Surface Publishes Unprecedented 30-Minute Video Interview with Kanye West on Race, Politics, and the Power of Design

West opens his world to Surface editor-in-chief Spencer Bailey via an in-depth interview that took place Fri., Oct. 14, in between his shows in Winnipeg and Edmonton. Surface debuted the cover, a filmed 30-minute conversation, and editorial at 10 p.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 20. The issue's feature section, co-edited by creative director and frequent West collaborator Willo Perron, focuses on various connection points between visual art and music, though, as Bailey writes in the editor's letter, it isn't about that outright.

The annual Surface Art Issue is also produced in close collaboration with Bettina Korek, Surface magazine's special project editor and founder of the Los Angeles-based organization For Your Art. Previous Art Issue covers have featured Hans Ulrich Obrist, Michael Chow, Jorge M. Pérez, and Alex Israel.

For the feature interview, Bailey sat down with West at Edge Grip Studios in Los Angeles. The wide-ranging interview, which was filmed by Jeff Vespa, covered topics such as entrepreneurship, art, education, architecture, race, and the trials of collaboration.

On the choice of West for the Dec./Jan. 2016 Art Issue Cover, Bailey says, "No matter what you think of Kanye, he is the rare pop star who, under his control and influence—and through his engagements in art, architecture, design, and fashion—has the potential to pervade our global culture from the low to the high, bringing the two together in a way only he can." Surface has previously worked with West on its noted Design Dialogues series. For the sixth installment of the series, which took place in Dec. 2013 during Art Basel Miami Beach, West spoke with Jacques Herzog in a conversation led by Hans Ulrich Obrist.

The cover photo and editorial was shot by legendary photographer Albert Watson, who has photographed the world's most influential people, ranging from Steve Jobs to Queen Elizabeth II. As part of the editorial content plan for the new surfacemag.com, recently redesigned by New York studio King & Partners, Surface will be revealing a series of digital-only exclusive pieces from the issue, including short and long form videos, throughout December and January.

During this year's Art Basel Miami Beach festival, Surface will continue its tradition of high-quality programming and events by acting as the exclusive print media partner for Faena Art's "Time Capsule"—a geodesic pop-up dome that will live on the beach for the week of Art Basel. Surface will activate the dome with a series of live Design Dialogues talks throughout the week and a party on Friday, Dec. 2, to celebrate the launch of the new surfacemag.com. Speakers include Heron Preston, Virgil Abloh, Yvonne Force Villareal, Rosanne Somerson, Yves Béhar, and Shohei Shigematsu.

For more information on the Art Issue, the Kanye West cover feature, the new surfacemag.com, or our Art Basel Miami Beach programming, please contact:

Press Contact: Michael Fragoso, [email protected], (347) 266-0007

Full link to the interview & video here. Cover & feature photos by Albert Watson.

Additional assets available upon request.

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About Surface Media
Surface Media is a storytelling company that looks at the world through the prism of design. With various channels, including print magazines, websites, social media, live events, and custom publishing, it sets the standard for quality across a vast range of creative disciplines and industries.

About Surface Magazine
Surface is the American magazine of global contemporary design. For more than two decades, the publication has produced authoritative and thought-provoking editorial content on architecture, art, design, fashion, and culture. Surface offers a clean aesthetic and incisive writing with an emphasis on process and craftsmanship. Every issue is an event. Surface is a compass for today's creative leaders and a barometer for what's new and what's next.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161121/441738

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