KiiD PAiNTiNGS
"MAKE iT LAND SOMEWHERE"
Curated by Alejandro "ToTO" RuiZ
DESIGN &
Photography
By: Gurrod Cole:
Yo, this is Crank, he's one of my mutuals I've been following for about three years now, and the style he has developed visually has always stood out to me. His use of collages and colors offers eye-catching pieces that I hope to see brought out into a space so that bigger audiences can see them.
But who is Crank? Crank, real name Arsha, is an artist based out of Indonesia, which is surprisingly far for one of our artists. Despite this Arsha actually has a lot of influence from American media and art. From Kanye and Pharrell to Murakami and Junya Inagawa his influences started to grow from a young age.
In the piece "RLLY COOL JDM CARS" you can see the clear inspiration from old-school PlayStation games. His use of contrast allows his subjects to stand out. Crank describes his art as having a "cyberpunk/dark" aesthetic which you can see to the left.
The rough lines may not be everyone's cup of tea but for me, the line work seems purposeful and possibly offers a reflection to the artist's mind and character.
In the piece "MONEY_COMES_WORLDWIDE$$" you can see Crankz's anime influence. He stated that some of his biggest influences were Berserk, Dorohedoro, and ChainsawMan Man; all series that feature gritty, rough, and gory stories. I believe Q Hayashida's Dorohedoro style is the most influential. Outside of that, the influence of street art is there with graffiti-like symbols.
It's bold. It's expressive. What angst-filled artist wouldn't appreciate that?
When I asked Arsha what he believes his art stands for, he said "If I were to tell a message and the summary of my art direction, it would be, GRITTY, RETRO, FREEDOM, AND FORMLESS, as in my goal is not to strictly be bound to only one genre or media"
I think this statement not only holds truth through his art but also Crank as a person. This is why his work resonated so much with me and also why I'm glad to have him as one of our main collaborators.
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