Shintaro Kago X Flying Lotus: You're Dead! Illustrations (NSFW)

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Last month, electronic music maestro Steven Ellison (AKA Flying Lotus) announced that his forthcoming fifth album comically titled You're Dead! would be released this October. Normally, this alone would be enough to send me pacing frantically in giddy circles of impatient anticipation. But there's more: Flylo has enlisted the peculiar talents of Japanese body-horror artist Shintaro Kago to illustrate his album cover as well as a series of tarot cards depicting each of the 19 tracks on You're Dead! These illustrations are proof-positive that a collaboration between Lotus' mind-bending electronica and Kago's macabre artwork is a match made in Heaven(?)

Shintaro Kago is a Japanese guro horror artist and self-proclaimed kisou mangaka ("bizarre manga artist"). Born in 1969, Kago has contributed over 30 publications since his debut in 1988. Check out more of the series after the break, though tread lightly where you click. We're entering firm NSFW territory here.

Surreal Geometric Landscapes Pervade In "Mother"

Abstract, surreal goodness galore in Mother, a 3D short directed by Fabrice Le Nezet in collaboration with Benjamin Mousquet and an excellent ambient sound treatment by Azel Martinez. The black and white short has a simulated tilt shift feel to it, giving the viewer a God's eye perspective over this strange, constantly moving world.

Kind of feels like the beginning of a really cool indie puzzle title if you think about it.

Doprah - "Stranger People"

Surreal pop duo Doprah hail from New Zealand, and they seem to be set to make some waves with their very distinct, 'sinister pop' vibes. The eclectic sound of this two person outfit, comprised of John Marr and Indira Force brings to mind the ethereal vocal style that made artists like Bjork so memorable.

The music video though is a different story altogether, offering what appears to be a warped take on Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's already unsettling Ponponpon music video and J-pop tropes in general. The final result could be best summed up as open to your own interpretation. If Doprah's curious sound piqued your attention, you can check out their EP over on their Bandcamp.

"Happy Unhappy"

Created by Jean Liang over the course of 8 months at Sheridian College, Happy Unhappy follows the ups and downs of a cat during his everyday routine. Every accident, rejection and moment which reminds him of his current situation ultimately leaves a mark. And once those marks add up to a certain point snapping is the only way out.

The geometric look of the environments and characters brings back memories of David O' Reilly's work, who's definitely inspired an entire generation of animators with ground breaking shorts like The External World.

"Wonderzine Swimwear" Promo Is Strangely Unsettling

Now this is how you promote a swimsuit line. Employing a stop motion look enabled by the usage of rapidly alternating footage captured from two cameras set slightly apart, director Pavel Samokhvalov took this fashion shoot into an unexpected realm. Classical music plays softly in the background over the sounds of crashing waves, and the final result is a very Lynch inspired affair in it's surreality. Swimwear was created for Wonderzine, a Russian online fashion mag with a very distinct edge.

The Art of Simetta

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Simetta is a Japanese artist whose work heavily evokes the surrealistic melancholy tone of the films of Makoto Shinkai. Deep saturated flourishes of purple, youths staring wistfully off into the distance, and exquisitely detailed backgrounds that capture both the urban density and rural quietude of some of Japan's most iconic locations. His illustrations depict moments of ephemeral stillness that are equal parts intimate and inspiring, calming and exhilarating. Moments that feel lighter than air. Check out more of his beautiful work after the break!

"Birdman" Trailer - A Surreal Journey Into A Washed Out Actor's Brain

How did we end up here, in this dump? You were a movie star..Remember? That inner dialogue resonates throughout the entire trailer of Alejandro González Iñárritu's incredibly curious looking film called Birdman (Aka The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance), an upcoming movie being released by Fox Searchlight films.

Starring Michael Keaton as a washed out actor best known for playing a hero called Birdman on the silver screen (No correlation to Hanna Barbera's hero of the same name), this film looks like it will take us deep into a twisted psychological journey rife with insecurity, regret and mental duress. In a few choice scenes in the trailer we witness Michael Keaton (Who famously played Batman back in the day) begin to blur the line between his real self and alter ego as a superhero, a very clever casting choice by the director that might draw parallels with the reality of an actor losing their luster with age.



If Iñárritu doesn't ring a bell, he's a Mexican director who's delivered some truly amazing movies throughout his career, my favorite being 21 Grams and Amores Perros- So I'm actually pretty excited to know that this twisted dark comedy is in the hands of proven talent.

"Big Bang Dog" - From Creation To Civilization

United by destiny and unified by their desire to escape monotony, Matias Vigliano and Dante Zaballa created Big Bang Dog as part of their newly formed Parquerama Studios. Featuring a cosmic dog that appears at the moment of all creation, we follow him on a truly remarkable inter-dimensional journey. It's pretty surreal and a little nonsensical, but I found it hard to look away throughout the duration of the short.

Is it possible that it happened yesterday? He disappeared right before my eyes and everything remains just as different? Why do they multiply and divide? Only the dogs take this as a natural fact. Please don't go into the wrong door. They are the only suspects.

Last Breath

Ever get that awful feeling that you're..Out of place? Out of your element? Outcast? Ying Ping Mak's Last Breath captures that feeling of slowly losing grasp of societal attachment. We witness a man become the target of a manhunt in a surreal, dystopian city in which breathing has become outlawed. Upon finding a breathing rebel who offers him a strange drug to conceal his 'affliction,' things go in a direction that reminded me of Scorsese's Taxi Driver. Absolutely loved the world that Mak crafted in this short.

Protagonist Yeuk Seng slowly grasps the fact that he has become a social outcast as a breathing person. Refusing to give in, he is now struggling to live in a city that he does not belong to anymore.

