Swedish artist and graphic designer, Robert Ek, composes vivacious virtual fantasies with a glossy elegance. He renders three-dimensional objects and spaces that are reminiscent of a vaporwave aesthetic. You can find gridded backdrops, Greco-Roman statues, soft neon colors, and symbols from 1990s computer imagery in Ek’s body of work.
The visualisations are particularly expressive in executing their concepts, they are puzzling to watch and somewhat disconcerting in a tantalising kind of way. Viewers are visually stimulated by Ek’s experiments in 3D design. He pulls the strings of the generated elements and figures, to stir about in an illusive manner. Ek reinvents some commonplace things into a more whimsical version.
Some examples include a toothbrush’s bristles replaced with white walking legs. Another is a human figure camouflaged in the likeness of a slice of salmon laid upon a bed of rice, resembling a sushi roll. It is plain to see the level of design innovation and inventiveness that shines through each of Ek’s work.
The abstractions he conjures are distinctly his own, realized in a totally scenically graphic fashion. The pastel style of Robert Ek translates well in exhibitions too, the most recent one showcased in Downtown Los Angeles called “LED Showcase.”
