform into someone else,” Ahn tells Hypeart, who couldn’t look at himself the same way after the military. "I used to spend like two hours every day trying to make myself look good. I was no longer interested in even looking at myself in...

Luca Benini had no real connections to the fashion industry. Surprising, given the impact the 62-year-old has had since starting his cult clothing store and fashion label Slam Jam back in 1989. “I come from a small town in the outskirts of Ferrara, literally in the middle of nowhere,” Benini tells Hypeart. “I have always been naturally interested in clothes and how people dress.” Like an invisible magnet drawing him from afar, music “played – and still plays – a major role” in Benini’s taste and curiosity — from disco and house to electronic and hip hop. For nearly 35 years now, Benini has in-turn become the magnet that now draws in customers and tastemakers from around the globe, as he continues to shape clothing with an “Attitude for the Global Underground,” as his brand’s motto goes.Sla...