Santos Illustration is offering the second Thick As Thieves Print Pack for pre-order starting today! The second in his limited series of prints is about childhood fears and monsters, and features artwork by Alison Lilly, Mike Fisher, Alexandros Pyromallis, Demian Johnston, Konstantinos Psichas and Christopher Parry, and is printed by Broken Press. Each of the 50 packs contains six 3-color prints and a mini storybook with short essays by each artist regarding their pieces. With such a stellar roster of artists, each of whom specializes in creating creepy and terrifying imagery, this print pack will no doubt be glorious for appreciators of dark artwork. Head over to Santos’ EyesBleedInk page for the pre-order info and pick yours up while they last!

Have you ever looked at a picture and knew you were looking at true evil that was actually real beauty? Nestor Avalos is a master of the dark arts of graphic design and morbid handmade illustrations. What separates him from many is that he draws from this world’s gruesome history to help create his scenes of pain and anguish. Nestor has a way of using shapes within the shadows to add to the torment. His imagery has a medieval quality and a ghost-like essence. His hand drawn pieces scream in the voices of the horrific demons that must be flying around his imagination as he scrawls them. Nestor’s work is rich in the truth that most people try to hide from. Today, CVLT Nation celebrates the dark wizard of art, Nestor Avalos – check out a gallery of his work after the jump!

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The world is about to be a better place, because an extra epic book is coming out real soon about the Southern California 80′s Hardcore scene. The two creators of the underground fanzine We Got Power, Dave Markey & Jordan Schwartz, are putting out a book of the same name via Bazillion Points Publishing in the near future – PRE-ORDER HERE! Both of these weirdos were fixtures of the SoCal hardcore community, but they were always on their own planets of creativity. They never waited for anyone to give them anything; if they wanted something done, they made it happen! Dave Markey wanted to start a band, Sin 34 was born; and then he wanted to make film, so he made The Slog Movie, and many more followed, including 1991: The Year Punk Broke and more (I won’t mention all of the videos he directed for Sonic Youth). Then there is Jordan Schwartz, the man with the plan, and an all around cool dude. For everyone reading this that was around back in the day, Mr. Schwartz was the mastermind behind those very rare Black Flag decks. More than anything, Jordan was my friend who I learned from through his actions, plus we bonded over our love for skateboarding! Together these two humans are We Got Power, and trust me when I say this book is a radical piece of Hardcore history. Check out some of the kick-ass pictures that will be in the book after the jump. Make sure to stay tuned to CVLT Nation to hear about their upcoming opening reception on Sept. 8th, 6pm – 11pm @ the 16 Track Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, with live performances by the ADOLESCENTS, SACCHARINE TRUST, The LAST and White Flag…Now get some power and peep some flicks after the jump!

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There’s something contradictory about Cenin’s artworks, the subjects rather dark, strange and surreal, but with the combination of vibrant colors. I’d say, this is a psychedelia surrealism! Cenin von Catlien is the alter ego of Turkey-based visionary artist Burcu Çorbaci, her medium is traditional drawing with the use of colored pencils, crayons, felt-tip pens and markers. Cenin means “fetus” in English, she lives and works in mind, womb, tomb and Istanbul. Her subjects of drawing concerns self alienation, the feelings of death-melancholy-despair, fear, occultism, gnosticism, depressions, self destruction, traumatic feelings of being born and everything in between. I noticed that some of her drawings mainly focus on woman, child and fetus. Also the expression of that creepy “dollish” face, she has her own characteristic! Cenin’s works have been exhibited in Poland, Germany, Brazil and also her hometown Istanbul. She made several illustrations for some underground fanzines, and also has been featured and interviewed in several publications such as Yeni Harman magazine (Turkey), Imagine The Imagination: New Visions of Surrealism book (published by Negoist, Poland), and a few others. Check out some of her rad artworks, after the jump!

