JANUS 4

The fourth issue of Janus femzine consists of images (watercolours and collages) based on Japanese s&m magazines of the 1950’s.

Janus four draws inspiration from shibari, bondage, bdsm. Women indulge into adult games and the reader becomes a voyeur once again. What’s it like? Will it hurt?To quote Mieke McConnor,one of the invited writers of the issue, It hurts more not to.

The artist invites guest writers to provide words that describe the dark, intense desire that pain may cause, and, she shares her shibari images with a Paris artist, who creates four collages using the same materia prima as Irini. The result is a Janus issue that reflects on a different sort of desire.

In the 1970s there were two magazines named Janus. One focused on poetry and science fiction and was published in Madison, Wisconsin, by a group of feminists. The second Janus was London based and had erotic, s&m content. Irini Karayannopoulou was inspired by both of these publications to create her own Janus, a self-published edition in 150 copies, challenging and commenting on the stereotypical notions surrounding femininity, sexuality and its roles.