Don't Feed The Penguin

Don't Feed The Penguin is all about an employee at a food court slowly losing his mind during a long graveyard shift at a 24 hour food court. In order to entertain himself, Jo resorts to killing time by eating. At some point during this sleepless night, we witness his sanity begin to slip and some truly bizarre things start to happen in this strange establishment. Loved the art style, which kind of had a sketchy, warped quality resembling the likes of Tekkon Kinkreet.

Animated by Alenka Krizenecky, Don't Feed The Penguin started off as a project at EMCA in France before being finished independently post graduation. For a one person project, this turned out absolutely amazing. Just remember what that screaming maki roll said though, don't feed that damn penguin.

Hitchhiker - Infinite Loop

Thomas Ramboz's Hitchhiker starts off with a mysterious object floating through space and missing an astronaut standing on a floating asteroid. A black hole appears, a ship passes, a balloon animal resides in space - Yet they're all connected in a way that the astronaut can't initially comprehend - An infinite loop. This mind bending short must have taken quite a while to plan out and time correctly, and I think it turned out quite awesome as a result.

Self Concious

Following an unfortunate encounter with a mugger in a dark part of town, the hapless protagonist of Self Concious finds himself in a bizarre, glitched out alternate reality where nothing is as it seems. During his attempt to escape this strange predicament (I'm guessing limbo), he comes to realize that the only thing holding him back is himself. Great work! Aside from the great stylization, this short made great use of it's sound treatment to drive the narrative.

Missing Tiger - A Film As Sweet As IceSugarHammerCream

David Zimmerman's Missing Tiger fits the fashion film bill quite nicely: Beautiful visuals? Check. Plenty of suggestive imagery throughout? Check. A very abstract high level concept driving the vision of the short? Check and double check. With all that out of the way, enjoy this visually stimulating film about making it in the cutthroat fashion industry.

The plot functions as a parable and the meaning is produced by symbolic conjunctions. There are two young women whose relationship is not conclusively resolved: Are they friends, lovers or enemies? Who killed who? One of the two women takes over the symbolic role of the young designer and the other symbolizes the fashion environment in which she has to survive.

Totem

Created by Caleb Wood for Adult Swim's Off The Air anthology series, which typically features a series of artist creations centered around a common theme, Totem is a hypnotizing creation centered around the episode's theme of 'worship.' The show had a well known reputation for surreal animations, psychedelic imagery and everything in between, so this animation seems par for the course.

I Decided To Leave

It was 9:54 when I decided to leave...Dan Britt's surreal animated short employs the same type of nonlinear narratives that we've come to be accustomed to thanks to Christopher Nolan movies like Memento. We are presented with the past, present and future existences of an individual who finally decides to act on his dissatisfaction with his current life as a 9-5 employee stuck in the daily grind. Devoid of any meaning to his existence, he can no longer bear his aimless route.

The narratives are all intertwined in a manner that is rather abstract at first thanks to the stream of consciousness style presentation, but we're ultimately made to realize that he's already freed himself. Really enjoyed the simple low poly style that Dan Britt employed, a trend that seems to have been popularized by the widely influential works of David O' Reilly.

Imaginary Foundation Unveils Spring 2014 Sublimation Collection

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I wouldn't claim to be the most fashion-savvy individual, but I am a huge fan of anything that represents a crossover between the worlds of high-concept art and street wear. The Imaginary Foundation is a Switzerland-based think tank/clothing brand that specializes in offering beautifully screen-printed t-shirts with mind-bendingly surreal designs inspired by the intersection between the arts and sciences.

The shirts are typically printed in a limited run, so you should snatch one up when you get the chance. Check past the break for the rest of the collection, including a couple of my personal favorites from the past.

Trifling Habits

Created by Sarina Nihei as her first year film at the Royal College of Art in London, Trifling Habits is a rather retro feeling short about a world with a very distinct rythm of it's own. We follow a rather sullen looking man and with a green dress as he goes about his strange, repetitous routines until an unexpected change comes about. I think the most retro vibe comes about from her choice of medium for creating Trifling Habits, ink outlines with rough watercolor washes reminiscent of experimental 70's animated films. It's a highly surreal, but ultimately very engrossing short.

The Supernatural Artwork of Rodrigo Luff

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'Jaundice' was the word that came to mind when I first saw 26-year old Rodrigo Luff's stunningly beautiful moleskin portraits.  A graduate of the Julian Ashton Art School, Rodrigo has hosted a number of successful exhibitions both in LA and his native home of Sydney, Australia. His latest series of paintings, Neon Forest, depicts the symbiotic relationship between between beautiful female subjects and the indomitable forces of the natural world. Check out more of Rodrigo's awesome paintings after the break!

The Dazzling Art of Kubo Isako

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Kubo Isako is the kind of artist that defies first impressions. What at first look like impeccable black paper, color-penciled sketches are in fact beautifully rendered mixed media illustrations, flushed with a startling contrast of dark backgrounds and neon technicolor. Her technique is reflected in her subject matter, everyday mundanity juxtaposed with spacey whirlwinds of supernatural pallets and delicious confectioneries. Check out more of her beautiful work after the break!

Portrait

It seems like Donato Sansone (aka Milkyeyes) revisited a concept that he experimented with heavily back in August of last year called Untitled, featuring a series of highly grotesque, semi-animated portraits of ethereal entities with glitched out, shifting features. As the video progresses, these portraits continue to break down ever more, until we're left looking at a jumbled mass of unsettling facial features unable to maintain their form.

Coupled with Enrico Ascoli's excellent ambient sound treatment, I get the feeling that Portrait would do extremely well as an interactive installation, a goal that Donato mentioned when he was working on the intial tests a year back.