“Dichotomy Incarnate”

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Passing by the walls of urban environments and seeing the different art that has found its way there fascinates me. It was on my first trip to London that I realized that street art was global, but when I went to Rome, I really knew it – it was everywhere. Walking around Old Street in east London in the early 2000′s is where I began to see the various languages that the artists spoke with the techniques they used. What sparked my imagination is how some artists used the landscape as a part of the story they were trying to convey. Phlegm is one of those kinds of street artists, one that makes his environment work for him so that he can draw you into his narrative. His characters are highly detailed and very bold. Phlegm’s work is so striking that when I look at it, I lose myself in his surreal world. Phlegm also creates comics and books of his ink drawings, and is working on a new one that will include a foldout of his “Civilization” artwork. CVLT Nation would like to salute this artist for creating art that is so weird it’s our brand new normal. After the jump, peep a huge gallery of Phlegm’s pieces and a video of him at work.
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From the design mind of Dylan Kuhn comes Novelty Cross Productions based in California. He is a one-man creative force that combines the dark arts with streetwear to manifest clothing that is witty and thought-provoking. When you make your way to the Novelty Cross Productions webstore what you are going to find are awesome prints that make statements that you will be able to relate to, as well as tees that also have on-point messages. What I dig about Dylan’s design aesthetic is that it’s very clean and direct, which make his pieces even more timeless. I’m really enjoying writing this post, because he is an avid CVLT Nation reader, and it’s cool to share a community members’ work with the Nation. So after the jump, check out an awesome gallery of Novelty Cross Productions’ offerings!

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Five months after the release of their acclaimed ORO: Opus Primum release, Italian sorcerers of supernatural and obliterating doom, UFOMAMMUT, prepare to return with the second part of the ORO series, Opus Alter. The new full-length will see its North American release on September 18th, 2012, once again via Neurot Recordings. This band’s music is fucking beyond special – it’s straight mind-bending and brain-melting. What I really respect about them is their use of video to help convey their sonic magic. This is why we are doing an epic UFOMAMMUT video essay featuring video from both albums Opus Primum & Opus Alter. This what you should do, get a fat bong load, spark that motherfucker, play these vids then then take off to another reality where doom is alive in the clouds. CVLT Nation salutes UFOMAMMUT for their awesome creative spirit! The videos are alive after the jump.

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After living in NYC for over 12 years, it’s easy for me to pinpoint the the things about it that fed my soul. The visual stimulation that street art brought into my reality, I will never forget. You walk the streets of the Lower East Side and all of the tags jump out at you. Although what got me super hyped were the artists who went beyond just using spraypaint such as Faile or Bast, but it was that made my jaw drop every time. His work has so much movement and energy that it automatically gets your attention. I also respect that his work seemed to deal with social issues and tell stories visually and mentally. WK Interact’s pieces tripped me out because he was able to get them in places that seemed in possible to get to. Today, CVLT Nation would like to pay tribute to WK Interact with a gallery of his work after the jump!

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“We’ve got to stop these brands from dictating a culture that belongs to us.” Love him or hate him, Kidult has certainly made waves with his bold tags that have graced the front doors of some of the most well known and iconic luxury brands. Driven by a self-professed desire to reclaim the art of graffiti that he believes has been bastardized and over commercialized, Kidult has been tagging since the age of 13. Offering a glimpse into pre-tagging rituals, his thoughts on Nike and Jordan as well as politics and art, Kidult recently granted Hypebeast a rare interview in which we were able to tap into the mind behind the graffiti.

Do you have any pre-tagging rituals you follow?

Not really, I always act in a very spontaneous way. I just check the location beforehand for any surveillance cameras, the neighborhood and the police. I choose the color. I prepare the material and make sure to have selected the right keyword to write in order to be fast when it comes to do it. You also have to wait for the D Day. Even if you are prepared, you still feel the rush of adrenaline brought on by graffiti.

How do you choose which storefronts to vandalize?

There are some infamous brands which are known for using graffiti without taking care of the culture. The news also inspires me a lot. If a brand that I did not have my eyes on releases a product which strikes me (like Kenzo) or if we are in a certain time of the year where special events occur (like the fashion week), I feel very inspired too. At some point, all these shops have used graffiti or street culture as a commercial image, riding the trend without being a part of it to say the least, and for which the only purpose is to make some cash. All I say to them is “hello;” if these brands really like graffiti, I’m only giving them what they like, so what if it’s beautiful or ugly.

We’ve got to stop these brands from dictating a culture that belongs to us.

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Banner photography via the brilliant work and minds of Thomas Couderc & Clément Vauchez

Over the past few months I have had the incredible opportunity to stay quite busy with playing and attending shows here in the bay area. I am a huge fan and supporter of the underground music and art scene, this year more than ever I’ve fulfilled many life dreams and played/attended some truly spectacular shows. Here’s a collection of sights and sounds that I’ve gathered this Summer.

Starting off, on 5/28/12, The grindcore band I play with, Your Enemy, opened for the legendary Nasum on their 20 Year Anniversary and Final Tour. Here’s a video of them performing “Inhale/Exhale”.

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