It’s been almost exactly a year since our last exhibition so we’re extremely excited to announce ‘The Great Guillermo – From Cronos to Crimson Peaks’ in partnership with independent film magazine Little White Lies. On show will be a series of screen prints by some of the most exciting illustration talent all inspired by the films of Guillermo Del Toro. The private view (to which you are of course invited) coincides with the release of del Toro’s sumptuous gothic horror Crimson Peak. We had a chat with David Jenkins, the editor of Little White Lies to get a better idea of their journey and thoughts on the exhibition.
For those who don’t know tell us a little about how you started out.
Little White Lies is a movie magazine that has been in existence for ten years. It’s powered by illustration, design and a deep passion for movies and movie culture. We are also a website, an app, a newsletter, cinema, and an events programmer.
Was the plan always for your content to draw from a wide range of cultural elements?
Yes it was, but everything we do is filtered back through the movies – sometimes directly, sometimes not.
The illustrated covers have become iconic, how do you select the right person for the job?
This is largely the work of creative director Timba Smits. We’ll see our cover movie, and following that, will discuss the creative route we want to take. Timba will then meet with his artistic team and they will all suggest artists whose work fits with the intended style of the movie and the magazine. Often, though, there will be artists we love and have worked with in the past and we want them to step up and make a cover for us. A pretty standard, unromantic process, but a massively important one. Making sure our covers are impactful and original is vital.
Do you have a favourite cover, or one with an interesting story attached?
Probably the cover for our Inside Llewyn Davis issue. The details of the story could probably fill up a short essay, but let’s just say I observed it being made (by Timba) at 3am in the morning, a couple of days before Christmas 2013, deadlines already a glimmering speck in the tail-lights, to a soundtrack of ’80s hair metal and with a 1kg bag of peanut M&Ms to keep us awake. Genuine blood, sweat and tears went into that cover.
How did the idea for this show come about?
It’s directly inspired by Guillermo del Toro’s new film, Crimson Peak, which is itself inspired by classical gothic literature. We simply thought, what would del Toro’s past movies look like re-rendered as a deluxe, decorative book jackets?
What do you love about screen print?
The tactile nature of the print, plus the fact that every single one is an original.
You’ve interviewed the biggest names in the film industry, who was the most surprising?
Surprising? I think surprise is a rarity in the film industry as interviews are booked weeks, months in advance. But I actually loved speaking to Guillermo for our current issue, rushing from a screening of the film back home in order to be ready for a call from him from LA. He’s a passionate and honest man who loves movies, art and people. And he’s not just giving you answers to your questions – he engages in a conversation, which always makes for the best copy.
