BUZZ NEWS

Best of Web & Arts #006

Posted on November 3, 2008
Creative team

The Swatch sponsored Illustrative 08 exhibit took place in Zürich, Switzerland this year. This year’s expo included a very impressive selection of artists and their drawings, paintings, photos, graphic arts, installations, collages, and magazines. This wonderful visual experience brought together a wide range of talent. Our creative team braved the fog and survived some thrill-seeking drivers in order to offer you this week’s review (others to come) of the artists in Hall 9 at the Zürich fair. Below you will find some of the works that made our jaws drop in amazement.

Felix Pestemer

Felix Pestemer is one of the illustrators that most impressed us in Hall 9. Born in East Germany in 1974, Felix studied graphic arts at the University of Berlin. His universe is composed of creatures, animals, characters, skeletons, etc. All of this is done in a style so dark it verges on sinister. He uses pencils and acrylic pens to touch on all traditional techniques.

Tomer Hanuka

The work of Tomer Hanuka, an Israeli illustrater, is part comic, part Japanese print, and part traditional comic strip. His style, dark and unsettling, is characterized by fine lines, the use of bright colors, and a diverse universe that pulls from a wide range of genres such as sci-fi, fantasy, gore, and Japanese culture. Tomer lives in New York, where he completed his studies from 1996 to 2000.

Roman Bittner

The German graphic designer is inspired by retro iconographies from Russian and US propaganda and from large design schools such as Bauhaus, which he portrays using modern infographics. He is able to produce very diverse works. Additionally, he creates illustrated posters and logos!

Andrew Hem

The most interesting part of attending an exhibit is the chance to freely move around the works, moving closer or further away from a piece depening on what you want to see. You can step back to enjoy the piece as a whole, or you get can get up close in order to understand the artists’ techniques and skills. While not all pieces of art are great both from afar and up close, the works of Andrew Hem, a US artist originating from Thailand, are wonderful from both perspectives. Andrew paints characters in colored universes where the softness of paints contrasts with the twisting/distorting of bodies and faces. Drawn with finesse, the shapes and lines come together to give the eyes a dynamic work full of overlapping elements. We just couldn’t get enough of his works... they were incredible!

Gary Taxali

Gary Taxali is a Canadian illustrator originally from India. His current works are modern and counter current retro and are inspired by works from the early 20th century. His simple characters in ridiculous postures remind us of a time gone by that later inspired Pop Art. Pop Art speaks directly to the masses through iconic representations and topics from everyday life. The artist most associated with Pop Art is Andy Warhol (Campbell’s Soup, Saturday’s Popeye). Another artist who works in this tradition, albeit much more cynically, is the author of the well-done anti-Disney KAZ comic strip.