User submission

647.5K

Controversial Illustrations Full Of Hidden Messages By Russian Artist

These dark drawings by Russian artist Waldemar von Kazak flirt with surrealism and social issues commentary, using sexual tension and bizarre characters to give some food for thought.

Though von Kazak went to school for design, he eventually returned to his greatest passion – drawing, and illustration. “I began to draw after unsuccessful contact with a large iron swing when I was small,” he said in an interview with Pinup Arena. “For years I worked hard as a designer. I was engaged in packing, advertising polygraph, and book design. But at some point, I wanted to go back to my drawing ideas. Today I am an illustrator.”

Some of his sexually-charged controversial artworks touch upon social issues like men and women’s relationship or the tedium of our daily lives, but other cool drawings are simply fantastic sci-fi pin-up art. Be sure to check out more of his dark humor filled work, but be aware that some of it can be NSFW!

More info: waldemarkazak.com | Facebook (NSFW) | DeviantArt (NSFW) (h/t: designyoutrust, pinuparena)

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-14

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-3

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-1

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-11

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-6

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-20

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-42

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-2

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-41

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-4

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-7

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-9

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-31

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-8

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-17

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-5

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-16

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-25

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-18

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-35

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-39

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-29

dark-surreal-digital-art-waldemar-von-kozak-38

647Kviews

There is a beast with heart of cold stone that dashes like lightning, shreds flesh from bone. // Bewitched by this beast, I fell to my knees. My mouth babbled madness and mumbled soft pleas. // I stared down the ravenous, gnashing dark maw of a cute cuddly kitten with yarn in its paw

Read less »

What do you think ?

POST

AlaaOmar 9 years ago

I think his paintings basicly show how women are regarded by the society or even by themselves only as sexual objects , they use their looks not their brain to get what they want , sometimes men become thier slaves only because they let their sexual desires to control them !!!! did I misunderstood this ?

65points

LaylaAli 9 years ago

Got the same impression. I feel like men and women alike in the illustrations live up to the stereotypes that are presented to us in the media. Also the robot ones give me the sense even more that he sees the world as a big hoax. We are being programmed to view gender roles, the workplace etc in a certain mind-set. Even when we see images that are representing women as powerful, it's still something degrading about it because they are stepping on a carpet that looks like a bear skin with a man's head. So is the idea that in order for either gender to rise up we must put down the opposite sex? I love the series because it is very thought provoking!

35points

Load More Replies...

CorentinDachy 9 years ago

I agree for some.. like this one dark-surre...zak-20.jpg But i only agree for less than 50% of the painting. what with this one dark-surre...zak-39.jpg or this one dark-surre...zak-18.jpg or this one dark-surre...ozak-2.jpg And also for the less obivous ones, does this dark-surre...zak-17.jpg also have something to do with your global theory ?

0points

GeorgiMishkov 9 years ago

Yes. That is the shallowest, most reactionary interpretation of the works one could possibly come up with. It's true for one or two of them but not all of them. Usually, the joke seems to be on men - they're portrayed as pigs, or looking up flying women's skirts when they're 9 or something. You really should open your mind and put more thought into it. You'll find much more meaning than that initial thought.

-3points

LyoneFein 9 years ago

I don't think I can make any blanket statements about these, because there are several different themes running through them......and some are really separate from the others, like the Icarus one. But there do seem to be a few general categories. Ie: his theme that women's sexuality has become hyper-commodified in Russia and that this is negative for both men and women in different ways.....and his separate theme of recasting old fairy tales in light of contemporary social situations. But then there is this other theme of how reductionist it feels to be a worker, just a paid role holder. This is an old theme from the Soviet days, and he is utilizing images that have a long history in anti-Soviet art, incorporating both the robot-man and the capitalist pig in some interesting ways here. I really like his surrealist style.

24points