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The New Contemporary Art Magazine
The illustrations and personal work of artist Jay Torres have a dark surrealist edge. The El Paso-raised artist, now based in Pasadena, moves between analogue and digital tools to craft his creations.
Micha Huigen’s illustrations dissect and reassemble everyday objects into surreal machines. The artist’s work, both in personal and commissioned forms, are marked by elegant and bold linework. Huigen has crafted album art, music videos, magazines, and other editorial work.
British-Iranian artist Nikoo Bafti crafts vibrant scenes that represent Mother Nature, pulling inspiration from varying mythologies. The artist's background includes studies in illustration, with time spent animation development at Disney Channels in London before she embarked on a career in personal and freelance work.
Following the release of his Fantagraphics book with portraits of all 44 U.S. presidents, illustrator Drew Friedman brings his satirical, “warts-and-all” style to Ohio State University’s Friends of the Libraries Gallery at Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. In addition to his book illustrations, the exhibition also features his other presidential-themed works over the years, like the magazine cover above.
Colombian illustrator Carolina Rodriguez Fuenmayor crafts riveting, cerebral scenes. Though her work often features solitary figures, much of her themes seem to stem from a universal sensibility. And in much of her work, unexpected hues and amorphous, enveloping forms underscore the works’ psychological nature.
The illustrations of 19-century ornithologist John James Audubon are some of the most influential paintings of nature in both science and fine art. Now, all 435 of his "Birds of America" watercolors are available for free, hi-res downloading. From the American Avocet to the Zenaida Dove, each was produced from hand-engraved plates, works originally printed between 1827 and 1838.
Jon MacNair
In Brian Blomerth's recently released book, "Bicycle Day," the illustrator chronicles the first-ever ingestion of LSD by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann. The tale combines a loyal account of the 1943 acid trip with Blomerth's beloved style, which has been featured in previous comics and zines—as well as album covers and other outlets.
Illustrator Chrigel Farner has a knack for chaos. His enormous scenes move between writhing armies of characters or solitary giants. The Berlin artist's practice encompasses editorial illustration, comics, and gallery art. Farner’s style recalls both the wild characters of classical animation and the detailed world-building of Moebius.
Even when taken out of narrative context, the illustrations of Nicolás Arispe captivate viewers. The Buenos Aires artist has crafted comics, books, album covers, magazine illustrations, animation storyboard, and much more. He’s known, in particular, for his anthropomorphic characters and fantastical settings, all tackling decidedly human and emotional stories.
Though the creatures of Claudio Romo are bizarre and at times, frightening, the illustrator’s distinct linework gives each a certain elegance. The Chile-based artist has produced a number of books carrying his strange monsters and plantlife (among them, the beautifully titled “The Book of Imprudent Flora”). Through often carrying no specific timeline, his practice has also extended into the futuristic, as evidenced below.
In the series “Marquees Tropica,” illustrator Ardneks crafted works “reflecting different stages” of his personal life, with each completed with a single song on repeat. The result is a set of vibrant, wild works packed with details to decipher. The artist’s practice has included album covers for multiple acts, but this series takes a decidedly intimate slant, as compared to those pieces. The above work, titled "COASTAL JUiCEBOX" was made alongside the tune
"風の回廊(コリドー)" by Tatsuro Yamashita.
Lulu Lin’s drawings subvert the human form in surprising and engrossing ways, whether in her editorial illustrations or personal work. In recent work for MAYDAY magazine, Migrant Journal, and other publications, these cascading faces fill the page and offer a tension in both repelling and garnering fixation.
Anuj Shrestha’s comics and drawings encounter themes of identity and progress, in all of its competing notions. A new collection of the artist’s strips, titled “NEW FEARS,” offer some of his latest reflections. Elsewhere, the Philadelphia-based illustrator has had his work published in Wired, The New York Times, The Intercept, and other publications.
Yuko Shimizu’s illustrations continue to captivate, whether they adorn books, magazine stories, comic book coveries, or gallery walls. The New York City-based, Japan-born artist is known for a diverse client list, from NIKE and The New York Times to Library of Congress. As usual, Shimizu shares thorough process documentation online, showing how she crafts her professional and personal work on a granular level.
In the recent illustrations of Elif Varol Ergen, the artist dives further into the mystical with her feminine heroes and creatures, her own myths and contemporary lessons emerging. Since she was last featured on HiFructose.com (here), she released her first print publication, “A Sequence of Witches,” through Von Zos. The artist was also featured in Hi-Fructose Vol. 19.
Matt Furie, the artist and illustrator known for crafting (and killing) the frog character Pepe, brings his humorous and vibrant sensibilities to Nucleus Portland in a show currently running at the gallery. "Tuff Crowd" offers both crowd scenes and single portraits, all packed with Furie characters.
Wesley Hubbard, who works under the moniker "Wooden Cyclops," crafts wild works that often have his followers attributing his output to taking psychedelics. The artist's illustrations have been crafted for both websites and bands like Portugal. The Man (which at one point employed Hubbard on keyboard duties).
In the personal work of illustrator Andrew Fairclough, the artist’s cerebral explorations are infused with comic and pop influences. Stylistically, his work has a kinship with the drawings of Charles Burns or other Lowbrow luminaries, while also showing Fairclough’s love of vintage spot illustrations, retro science fiction, and "the textural wonders of degraded print."
The collages of Andrew Blucha, who works under the moniker “metafables,” crafts fantastical and dark-surrealist illustrations. The London artist’s motifs include skeletal, mystical blazes, and Victorian fashion. Contained within these are also contemporary winks.
Illustrator-collagist Elzo Durt creates psychedelic and occasionally unsettling imagery, adorning both album covers and gallery walls. The artist has crafted covers and posters for the likes of La Femme, Three Oh Sees, Magnetix, and several others. Elsewhere, his work has been the subject of museum exhibitions and related efforts.
The illustrations of Jasjyot Singh Hans explore body positivity, fashion, and pop culture. The artist's background in animation film design also plays a role in his stylized figures, with the artist's knack for conveying movement shining in the above works. The artist's choice of canvas, elsewhere, show a spin on the domestic.
The work of illustrator Alex Heywood puts an otherworldly spin on the everyday. His creatures, even without a stated backstory, are entertaining and often humorous, with much of the quirkiness found in the details. The Scotland-based artist is a graduate of the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design at University of Dundee.
Taking influence from classic American signage and comic art, Emily Fromm crafts bustling scenes taken from corners across Western cities. In an upcoming show at 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco, “NO VACANCY,” she offers a group of works that show the “over-the-top yet seedy aesthetic of the American West.” The show kicks off Jan. 11 and runs through Feb. 23.
Using pop culture and his distinct distortion of scale, artist Arnus crafts humorous, engrossing illustrations. His self-description as an "Ugly illustrator since 1982” offers a hint at his sense of humor, moving between both terrifying and playful characters. These pop characters include Alice Cooper, Batman, and a slew of smiling demons.
Finland illustrator Milena Huhta crafts unsettling drawings that pull from fashion, ’90s pop, and other global influences. The artist’s projects include her own personal work, album artwork, editorial illustrations, and other projects. Huhta describes herself as a “Finnish-Polish artist with macabre inclinations.”
In illustrator David Álvarez’s recent charcoal works, the night is a character that walks the countryside. “I Dreamed I Was the Night” is the name of that latest series, a collection that will presumably comprise another story for the Mexico-based artist.
The acrylic paintings of illustrator Sasha Ignatiadou carry a vibrancy and visceral detail. The artist’s work tends to leave viewers on guessing on the origins of his creation, which outside of her acrylic work, moves between watercolor and digital approaches.
Victo Ngai’s dramatic illustrations are packed with elements from fantasy and contemporary life. Whether in personal or editorial work, her talent in narrative shines. The Hong Kong-born, New York-based illustrator most often plays with scale in her stirring works.
Illustrator Sena Kwon excels in both grandiose and quiet moments, with a flair for injecting whimsy into her works. The South Korea-born, New York City-based artist seems to pull from both mythology and the contemporary experience. Whether via film posters or emblazoning apparel, her work carries over to other formats and benefits from artist’s distinctive, unexpected palettes.