About Naked Punch

Naked Punch originates from a collective, now dissolved, called “The Postanalytic Group”, that in 2002 met for a series of weekly gatherings. Naked Punch is run by a large editorial collective headed by three editors working on a voluntary basis.

Naked Punch is an engaged review of contemporary art and thought. Essentially a federal, "non-institutional" project, Naked Punch is the spontaneous collaboration of thinkers and artists residing in different cities of the world. Before being a magazine, a container of material or a "cabinet of objects", it is a shared understanding, a shared feeling of unease, a shared concern, and a shared sensitivity.
A distinguishing feature of Naked Punch is its contemporaneity . The review aims to actively engage with current developments in, broadly, three deeply connected areas.

The first concern we aim to address is the philosophical or, more generally, theoretical impasse that characterises much of contemporary discussion. Torn between a highly self-conscious "European" difficulty to surpass the deconstructive rhetoric and an English speaking philosophy that has divorced itself from fundamental cultural and social engagements, the current state of theoretical thought is in need of a new direction that actively surmounts the risk of a purely self-referential, quasi-aesthetic philosophy, and the risk of an escape to an "ivory tower" characterised by exquisitely technical concerns and "professionalized" philosophising.

The second concern may be termed social or political . In times of great political turbulence, where the classical categories of political understanding and social division prove their inefficacy daily, a renewed interest in and engagement with the course our global society is taking is vitally necessary. Aside from political figures, we aim to pose the question of the shape our society ought to take to philosophers and artists alike, inaugurating a platform of social debate between different and varied currents of thought.

The third concern we may call artistic . By treating artists and film directors as serious thinkers, we aim to put into communication contemporary artistic currents with the developments of society at large. We believe in the power of art to render more intelligible the reality one dwells in, or "the spirit of the age", to use such a term.

Our inter-disciplinary character aims to persuade the reader that the areas of expression just discussed cannot be clearly divided up in "spheres of influence", to be tackled by an exquisitely professionalized one-dimensional thinker. It is rather the interplay of such disciplines that, representing the fundamental expression and definition of the age, needs to be fostered and encouraged.

We strive to create debate and conversation over and across entrenched institutional and academic lines – with the hope of creating options that can help us reassert our agency in creating and shaping our shared existence. Naked Punch is an internationalist project; we actively seek to introduce our readers to thinkers geographically outside of the Western hemisphere in the hope of creating a 'fusion of horizons', which can truly reflect and further the hybrid and interrelated nature of our existence.

Not just a magazine

Because of its origin, Naked Punch has always been more then a magazine. It has always attempted to draw people together, to increase debate, to engage with an array of media.
For this reason the Naked Punch Collective is also an active organiser of cultural, political, and artistic events, as well as engaging in the field of art practice and cinema.

In late 2005, Naked Punch has organised a short series of “cabaret” nights in London, by the name “Cabaret Orpheй”, eclectically employing musical and theatrical elements.

In 2006, Naked Punch has organised an international symposium of contemporary aesthetics around the figure of Arthur Danto, one of the key participants together with Richards Shusterman.
Also in 2006, another symposium by the title “The Future of Islam: Possible Paths” has been organised, with the participation of Tariq Ramadan and Ziaouddin Sardar.

Naked Punch has also organised a series of launch parties to accompany its new issues. These generally included the performance of a number of short plays, experiments with sound, and spoken word.

Naked Punch is an independent publication and needs public support and encouragement. Please subscribe to the magazine, or support our project by becoming a patron. You can find more information on the drop-down menus above.

We hope you will enjoy our publication. Naked Punch is an open collective, we welcome your involvement, feedback, and/or submissions. You can contact us at info@nakedpunch.com

The Naked Punch Board is as follows: