Seven Deadly Sins from Beautiful/Decay

Back when Amir H. Fallah founded Beautiful/Decay in 1996, it was a black-and-white photocopied ‘zine made with a limited budget and a whole lotta love. More than 15 years later, Beautiful/Decay has evolved into a 21st century creative enterprise with an online community of art-lovers, a glossy magazine, and a polished print periodical that’s published three times a year. Each installment in the Beautiful/Decay book series is capable of standing alone while continuing to investigate the delicate intervening aesthetic space between the gorgeous and the grotesque, whether it’s through interviews, editorials, or the art itself. The ninth volume in the Beautiful/Decay series is helmed by guest curator Nathan Larramendy of San Francisco’s Catharine Clark Gallery, and it’s about something we all love to do: sin. Taking its cue from famed Italian writer Dante Alighieri, Beautiful/Decay’s latest book is inspired by the seven deadly sins, with each of the capital vices exquisitely illustrated in a cohesive compendium of pride, wrath, lust, gluttony, envy, sloth, and greed.

Follow Beautiful/Decay on Facebook and Twitter, visit the online shop, and check out some of the deadly sins below.

Pride
James Gobel: “What I Want, I Will Never Have,” 2010. Felt, yarn, rhinestones, and acrylic on canvas.

Wrath
Dilly (Tom Littleson): “One Played,” 2011. Pacer pencil and color pencil on paper.

Lust
Jeremy Kost: “Born This Way,” 2011. Unique Polaroid collage.

Gluttony
Tim Noble and Sue Webster: “Dark Stuff,” 2008. 189 mummified animals, glue, metal stands, light projector.

Envy
Libby Black: “You Must Always Know How Long to Stay and When to Go,” 2007. Paper, acrylic, and hot glue.

Sloth
Brendan Daniellson: “Don’t Wake Daddy,” 2011. Pencil on paper.

Greed
Ghost of a Dream (Lauren Was and Adam Eckstrom): “This Is It” (detail on left), 2010. Discarded lottery tickets, romance novel covers, wood, and found objects.