Amir H. Fallah is an industrious fellow, educated and informed. He is the mastermind behind LA based art & Design bi-monthly magazine Beautiful/Decay which focuses on new creative talent in Art & Design, music and fashion. He is also an accomplished artist in his own right, his amazing work displays the ideas and imagination of a gifted young expressionist. Since graduating with an MFA in painting from UCLA, he has displayed in many exhibitions in the states and most recently for third line in Dubai.

Amir overall though has contributed a great deal to the creative arts and the youth street scene, all be it though on a very quiet and consistent level. Mainly by the introduction to a wider audience of new exciting artists and designers, and for being one of the primary ambassadors for the belief that many forms of creative expression can directly influence each other to create new styles and ways of artistic expression while still maintaining integrity.

Amir H. Fallah Interview Part-1 Beautiful/Decay Magazine

Beautiful/Decay is unique, in so far as it can be said that it is the only magazine to truly cover creative youth subcultures and art in one format. With Amir at the helm, the magazine’s outlook is never polarized into a narrow niche, or focused only on the ‘hot topics of the moment’, it’s open minded attitude always guarantees that each new issue will bring the very best of new creative talent to its readerships attention. With the odd few surprises thrown in the mix.

FMCS: Hey Amir how’s things?

Amir: Pretty good.

FMCS: Beautiful/Decay’s roots began as a do-it-yourself punk rock based zine. Do you think the mag still contains much of the early day free spirit or has the general outlook manifested into something different today?

Amir: I think that we still have the free spirit and outlook that we originally started with. This of course doesn’t mean that we haven’t grown as a publication. It’s been 10 years since the first black and white copy of B/D hit the stands and we have continually fine-tuned the look, feel, and content of the publication. I think the progression has been a rather smooth and organic one.

(Scanned copy of the second B/D ever! Made while Amir was still in high school.)

FMCS: Do you and your partners (Fubz & Ben Osher) still retain total control over every aspect of the magazine, editorial, features etc…?

Amir: Yes, the three of us control the magazine in its entirety. We each have different areas of expertise but at the end of the day if something needs to be done we all chip in.

FMCS: How many people work at Beautiful/Decay?

Amir: we currently have around 8 full time employees. In addition to that we have anywhere between 15-30 freelancers working for us from around the world. We constantly work with new and creative people from various backgrounds. I think that diversity definitely comes out in our content.

FMCS: What are the most exciting and rewarding aspects of running Beautiful/Decay magazine?

Amir: When I first started Beautiful/Decay it covered my wide array of personal interests. It’s been extremely rewarding to see that thousands of people across the world share those interests and find B/D relevant and exciting. I also still get excited when a new issue arrives. There’s nothing like looking at the final product after 3 months of hard work.

FMCS: What are the most difficult or challenging aspects of running Beautiful/Decay magazine?

Amir: I think one of the biggest challenges is how to stay true to your vision while still keeping the business profitable. A lot of independent publications either fold within a few years or whore themselves out to make a quick buck. I’d like to think that we find a nice balance between business and content. We have a few plans currently in the works to branch out B/D so that we never have to sacrifice the quality of the publication for the all mighty dollar.

FMCS: Any plans to extend the clothing line… say for women, or increase the number of retail outlets stocking the line?

Amir: The clothing line is extremely new. It started as a small aspect of our business and has skyrocketed in the last year. We never thought that there would be such a huge demand for it. We are currently working on expanding the line in a variety of ways.

We will be releasing a full Aya Kato for Beautiful/Decay line this fall as well as expanding our men’s line. I think the women’s line will also hit stores sometime in early 2008. Aside from that we plan on continuing to put out a high quality line with reasonable price points.

There is nothing that angers me more than going into a boutique and seeing a cheaply produced t-shirt on a generic body that is selling for $40 dollars.

FMCS: Do you guys plan to further extend distribution of the magazine into Europe anytime soon?

Amir: Although we are currently distributed nationally I would love to expand the distribution even further. Shipping costs are always high when you’re dealing with international clients so that is always an issue.

FMCS: In previous interviews it has been stated that Beautiful/Decay “is a small zine transformed into a highly respectable Art publication in just a few years”. We were quite interested in that statement as your magazine very much focuses on popular sub cultures, music, design and fashion etc… With art thrown in the mix. Given that the art world historically considers itself secular, what has been the actual level of acceptance shown in Beautiful/Decay by the art world insiders?

