THE BIG EXHIBITION

Two decades of Big. A world of creative freedom.

Exhibition visualisation showing large Big Magazine covers displayed in a gallery with visitors.

A creative project by Big Magazine.

Photography, art, design and fashion come together in a travelling exhibition exploring two decades of independent creativity.

Founded in Madrid in 1991, Big developed internationally from its base in New York, bringing together photographers, artists, designers and writers from around the world to create projects with their own identity. The Big Exhibition presents a selection of this work through original publications and the visual archive.

Grid of Big Magazine covers featuring portraits, fashion photography, typography and graphic design.

Twenty years of creative freedom.

Big gave its collaborators the freedom to develop their own ideas and visual language. Each project became an opportunity to experiment with images, challenge conventions and bring different disciplines together.

Selection of Big Magazine covers combining surf imagery, portraits, landscapes and experimental design.

From 1991 to 2010, Big worked with creative teams around the world. Across photography, art, design, fashion, film, illustration and writing, their projects formed a body of work shaped by different places, perspectives and ways of seeing.

Big Magazine cover archive showing varied photographic styles and graphic approaches across its editions.

Beyond the printed page.

The exhibition places these works in a new context. Images originally encountered in a publication become part of a spatial experience, revealing connections between projects, disciplines and generations of collaborators.

Big Magazine covers including Air, Lauren Hutton, Hemingway and Show.

Many creative voices. Unmistakably Big.

Many of Big’s editions were developed by independent teams in different parts of the world. Photographers, art directors, designers, stylists and writers brought their own cultural references and creative approaches.

What connected them was a shared commitment to creative freedom and a willingness to explore unfamiliar territory.

Gallery visualisation presenting photographs by Norbert Schoerner, Robert Polidori and Robert Wyatt, from left to right.

Photography, from left to right:
Norbert Schoerner · Robert Polidori · Robert Wyatt.

Exhibition visualisation with a large Lauren Hutton cover and photographs from The Beautiful Persists, Big Magazine No. 58.

LAUREN HUTTON — THE BEAUTIFUL PERSISTS
Big Magazine No. 58.
Art direction and design by Alex Wiederin.

Exhibition visualisation combining Big Show cover photography, fashion portraits and a Chanel runway photograph.

BIG SHOW
Big Magazine No. 62.
Cover photography by Warren du Preez & Nick Thornton Jones.
Art direction and design by Daren Ellis.
Chanel runway photograph by Simon Procter.

Gallery visualisation showing dynamic figures and splashes of red and black from WAR, photographed by Nick Knight.

WAR
A project by Nick Knight for Big Magazine.
Design by Peter Saville, 1997.

Exhibition visualisation displaying photographs of Gisele Bündchen with visitors in the background.

GISELE
A Big Magazine project featuring Gisele Bündchen.
Photograph by Vincent Peters.
Art direction and design by Swillingham & Spalding, 1999.

Gallery visualisation showing a large rain-soaked portrait from Slow Plumbing by Javier Vallhonrat.

SLOW PLUMBING
A project by Javier Vallhonrat for Big Magazine.
Design by Michel Mallard, 2000.

Exhibition visualisation with portraits of Oscar Niemeyer and the Utopia cover showing his hand drawing Big.

UTOPIA
A tribute to Oscar Niemeyer.
Photograph by Luiz Garrido.
Design by Rafic Farah, 2001.

Gallery visualisation displaying Detroit car photographs, including a yellow engine and a vertical car image.

DETROIT
A portrait of the Motor City.
Art direction and design by John Hobbs.

The Cultural Universe of Big Magazine: historical photographer credits arranged alphabetically in five columns.
The Cultural Universe of Big Magazine: historical contributors in art, film, design, illustration, fashion and writing.
Supporting Brands: acknowledgement of brands that supported Big Magazine creative projects over twenty years.

International recognition.

Big’s projects have received more than 50 international awards and distinctions across editorial design, photography and innovation.

Recognition includes honours from the Society of Publication Designers, D&AD, The One Show, the Art Directors Club, Photo District News and the Webby Awards.

Bring The Big Exhibition to your city.

We welcome conversations with venues and cultural institutions interested in hosting the travelling exhibition.

Contact us to explore the project and discuss how it could be presented in your space.

Enquire about hosting the exhibition →
contactbig@bigmagazine.com