THE SEEN Expands Global Reach of Publication through Partnership with Motto Distribution

THE SEEN, Chicago's International Journal of Contemporary & Modern Art, published twice a year in print and online by EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art (September 19 – 22, 2019) today announced an international expansion of the publication through a partnership with Motto Distribution, whose global headquarters are located in Berlin. The publication will now be available in 34 new locations worldwide, reaching over 21 new cities and 13 new countries.

“Our ambitions for THE SEEN have always been committed to fostering international discourse, and continuing the long legacy of publishing critical writing that originates from Chicago within a global context,” said Stephanie Cristello, EXPO CHICAGO Artistic Director and Editor-in-Chief of THE SEEN. “Motto is one of the most well-respected distributors and publishers in Europe, and we are thrilled to be partnering with them on this next chapter of THE SEEN as we expand the reach of our readership throughout Europe, the United States, and beyond.”

The expanded distribution, which launches with Issue 08, the current Spring / Summer 2019 edition of THE SEEN, will make the journal available in major cities throughout Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK, among others.

“This collaboration will provide Motto’s global audience with access to exciting new perspectives from Chicago,” said Alexis Zavialoff, Motto Founder. “We are incredibly proud to play a role in the distribution of these critical ideas in contemporary discourse.”

THE SEEN will launch Issue 09 on September 19, in alignment with the eighth annual edition of EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art.

Expanded Distribution Sites

Motto Distribution mumok – Vienna, Austria

Secession – Vienna, Austria

The University of Art and Design – Linz,

Austria National Gallery of Arts – Tirana, Albania

WIELS – Brussels, Belgium

Kunsthal Aarhus – Aarhus, Denmark

Luma Arles – Arles, France

Fondation d'entreprise Galeries Lafayette – Paris, France

Kandinsky Pompidou – Paris, France

Palais de Tokyo – Paris, France

Yvon Lambert – Paris, France

Motto Berlin – Berlin, Germany

Berlinische Galerie – Berlin, Germany

Haus Der Kultur Der Welt – Berlin, Germany

Walther König – Cologne, Germany

bruno with Motto – Venezia, Italy

Casa Bosques – Mexico City, Mexico

De Appel – Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Fundação de Serralves – Porto, Portugal

Raw Material Company – Dakar, Senegal

Museo Reina Sofía – Madrid, Spain

MACBA – Barcelona, Spain

Fundació Antoni Tàpies – Barcelona, Spain

Kunsthalle Basel – Basel, Switzerland

Kunsthalle Zürich – Zurich, Switzerland

Bergen Kunsthal – Bergen, Norway

The Naked Books – Kyiv, Ukraine

CCVA / Harvard – Cambridge, United States

CRB / CCA Wattis – San Francisco, United States

ZhDK – Zurich, Switzerland Goldsmiths – London, United Kingdom

ICA – London, United Kingdom

MOSTYN – Wales, United Kingdom

Serpentine Galleries – London, United Kingdom

Whitechapel Gallery – London, United Kingdom

Jameel Arts Centre – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Ongoing Distribution Sites

Chicago, IL The Arts Club of Chicago

The Block Museum of Art

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago Public Library (Select Locations)

DePaul Art Museum

Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in Fine Arts

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

The Renaissance Society

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts

Rhona Hoffman Gallery

Richard Gray Gallery

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Smart Museum of Art

Stony Island Arts Bank

1709 W Chicago Galleries

Chicago Culture Boxes (throughout the city)

National Los Angeles Contemporary Archive – Los Angeles, California

LAXART – Los Angeles, California

CRB / CCA – San Francisco, California

Institute 193 – Lexington, Kentucky

Speed Art Museum – Louisville, Kentucky

CCVA / Harvard – Cambridge, Massachusetts

MSU Broad Museum of Art – East Lansing, Michigan

CAM St. Louis – St. Louis, Missouri

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts – Omaha, Nebraska

Printed Matter, Inc. – New York, New York

Additional Distribution in the Lower East Side, SoHo, and Tribeca through Downtown Gallery Map – New York, New York

The Beeler Gallery, Columbus College of Art & Design – Columbus, Ohio

MOCA Cleveland – Cleveland, Ohio

Dallas Contemporary – Dallas, Texas

Chicago’s visual art community and beyond has expressed their enthusiasm for the expanded reach of the contemporary art criticism journal.

“Publishing experimental writing, reviews and long-form essays authored by critics, scholars and artists, THE SEEN has developed into a bold and crucial platform for art criticism.” – Hendrik Folkerts | The Art Institute of Chicago, Dittmer Curator of Contemporary Art

“The critical voice that is centered in THE SEEN fosters a rich dialogue in Chicago's art world and beyond; we're thrilled to see the publication thrive as it continues to circulate long-format reviews and thoughtful features.” – Janine Mileaf | The Arts Club of Chicago, Executive Director

“By taking the time to study exhibitions in depth, and already in the process of formation— interviewing artists and curators and thus participating in the process of making—the coverage of the scene in THE SEEN goes well beyond surface appearance towards rare insight.” – Monika Szewczyk | De Appel, Director

“THE SEEN is vital in keeping the arts alive as it immediately becomes accessible conversation. How wonderful that the distribution will expand outside Chicago—I am thrilled. They are doing an exemplary job at promoting international and national artists alongside Chicago artists.” – Candida Alvarez | Artist

About THE SEEN

THE SEEN, Chicago’s International Journal of Contemporary & Modern Art, features in-depth writing on exhibitions, as well as highlight essays, artist profiles and reviews. Born out of a need for international art criticism within the city and context of Chicago’s thriving art scene, THE SEEN was founded in 2013 by Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Cristello and has continued to expand distribution and readership throughout the United States and Europe. With a network of Staff Writers reporting from around the world, THE SEEN features exclusive pieces and new commissions on the best in international contemporary art. Publishing twice a year in print, in addition to monthly online issues, the free, full-color, 175+ page journal is produced as a 12,000-count run and is available for distribution at multiple public locations throughout the city of Chicago, as well as select national and international distribution. THE SEEN is designed by the JNL Graphic Design and published by EXPO CHICAGO (Art Expositions LLC). For more information, visit theseenjournal.org.

About Motto

Motto was founded by Alexis Zavialoff in the mid-2000s as a distribution company. In December 2008, Motto opened its first permanent bookstore, in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Presently, Motto distributes more than 150 leading publishers to more than 100 bookstores, museums, galleries, and concept stores worldwide. By cultivating partnerships with a wide range of institutions and libraries in order to contextualize, enrich, and illustrate artistic conditions with the means of printed formats, Motto acts as a bridge for international distribution, exhibitions, and publications, generating new models for the dissemination of visual and textual materials in the context of contemporary art.