The dark, obscure indie mag with a serious food fetish

In an age of control, it’s rare to hear something describe itself as “silly”. For the ever-refreshing GUT magazine, it’s a mission statement – albeit a temporary one. Speaking over email ahead of the release of issue 3, aka “The Food Issue”, editor Ami Evelyn Hughes clarifies, “I don’t want GUT to be ‘silly’ at all but this issue has naturally taken that direction – just this one time.” She also reassures readers that they can still expect “the dark and obscure material” that the magazine has become known and loved for. To give you an idea of what to expect, Hughes lists her inspirations as “Germany, old porn magazines, milkmaids, massive boobs, bad teeth, magik, renaissance paintings, euro trash, medieval embroidery, overweight people, cello tape, prostitutes, cream, medieval headdresses and depictions of the devil – all these things are real,” she says, adding, “I don’t idealise technology.”

Described as “anti-fashion” and “anti-modern”, contributors such as Joshua Gordon and Jess Maybury, Joyce NG, Ben Freeman and Dexter Lander have created features that take the form of vomit art, a foot fetish, a woman made from dough, a food therapy session which culminates in a kingdom made from bread and processed meats with boiled eggs for subjects, and adult breastfeeding in Renaissance paintings, to name a few. “I’d like people to be entertained and inspired,” explains Hughes. Issue 3 is perfectly timed to launch on Halloween (that’s tonight) from 6-9pm at London’s Sang Bleu – snacks and tunes promised. To work up your appetite, flick through a preview of the mag above and keep an eye out for GUT at Offprint Paris next month, as well as merch, an exhibition announcement, and the next issue. Hughes says, “I’m really excited about issue 4, making it with everything I’ve learnt these last two years and working with people who are friends but who also really inspire me.”

Find out more about the launch event here and pre-order issue 3 here