Amir: I think at first the art world was skeptical and didn’t know what to make of our eclectic content. But we have always covered fine art and after a while the art world realized what we were trying to do.

We don’t pick random artists and throw them next to designers and fashion. Most of our issues are themed and the selection of artists falls in line with the themes we are perusing. We aim to connect the dots so to speak between the various mediums that we cover. By doing this we try to get our readers to think outside the box and find new and unexpected inspirations.

FMCS: Any memorable highlights from running Beautiful/Decay over the past few years?

Amir: I think my favorite highlight thus far has been our Deitch Projects issue. I interned at the gallery when I started B/D as a full color publication. It was great to have the magazine go full circle. I also had always wanted to interview Barry McGee, who inspired the magazine’s name.

Amir H. Fallah - Part-2 the Artist

FMCS: Amir… Painting and art has been your interest and passion for many years. Your work has developed in this time from a heavy text based (graffiti) style street art form, to in recent times a more spatial and clustered shape based form of expressing your creative ideas. In retrospect has this transition been natural, or influenced by anything in particular?

Amir: I think the transition from one style to the next has been quite natural. In the last year my work has changed once again but I still am carrying over some of the elements that I used in work that I made 6 years ago. Much of my earlier work was done while I was still in art school and trying to find my voice. I would hate the idea of having my work stay exactly the same year after year. I think as an artist you have evolve with the times and with your interests.

FMCS: How did the recent Third Line exhibition (Under The Indigo Dome) with Ala Ebtekar in Dubai go? ( Viewer notes: A multidisciplinary show that considered the gaps between East & West, assimilation and transition of the individual, with focus also on the presentational issues of difference between art displayed in galleries or ‘unconventional’ public places).

Amir: The show went extremely well. I had only met Ala Ebtekar a few times before the show but we immediately hit it off. Our works stylistically are extremely different but once the show went up you could see a direct connection between some of the subject matter that we are both interested in.

FMCS: This was your first foray outside the U.S as an exhibiting artist correct?

Amir: I had shown at The Third Line gallery in Dubai in 2004.

FMCS: Will you do more in the near future in Europe in particular? We know your work would go down well here.

Amir: I’d love to show in Europe. I haven’t had any opportunities yet but I wouldn’t rule it out for the future.

FMCS: Do you think you will explore more collaborative exhibitions in the future, and have you considered collaborative one on one art projects?

Amir: It’s not necessarily a collaborative show but I’m doing a 2 person show at Rhys Gallery in September. I’ve rarely collaborated with other artists but lately our designer Collin Graham and I have been talking about doing something together.

FMCS: Please describe why color is such an important aspect in your work? Your most recent paintings are so vibrant and arresting color-wise.

Amir: I think the color in my work comes from the many years I spent in the graffiti world. I still relate to colors best when i think about them in relation to shades of spray paint. My newer work is actually more subdued but everyone still tells me that they are bright. I guess I’m just a sucker for bright and shiny.

FMCS: How do your commitments with Beautiful/Decay affect your painting and art interests, do you always set aside a dedicated time to create away from the magazine and clothing line, or are both part of the same thing for you, intrinsically interwoven?

Amir: I had a hard time adjusting to my hectic schedule at first. I come into the office everyday to work on the magazine. This leaves very little time for painting. I used to try to paint late at night before I went to bed and that produced horrible results. The magazine had drained me of all the creative energy I had.

About a year ago I decided to wake up at 7 am and paint for about 3 hours before heading into the office. So far this has been working out great. I was never an early morning painter but I love stumbling out of bed and getting to work. My head is really clear in the morning and I don’t have a million things on my mind. Most people can’t believe that I make all my art that early in the morning but I love coming home at 7pm and not having to worry about heading to the studio.

FMCS: On the art scene whose ideas and artistic expressions do you find most inspiring right now?

Amir: One of my favorites of all time has got to be Chris Ofili. I’ve also been looking at a lot of Tal R, Lisa Sanditz, Ellen Gallagher, and at old Persian Miniature paintings.

FMCS: Thanks for the short interview Amir. Any shout outs?

I’d just like to thank my partners Ben and Fubz for always taking care of business and Colin, Andria, Kristi, Sasha, and everyone else that chips in to make B/D happen.

BEAUTIFUL/DECAY WEBSITE
AMIR H. FALLAH WEBSITE

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