Reiki Murakami

Bio:

Alex Eckman-Lawn is a Philadelphia-born artist who received his BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts. His work has appeared in comic books, on album covers, book covers, music videos, T-shirts, and gig posters. In addition, he spends his time creating multi-layered, hand-cut paper collages, using everything from his original digital paintings to imagery from old medical texts. Each layer is spaced, creating a sense of depth that draws you into the image. These works have most recently been on display at SCOPE Miami Beach, Art on Paper NY, Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Arch Enemy Arts, Mortal Machine Gallery, Outré Gallery, StolenSpace Gallery, Copro Gallery, Gallery 1988, Cotton Candy Machine, and Corey Helford Gallery, and have been featured in publications such as Hi-Fructose, Juxtapoz Magazine, and The Observer.

My work explores the fear and mystery associated with my body’s inner process. I am my body’s captive, unable to see what betrayals lurk under the surface. I search for safety in my work, for comfortable spaces, security inside myself, and for control. I dissect my paper sculptures, sometimes violently cutting away at them, burrowing into the body to create caverns and uncovering new spaces. The result can be harrowing, but at times comforting as well. In cutting through the layers of paper, I am given the opportunity to play both surgeon and architect, for once in complete control over what lies inside.

Alex’s work appears in the following comics:

Swan Songs Issue 5, Awakening Volumes 1 and 2, Popgun volume 4 (Rusted: Faded Signal), Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard (Leviathan), The Graphic Canon Vol.1 (Forgive Us Our Trespasses), and the Eisner Award winning Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream. He is currently working on a cozy dystopian book called Checkpoint.

Alex has worked with all of your favorite bands, including: Inter Arma, Horrendous, Imperial Triumphant, Artificial Brain, END, The Smashing Pumpkins, Rolo Tomassi, Witching, Maruta, King Dude, Abbath, Woe, Krieg, Nero Di Marte, Hacride, Nesseria, and many more.