Interview with Askem #ArtYouCanHear

Thanks a lot to the wonderful surrealist painter specialized into the hip hop art for accepting this interview with us… it was a great honor and a fascinating moment.

Isa Nahila S Bigini

About Askem:

Starting off with different styles of art Askem wasn’t feeling the connection. Then a time came where it clicked to him what he could express with his tools at his fingertips. “I started off painting surrealist and contemporary modern work but found that it personally didn’t provide me with a level of enjoyment or happiness so then decided to create work of something I love and enjoy -hip hop.” Inspired by the likes of Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, and Hergé visually he seemingly captures and interprets faces such as Grandmaster Flash and The Lady of Rage in an interpretive light yet realistic. Through his personal experiences with hiphop Askem wanted to bring that to his pieces. Giving a type of hommage not just the seen voices of the culture but for the ears that have been attentive as well he captures our commonality while still delivering that artistic twist. “Hip Hop has played a major influence in my life, from times of absolute happiness to sheer desperation, I think that as an art form in itself Hip Hop is truly high art and has been the voice of a generation, for me I wanted to not only immortalize those who I have listened to for decades but also build a visual history of such a powerful and influential part of contemporary society.

The interview:

You’d like to know more about Askem go check out his site at http://www.a5kem.com/

Also enjoy the new Chuck D Book with a lot of illustration by the artist Askem at https://www.amazon.com/Chuck-Presents-This-Hip-Hop-History/dp/0316430978

Also follow him on social media:

Twitter https://twitter.com/A5KEM
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/a5kem/

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbOrHfs-4S4mjBnvor3a3qQ

Some of the Hip Hop legends who are supporting Askem art!