We are shocked and saddened by the news that the great surrealist and father of biomechanical art passed away yesterday at the age of 74: RIP, HR Giger. We at Things & Ink wish to offer our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, loved ones and admirers.
Giger had a profound impact on the fine arts, pop culture, cinema, and tattoo culture. His brilliant mind and creative genius gave us creatures and settings featured in the Alien movie series (1979 – 1997), Species (1995), and most recently in Prometheus (2012), and the video game Dark Seed (1995). If you ever wish to immerse yourself in ‘Giger reality’ more deeply and vividly, go visit his museum and bar in the historic, medieval walled city of Gruyères, in Switzerland.
His biomechanical style, with its beautiful smokey textures and unsettling realism, has been a major tattoo style for over 30 years. Our writer, Kimberly Baltzer-Jaray, discussed this influence in Issue #4 (The Art Issue), in her article titled: Tattoo Styles. In the article you will find pictures and a short interview with the talented tattoo and airbrush artist, Rico Schinkel, a great Giger fan and friend. Be sure and check it out.
The one great assurance we have is that Giger will never be forgotten, lost or become obscure. His imaginings, his art, his creative gifts are very much woven into the fabric of the 21st century, and in the flesh of countless people.