illustration

Where others see demonic human-animal hybrids, illustrator Anna Dietzel sees creatures just doing their thing, vibing and simply existiing. Get to know her world of black backgrounds, slithering bodies, fangs and unsettling smiles in an interview for SWARM Mag.

When encountering the works of Austrian illustrator Lony Mathis, the first look reveals the squishy cuteness of inflatable toys and the second one some lurking, vaguely disturbing details. In an exclusive interview, she talks the destructive powers of perfectionism, favourite aesthetics, and dogs' unconditional love.

“Maybe there is a little bit of a dog in me too.” Andrew Tseng, Amsterdam-based illustrator, visual artist and occasional clay sculptor, brings to life warped, spilling shapes in drawings that feature canines more often than not. Read about his love for four-legged companions, and his designing techniques and approaches in the exclusive interview below.

SWARM MAG and selected Portuguese visual artists came together to create the latest edition of the Lobster Scarf Collection, this time on the topic of Future Forecasting. Delve into the collaborative project’s motivations, perspectives and inspirations along with interviews with the involved artists. Stay warm and keep the future fun!

Hello wanderer, you've stumbled upon the Gooniverse. Feel free to enjoy your presence here despite (or thanks to) your confusion – this world wasn't made to make sense to you. You're welcomed to soak up Balfua's wildly intricate and layered artistic vision.

Reminiscent of 80s video-game worlds full of ultraviolence and tech-obsessed, metal- and leather-clad villains and villainesses, Pol-Edouard's illustrations will envelop your senses with a dizzying, flashy and almost tribalistic feel.

Each of Davor Gromilovic’s paintings is a world of its own: they all have their lore, characters and narrative. The joy of decoding each of these masterful, otherworldly universes lies in what you project on them, and in this SWARM MAG interview you can peek into the head of their mastermind.

Jellyburger’s saturated neons may remind one of vaporwave and internet aesthetics, but there is more at play here than surfaces: her works oscillate between stillness and motion, delving into the perplexities of the contemporary while keeping in mind the greater pictures at play.

Czech poet Jan Jindřích Karásek and Finnish digital artist Lauri Renvall come together for an exclusive collaboration in this SWARM MAG entry. Delve into this unique intermedial play where text and digital art touch on the complex topics of today’s intimacy.

Who counts sheep and who the freckles on your imaginary body before they go to sleep? Writer Zuzana Trachtová portrays how our fantasies claim and appropriate strangers' bodies for our own amusement and arousal – and vice versa. The essay is accompanied by illustrations and animations by Lucie Frýdlová.

Leafing in an ancient tome of forbidden magic, the blackish paintings seem to move… in this world, Michal Kocourek gathers the inspiration which then haunts his dreams. Unafraid of the consequences, he conjures the demons in his artworks, taming them as pawns into board games and exhibitions.

Kyrgyz visual artist Alexey Shahov creates monochrome scenes of abstract lines and objects stripped to their peculiar essence. In his interview for SWARM MAG he sheds some light on the inspirations and processes that lead to his poignant artworks where shapes and figures blend into uncanny assemblages.

Join us on a hike to the round, pastel world of Barbora Idesova, the Prague-based illustrator originally from Košice, Slovakia. Barbora tells us about her inspirations and methods, throwing light on her signature style that blends nature and mythology into familiar, yet mysterious visual planes.

Liga Spunde, the Latvian digital illustrator and multimedia artist tells SWARM MAG about her creative process, inspirations and 2019 exhibition of her pointed, disconcerting takes on a post-internet aesthetic, interrogating the phenomenon of online hate culture and what lurks beneath.

With influences ranging from early board games to old school metal album covers, California-based visual artist Josh Freydkis conjures up images from a vivid and sinister fantasy world with a magic touch of playfulness and nostalgia.

The soft, rounded illustrations of Serbian graphic designer Pavle Ćirić give the impression of fragile glass ornaments with a sheen of a soap-bubble-like iridescence. Two of the ones presented in the article were custom-made for the NEO-MEDIEVALISM theme.

“[My sword] would be very beautiful but harmless because I hate violence.” French illustrator and handpoke tattoo artist Marie Besse lays before us her linear, spiky and prodding visions resembling prickly vines and sparkly fata morganas.

In an exclusive SWARM Mag interview, illustrator Julia Sayapina talks dream logic, the cultural significance of sharing tales in Russia, and introduces us to her series of graphic works dedicated to the female image in cinema and songwriting.

“Maybe it's the need for mystery and spirituality or maybe it just looks good.” Jakub Hrdlička, working under the artistic pseudonym of Hrzla, shares in an exclusive interview for SWARM Mag his creative processes, inspirations, and the outlook on the recent gradual resurrection of medieval themes in art.

“I prefer an imperfect but lively drawing.” Belgian native Mathieu Van Assche is adding more (perhaps mythical and ritualistic) layers of meaning to already loaded historical photographs and old masters' paintings.