Andrei Bouzikov is a 31 year old painter and illustrator who emigrated to the US from his native Belarus in the mid '90s, eventually settling in San Francisco. I'd seen some of his eye-catching album covers around, but it wasn't until I stumbled on a link to his blog over at Illogical Contraption that I had a name to put to the artwork.
Using an eerie, ultra-lurid palette, he paints awesome cult SF/horror tableau's that sometimes remind me of classic Frazetta. There's also a kind of Death Rattle/Slow Death comic vibe to his work that I love (the ecological themes?). Comparisons aside though, Andrei manages to subvert all those old traditions a bit, and the result is something unsettling and uniquely his own.
The imagery is saturated with horror that for me recalls Bava, Fulci and Luigi Cozzi, but it's not all of the exploitation variety. The oppressive (and very real) spectres of tyranny, war and environmental destruction loom grimly over these apocalyptic vistas of bombed, burning cities and ravaged, poisonous landscapes. In other words, there's more going on here than meets the eye.
As well as doing amazing artwork for punk and metal bands/record labels the world over, Andrei plays bass in Oakland/SF hardcore band Deadfall. He's also a cool guy who had no problem with me posting his work here.
"Guts"
Nocturnal Graves/Hell Spirit split on Nuclear War Now! Productions
Lahar/Stolen Lives split on Insane Society/Phobia Records
Autopsy demo on Nuclear War Now! Productions
for a Peruvian psychedelic band
for Aussie pop-punk band The Decline
The Decline back
The Decline inner
Excellent stuff you got goin' on here, and thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteJust linked you back ;)
Thanks man, good to have a fellow skateboarder drop by.
ReplyDeleteBouzikov is the shit. Brilliant, slightly goofy, friendly guy. Glad I could turn you on to his stuff.
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