Hard Werken, 1979–1982 [x10 Issue Run]

Editor: Gerard Hadders, Henk Elenga, Etc.
Publisher: Stichting Hard Werken Rotterdam
Publication: 1979, First Edition
Binding: Hardcover, section sewn
Pages: 40 per issue
Size: 295 x 420
Text: Dutch

Clean run from issue #1 (1979) – #10 (1982) all bound within hard cover.

Hard Werken ("Hard Work") was an influential Dutch underground magazine and experimental design collective that emerged from Rotterdam's vibrant post-punk cultural scene. Launched in April 1979 as a literary and cultural periodical, it quickly evolved into a provocative platform blending graphic design, photography, poetry, music, and urban commentary. With only 10 issues published between 1979 and 1982, it became a collector's item and a catalyst for the "Rotterdam School" of graphic design, challenging modernist conventions through anarchic layouts and high-low cultural mashups. Its legacy extends to the Hard Werken design studio, which operated until 1994, influencing international design in the Netherlands, US, and UK.

Issues:

#1, April 1979 – Introduction to Rotterdam's "new cultural scene": poetry (e.g., Jules Deelder on boxer Bep van Klaveren), experimental photography, collages critiquing urban "drabness," early typographic experiments.

#2, June 1979 – Literary pre-publications, visual mashups of high/low culture (film stills, theatre sketches), poetry, and initial social rants on metropolitan life; ads integrated as art.

#3, September 1979 – Focus on visual arts: drawings, illustrations from painting/theatre, photography series on industrial Rotterdam, short prose pieces.

#4, November 1979 – Music and performance theme: stapled photos of bands (e.g., The Feelies, Garland Jeffreys), poetry, collages blending concert imagery with urban critique.

#5, February 1980 – Literary expansion: short stories, experimental prose, photography from film influences, illustrations critiquing architecture.

#6, May 1980 – Cultural commentary: poetry on city life, theatre/film collages, visual essays on post-punk Rotterdam scene.

#7, September 1980 – Internationalism tease: global music/poetry, drawings from painting, photography series on ports/exhibitions.

#8, December 1980 – Year-end reflection: collages of 1980 events, literature, visual rants on "new drabness," theatre sketches.

#9, April 1981 – Fine art integration: assemblage-inspired collages, poetry, photos from emerging "Rotterdam School" photographers.

#10, October 1982 – Finale: retrospective elements, urban critique, music/theatre visuals, farewell poetry; hints at design studio pivot.

Condition: Very Good. Shelf ware consistent with age. Light rubbing to cover/edges. Magazines in excellent condition.

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