“We are a part of that last generation that might still care about printed words and paragraphs,” muses Sylvain Claverson, founder and editor of Paris-based mag Spleen Factory – a relatively new publication tapping into melancholy and reimagining it onto the printed page. Self-described as an "authentic queer-friendly, subcultural, beauty-obsessed press", what began as a collection of "romantic teenage pictures" taken by Claverson in Berlin has now birthed two issues. “Artists from all over the world seem to have a lot of things to say about melancholy. Melancholy, slowness, contemplation, are the ultimate weapons to go against that constant state of emergency that is today's society. It is a rebellion," he says.

The magazine’s debut issue hit the ground running with a candid photo diary and interview with hair extraordinaire Charlie Le Mindu, alongside a photo series of Matt Lambert's signature boys. Continuing to build on their strong start, the latest issue, HYSTERIA, honours a kinked out reality portrayed by Russian-American artist Ilya Shkipin, and, elsewhere, images accompany an interview with American drag performer Sharon Needles – tied together with a fascinating essay on the controversial state of Yayoi Kusama’s mental health and society's understanding of the ‘authentic’ female artist. You can pick up your copy from 21 May, but, for now, see a preview before it hits stands.

Spleen Factory's issue 2, HYSTERIA, will launch on 21 May with a party in Paris and performance by guerrilla-couture collective Andrea Crews. Both issues will also be available to purchase on the night