| official bio, from emek.net (2006)
— "The Thinking Man's Poster Artist"
Abandoned at birth, Emek has lived a difficult, often tragic
life. After being forced to work for years as a child-laborer
in a plutonium mine, he won a rare mining scholarhip to
attend art school. Little did he know, his troubles were
only just beginning. In art school, he fell in with a rough
and dangerous crowd. Upon graduating most of them pursued
lives of crime as freelance graphic artists, and were never
heard from again. For Emek, the only hope of escaping the
fate that befell his doomed peers -- advertising -- was
to become a rock 'n' roll artist.
Emek now lives in many worlds. His art shows it. Born a
decade after the '60s, he was nevertheless influenced by
'60s culture and counter-culture. Emek was raised in an
environment that supported his crazy artistic aspirations
as both his parents were artists, too. He grew up listening
to their music, their ideals, and their divorce. Yet, he
is also a product of his own "Who, Me?" generation.
Emek graduated with a Major in Art, and a Minor in Unemployment.
His first poster commission was done immediately after the
L.A. riots/uprising of 1992, for a unity rally and concert
held on Martin Luther King Day. The poster was a success
and from then on, Emek was hooked on the art form.
"I appreciate the flexibility this medium allows me
because the bands generally give me total creative freedom
(as long as I include the show info). I am allowed to dip
into the recesses of my own imagination and see what spills
out onto the page. I am my own art director so I can experiment
with different concepts and styles to keep things fresh.
Today's disposable culture paves the way for tomorrow's
collectible nostalgia... I'm just trying to keep it interesting."
In Emek's posters, psychedelic '60s imagery collides with
'90s post-industrial iconography. To this collision of the
organic vs. the mechanical worlds he adds humor, social
commentary and fantasy. Even in the smallest details there
are messages. All of Emek's artwork is originally hand-drawn
and then hand- silkscreened for each actual concert or event,
usually in limited editions of around 300.
You can order one of these before he becomes really famous,
or really homeless. So far, his unique visual style has
graced music posters on a diverse musical spectrum, from
Blues legend B.B. King to the Beastie Boys. He has painted
album covers for Neil Young and Pearl Jam as well as for
many punk and alternative bands. He was invited to exhibit
at the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "History
of Rock Posters" exhibition and has been featured in
national and international magazines. As you read this,
his work is permanently displayed in Hard Rock Cafes all
over." |
