http://www.zehar.net/

Zehar is a magazine of art and contemporary culture. Zehar uses a transitory denomination (through) to define its purpose as a receptive intermediary between the artistic community and society at large.The magazine's aim is to maintain a critical reflective spirit, inspired by the conviction of the need for consolidated stable bases, which enrich the context and a plural environment. Zehar is four monthly. In order to encourage the variety of ideas, we devote each issue to one theme and invite a guest editor to work on it.The section titled Shorts presents reviews about exhibitions, events, books and films. The paper version has two editions, Basque/Spanish and English/Spanish, but the electronic edition is trilingual (http://www.zehar.net). Zehar is published by Arteleku (http://www.arteleku.net), a public art centre under the auspices of the Culture Department of the Regional Government of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain.

The first issue of Zehar came out in November 1989 as a newsletter of Arteleku, but the issue 29 of October 1995 marked the beginning of a transition period, and from then on the magazine worked with the idea of the archive as a documentary space.Transition was also the name chosen for the latest issue, Zehar 57 of November 2006.We wanted to convey the idea of progress and change. Although we were aware that these states sometimes cause instability, we also think that they provide the basis for a dynamic interaction process. In this respect, we tackle two political transitions: the transition to democracy in Spain, and the transition in Armenia.The idea of dissent or -in Chantal Mouffe's words-the concept of "friendly enemies", and artistic practice as an aesthetic and political project, were the threads running through the various articles. We also analysed the future of cultural policies, which often serve to legitimise political interests, and the debate on financing artistic production.

Interviews, texts, photographs gradually make up the working processes and form the archive culture.This culture is based on the collection, re-appropriation and re-mixing that characterises the visual arts but also music. Archive that allows re-interpretation and a re-reading.Archive that question memory while at the same time reactivating it.Archive which transforms the present but also the future.