WHAT'S INSIDE A SHELL? Geometric hip-hop trucks? Multi-colored cube-bots in caps? Here we have Swagg in the Shell by Ghettoplastic Toys aka Spanish artist Hugo Bermudez. He's a concept designer and 3d modeler who has been messing around with model kits, motor vehicles and "doing stuff with my hands for more time that I can think"! We definitely dig his 8-bit style mashed-up with these cool bots! These are his latest resin creations in four colors have sold out, but we want you to keep this guy on your radar! We had a chance to talk about the inspiration behind the work....
Bermudez told me: "It's a kind of joke and a thought about singularity: when does a robot become more human? To have your own swag is a real sign, like having your own soul and personality.....thus I can say that I'm a real mecha lover (I'm concept designer and 3d modeler, robots mostly) and I always try to find an excuse to work with wires and hard surfaces." :)
"I'm from south Spain, my inspiration is a mix of my interests; I’m a big fan of automotive industry and engineering, as well as being interested in custom and personalized vehicles. When I was young I experienced Japanese visual culture in Spain and I became a great fan of Japanese mechanical designers, like Masamune Shirow, Katsuhiro Otomo and Shoji Kawamori. This influence is still inside me and I’m always looking for new Japanese mecha art, for example, you can check Izmojuki’s work, the contemporary Japanese mecha designer that I think that has been a big influence in the modern ‘mecha way’. Other influences are all those classics, like Ron Cobb, Syd Mead, Doug Chiang and all those classic sci-fi cinema artists."
SHWANKY SWAGG: These new pieces are handmade in resin with ink colors he mixes in. He has made two of each for a total of eight pieces altogether. This is his first-ever release, "a long awaited dream" as he noted. Check his site out for much more!