In this first issue, authenticity’s relationship with pretentiousness is explored, as well as the politics of what’s deemed authentic or not, good or bad, all rooted in ideas of high and low culture.

The eight separate brochures are organised and aligned as a whole, allowing for different reading dynamics. Each brochure deconstructs authenticity and pretentiousness in a distinct field (art, literature, photography, cinema, music and graphic design), except the first two, that contextualise the concepts at hand.

The complementary objects include a CD, a flipbook featuring Helena Almeida’s work, a card deck depicting a pretentious book selection and an A3 poster with frames from pretentious movies.

All this to question: what (and who) defines something as pretentious?

This project was made into an exhibition and showcased as a visual metaphor: a copy of the publication was hung on the ceiling and the title, mirrored, could only be read through the mirror, placed directly below it. Here “The Art of Pretending” takes shape, as the notions of copy and original are questioned.

This teaser was created as a trailer for the publication. It was part of the exhibition being projected on the wall while the narrator’s voice, reading an excerpt from Marshall Berman’s “The Politics of Authenticity” (1970), echoed through the halls.