From a Single Editorial to a Creative Platform

Renaé Hanvin began in 2019 as a printed zine about local ceramicists. Six years later, it has grown into an independent magazine covering contemporary art, interior design, and the people behind both.

2019 — The First Issue

The project started with a single photocopied edition of 200 copies, distributed at a small gallery opening in Kota. The first issue featured three ceramic artists and a photo essay on their shared studio. It sold out in two weeks, which convinced us to keep going.

2021 — Moving to a Digital Format

When the pandemic closed exhibition spaces, we shifted to a digital edition. This forced us to rethink how we present visual work online. We introduced long-form studio visits and began recording interviews with artists who had never been featured in print before.

2022 — The Collector's Guide Series

Readers kept asking the same question: how do I start collecting without much money? We launched a recurring series that explains the practical side of buying art, from visiting open studios to understanding edition sizes. The series became our most-shared content that year.

2023 — First Design Collaboration

We partnered with a furniture studio in Jaipur to produce a limited set of objects inspired by an exhibition we covered. The collaboration taught us how editorial work can extend into physical products, and it funded the next two print issues.

2024 — Expanding the Team

After three years of running the magazine with a rotating group of freelancers, we hired our first full-time editor and a staff photographer. This allowed us to publish monthly instead of quarterly and to cover exhibitions outside our home city.

2025 — A Permanent Home

We opened a small reading room and archive in Kormangala, where visitors can browse every issue we have published. The space also hosts monthly talks with artists and designers. It is not a gallery, but a place for conversation and reference.

Partners and collaborators we trust

Our work is shaped by the studios, galleries, and independent publishers who share their spaces and stories with us. These are the names behind the projects we feature.

Estudio Muro

Ceramic workshop in Valencia that opens its kiln room for our studio visits and artist profiles.

Galería Norte

Independent exhibition space in Mexico City that gives us early access to emerging artists and their installations.

Papel & Trazo

Editorial partner for print features on interior restoration and material studies, based in Buenos Aires.

Archivo Común

Research collective documenting public art projects; their archive feeds our essays on urban design.

La Casa Habitada

Design studio in Lisbon that opens its library of fabric samples and furniture prototypes for our guides.

The people behind the publication

Who we are and why we publish

Renaé Hanvin began as a small editorial experiment: a place to document the conversations happening inside artists' studios, between collectors and makers, and across the quiet corners of contemporary design. What started as a single printed issue has grown into an independent digital magazine with a clear point of view. We are not a news desk and we do not chase trends. We follow the work itself, the people making it, and the spaces where it lives.

An editorial team of practicing designers and writers

Our core contributors split their time between criticism and craft. Ehsaan Dar writes about material experimentation and has curated two group shows in Bengaluru. Mohit Mathur photographs studios and workspaces, documenting how light and layout shape artistic output. Ricky Narine edits the visual essays and brings a background in interior architecture to every feature.

Readers who collect with intention

We publish for first-time collectors, art students, and independent designers who want more than a highlight reel. Our audience values context over hype: they want to know how a ceramicist fires their kiln, why a certain gallery chose a specific wall color, and what a work costs before they fall in love with it.

A position between criticism and practical guidance

Each issue balances cultural critique with actionable advice. A review of a brutalist restoration sits next to a guide on sourcing affordable prints. We believe serious writing about art and design should also help readers make confident decisions for their own spaces and collections.

Rooted in process, not trends

Our editorial calendar follows the rhythm of studios and exhibition seasons rather than the news cycle. We spend weeks inside a project before we write about it. This slower approach lets us capture the decisions, failures, and revisions that define meaningful creative work.

Milestones of the Magazine

2019

First issue printed as a limited run of 300 copies, distributed to independent bookshops across Madrid and Barcelona.

2020

Launched the online archive with studio visits and exhibition reviews, reaching readers beyond the print edition.

2021

Introduced the emerging artists profile series, featuring twelve creators in their first year of practice.

2022

Partnered with three independent galleries to host open studio evenings and collector meetups.

2023

Published the first interior design guide focused on sourcing original pieces from local makers.

2024

Expanded the editorial team and began producing bilingual essays on contemporary art and design.

Each edition is shaped by direct conversations with artists, designers, and collectors rather than press releases.

Cookie settings

We use cookies to keep the site reliable, remember basic choices, and understand which pages are useful. You can accept, reject, or review the settings before continuing.