Alexander Reisfar’s eerie paintings are packed with intricate creatures and dark surrealist undertones. Both brooding and elegant, works created by the Oregon-based artist have been features across the U.S. The artist is able to navigate political and wartime themes with the iconography depicted in his paintings.
The eerie works of William Basso blend painting, drawing, photography, collage, and sculpture. And even more varied are the influences of these strange scenes, from Eastern European art and the Renaissance to pulp comics and folklore. The artist’s work is influenced by his experience in the film industry, crafting special-effect characters.
Tokyo-born painter Toru Kamei is known for painting what he calls “beautiful nightmares,” arresting oil scenes that balance nature and morbidity. He was last featured on HiFructose.com here, and since that piece, the artist has a breakthrough in the fashion world. The artist recently collaborated with Dior Homme on an exclusive collection, implementing his work into both accessories and ensembles. Belgian fashion designer Kris Van Assche reportedly came across the artist’s work when researching floral motifs.
Mexican artist Emil Melmoth crafts bleak, yet absorbing sculptures that combine gothic and religious themes. Or as the artist puts it himself, he’s “inspired on the macabre, death culture, freakshow, medical anatomica, catholicism, deformities.” The artist’s works are currently part of the show “The Wanderer’s Dissection” at Last Rites Gallery in New York, lasting through Sept. 9.
The oil paintings of Michael Hutter offer worlds that contain elements of fantasy, science, and something even further beyond reality. The German artist has been giving glimpses of these worlds for the past few decades, toying with familiar elements and narratives.
Italian artist Agostino Arrivabene uses antique painting techniques to create a foundation from which metamorphic figures emerge in moments of creation. The time-consuming labor of grinding pigments and layering paints is evident in the complex, heavily textural works. New worlds hide beneath and within cracks and crinkles as human-like figures manifest above ground and often out of water.