The Weeknd by Harmony Korine/EDGLRD

Our last, secret cover star of 032c Issue #45 is here: The Weeknd shot by Harmony Korine/EDGLRD gives his body and mind over to computers.

Abel Tesfaye’s image was recorded in California and beamed to Miami where Korine’s design collective EDGLRD refashioned the images and placed them in a GTA-esque, computer-generated world of ghosts. In the accompanying interview, Tesfaye converses with his younger self. OpenAI has created a model that replicates the mind of Tesfaye at age ten, so the adult Tesfaye can hold a conversation with him. We published the interview in which Tesfaye reflects on escaping from reality, his relationship with God and his mother, and finding humor in anything. You can read the cover story exclusively online on SSENSE here, and buy the print cover here.