Hasta La Ideas

Berlin’s leading design book shop welcomes world renowned illustrator Olaf Hajek and more

As ardent readers of Gestalten‘s stellar art and design books, we’ve been wanting to visit their storefront, Gestalten Space, ever since it opened last year in Berlin. Tucked away in a cobblestone alley in Mitte, Gestalten Space sells the imprint’s own publications along with a well curated selection of covetable design objects, while the exhibition space in back allows for an expansion to the work of the artists and designers they publish. Demonstrating a wide scope, in April they exhibited photographs from Jorg Bruggemann’s book “Metalheads,” followed by a selection of the best new Japanese communication design from the Tokyo Art Directors Club.

Right now Gestalten is celebrating “Black Antoinette,” their second monograph by illustrator Olaf Hajek, with an exhibition that runs through July. A collection of Hajek’s work from the past three years including editorial contracts, commercial portraits and personal pieces, “Black Antoinette” continues Hajek’s visual language of colorful botanical headdresses and folkloric influences with a distinct handmade, tactile quality akin to woodblock, not seen is most contemporary illustration. The look stems from the fact that Hajek never starts his work on the computer, but with paint on paper, wood or gray board. He does use a scanner, but only to send his work to clients—never as part of his illustration process.

The new book sets itself apart from Hajek’s previous publications with a style that has become more “free and painterly,” as Gestalten puts it, and less committed to absolute perfection. “Hajek masterfully melds influences from West African and Latin American art to create surreal juxtapositions of fairy tale fantasies and disordered realities. His magical realism enriches the perspective of anyone viewing his work,” and, we’d like to add, allows him to masterfully tread the fine line between commercial illustration and fine art.”

“Black Antoinette” runs through 29 July 2012 at Gestalten Space, where you can also buy the book. Copies will be available in the US within the coming months.

Gestalten Space images by Perrin Drumm

Fly a spaceship and melt your mind with Rob Lach’s experimental video game

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to shoot down bomber planes, race a Ferrari in a Volvo or fly a space ship while on acid, POP might offer the insight you need. The mind-bending experimental video game consists of what it calls “a series of erratic minigames” set to a steady stream of panic-inducing music. Designed by independent developer Rob Lach as an exploration in conventional game development, the purposefully disjointed experience was designed by creating the music first then running with the first game concept that came to mind. The lo-fi result feels at once nostalgic and unsettling.

Using various controls—mouse clicks, arrows keys, Z and X buttons—the player navigates through seven “interactive vignettes” of hand-drawn pixel art, often with little to no instructions. This purposeful lack of declared objectives leaves all understanding and interpretation up to the individual, a task only made more fun by intense tunes and floods of strobing colors. As a result “Launch” ends up looking like a reenactment of the Challenger disaster, while the more manageable “Air Raid”—curiously reminiscent of one of the more memorable Full Metal Jacket scenes—only became clear after multiple inflictions of keyboard abuse.

In “Highway” the player races a red Volvo wagon down a never-ending road in some nameless city. Coaxed on by a pounding beat, the faux chase scene feels like a lo-fi Cruising USA with a cheeky sense of juvenile design. Subsequently in “Gunner” the operator shoots down bombers with the click of a mouse as equally suspenseful beats play in the background. To add to the perfectly retro aesthetic, each “minigame” is flanked by pixelated snapshots and distorted movie clips from a bygone era.

Lach’s POP game is available through a pay-what-you-want (minimum $1) platform. For a better idea of what you’ll be getting yourself into check the teaser video or head directly over to POP online.

Matt Singer’s Sputnik-inspired papier-mâché party game

Whether you delight in watching others struggle blindly to hit their mark, or you enjoy giving a papier-mâché animal a hearty whack, piñatas offer instant revelry for party-goers of any age. Designer Matt Singer recently gave the age-old party game a new form with his Space Dog piñata, inspired by the puppies sent into orbit by the Soviet Union during the 1950s and ’60s.

The handmade piñatas play up the kitsch appeal with three Russian dogs—Laika, Belka or Strelka—suspended alongside a tiny Sputnik space capsule and miniature Saturn. Once busted open, the Space Dog will drop an assortment of classic candy, a yo-yo and a mini space dog to the ground.

The Space Dog Piñata comes in blue (Belka), red (Laika) or green (Strelka) and sells online from Matt Singer for $75 each.

Découverte de Matthias Müller qui maîtrise la 3D de façon impressionnante. Avec l’aide de son talent et de logiciels, ce dernier nous livre une représentation de l’espace dans lequel nous vivons tout simplement splendide. Une vidéo à découvrir en plein écran dans la suite.

Previously on Fubiz

• The Stars
• Geometric Rooms
• Frankenweenie Trailer

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Chilean illustrator combines pop culture, sci-fi and fantasy in a mind-bending amalgamation

The work of Fab Ciraolo makes it immediately clear that the Chilean-born illustrator has a very interesting outlook on this world. His pieces combine re-imagined elements of nostalgic popular culture with fantastical sci-fi standards and beautiful space-like atmospheres. Incorporating classic cartoon characters, fairy tale favorites and edgy popular icons, Ciraolo constructs compelling and enchanting artwork that stirs up whimsical feelings for the past while keeping one foot forward. We recently caught up with Ciraolo and got some insight into his process and where his surreal scenes take root.

Where are you from and what is your background? How long have you been illustrating?

I am from Santiago Chile, born here. I think I’ve been illustrating since I can remember. My background was always around paintings, drawings and art exhibitions. I must thank my parents for this, they always encouraged me to keep doing this and showed me that this can be my way of living. The most important advice from them was to always stay true to what I love and to what I need to be happy, other stuff comes free if you are at peace with your talent.

What techniques do you use to create your work?

Traditional painting, a lot of drawing, acrylics, color pencils, mostly anything I have near that might work to get a final result that makes me happy. I can remember using coffee in some paintings. Coffee is good to make some cool textures!

What is the story behind your “Old School Heroes” series? How did Skeletor end up in a plaid suit?

These cartoons were always in my mind, when I was little I would draw all of them by hand, I just loved them, so one day it just came to me. Drawing He-Man in a flower suit, I just did it and the result was interesting and fun to me. So I keep digging in all these characters making them more fashionable, always wondering how will they look in cool suits and jackets and tight pants— hipster looks. I wasn’t inventing something out of this world, just giving a little twist to things that were in my mind a long time ago.

A lot of your work incorporates space-like elements and fairy tale references as well as pop culture icons, where does your inspiration comes from?

I am like a sponge, very visual, I hate reading but love looking. My mind is full of these icons and these images. I love to mix the old with the modern, giving things that already exist a new fresh air, a new vision. I am working in these series, with Frida, Che Guevara and Dalí, it is the result of all these things that are in my mind. How would these great characters look today? This is the main idea of all of these. I mix them with all the images that are inside my head and it is like an explosion of images that I need to get out and put them together in one piece.

How much of your work is commercial and how much is personal? Is there much crossover between the two?

I think it’s 50/50. I think this is the perfect mix, sometimes I get tired of doing commissions, but sometimes I love it. I have been lucky to participate in very interesting projects this year, and to always have time to make my personal art as well. You must find a balance between these two things, but always, ALWAYS give time to your own art, this is the best way to grow, to learn, to make mistakes and not be afraid of changes.

How do you think art fits into popular culture now with the power of the Internet? How has the web affected your craft?

It is amazing and has helped me so much. It let me show my art to the entire world and really fast too. I was very afraid at first to show my work, because it was so mine, it was my real thing, what comes out of my head, but people like it and I am so glad. Art should be a popular culture, art is culture, art is expression it is a must! At least for me!