Heavy Music Artworks interviews Bahrull Marta
Heavy Music Artworks welcomes Bahrull Marta, a great visionary and artist from Indonesia. Bahrull brings talent and an incredible personality. In his own words “I was born in crowded city Jakarta, Indonesia. If this the first time you hear my city and country I live you can Google it and see the map, Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia which has a large number of cultures, languages, ancestor traditions, and extremely huge die hard metal fans, I encouraged myself to this kind of heavy Music artwork or I’d like better to say in horror and dark art since late 2007. My passion of art and many kinds of extreme music especially death metal, made my step more deepen and clear into the ground and I do more experimenting to get a better touch. As time goes I found my own way to create unusual looking under the name of “Abomination Imagery”, specializing in dark – horror – blasphemy illustration with mix digital collage.”
HMAW: First off, tell us about your art, what is philosophy and ethos as an artist?
Bahrull Marta: Mostly my artwork been used for album covers, T-shirt designs of death metal and black metal band which really fits with the atmosphere. As a new comer into this kind of art is a good idea and must-have to find different way to think and take my dreams into horror and dark vision to keep them alive in my own world, and gives people freedom to judge the visual result. Art is always being part of human being and I want to keep it nicely as passion. I believe in what I’m thinking and my improvising can gives perception about feel free to act as human and accepting all kind of differences.
HMAW: What is your academic background and how did you get involved in the arts?
Bahrull Marta: This is kind a funny, I graduated in the university which have nothing to do with art and design, I never studied in art school, I studied computer system in general about troubleshooting, language program and networking stuff. Although my study is really different to what I’m doing this time I’m happy to take this majors, is really fun to have different things to do in my daily life, beside studying about language program, troubleshooting, etc., I also make an artwork in my spare time which I loved since when I was in high school, that was my first time using digital imaging software and got my hands dirty with brushes, I think that’s sweet for me because I love it haha. I get motivated to feed my passion and become more challenged to develop my art especially in horror and dark art by some great fellow artists who have breathtaking piece works, the bands who have a great talent in musicality, and real underground supporter around the world. I’d like to get in touch with all of them to share and support each other. During the time goes this become more exciting, I’m so lucky to have support from friends in music scene specially death and black metal genre who can help my works promotion in local and international act, I also involved in art community outside Jakarta, twice in a year they run an exhibition for any kind of art medium, sharing experience with them and get to know each other is really worth it.
HMAW: What was your first art-related job and what did you learn from it?
Bahrull Marta: In 2008 someone from Singapore interested with my artwork and want me to join on his website and give me opportunity to display some of mine there, he’s an artist who already did awesome works for many great bands and labels such as Lividity, Bloodsoaked, Metal Age Promotion, Sevared records, fortunately not so long time after my artwork displayed on his site I got my first international client. After this moment I become more intense to make an valuable art and good deal with the band mostly death metal and black metal, let say I have done some artworks for local metal bands like Sickmath, Decomposed and Funeral Inception and also metal bands from abroad such as Profanus Nathrakh (DEU), Exussum (USA), Houwitser (NLD), Pentagoat (USA), Fetus In Fetu (DNK), Sinister (NLD), Bloodcraft (USA), and many more. When I was working with them, I felt awfully pleased and satisfied because they had a professional way to make a deal. Yet, time barrier could be a little problem, I felt a bit difficult to split the artwork requisitions with my study and daily life activity. Since Indonesia is located in the east part of world but I had so many clients in western countries, so there would be a gap in our communication, luckily so far going good and one thing that I always remember is not easy to take a direction from the band to make it closer with the main idea, ability is limited and I can’t be perfect, that’s true it needs time to adapt to it, however I always confident to try a new things and experimenting the idea to get really in, it’s become motivation to get me to the next step and reach different way to make something.
HMAW: In terms of technique, what is medium of choice, where are you most versatile?
Bahrull Marta: Various technique is really fun to do but it really depends on the project I’m working on, every once in a while I create texture, rough sketch painting from paper with anything useful, charcoal, acrylics, is really good way to make an abstract shape, also taking a photo of my friend as a model reference, or trying to find anything looks cool on the surface. Mostly my works are digital collages – I really liked and enjoy myself while the process, I put them all together, doing brush painting on some parts, heavy improvising till get what I’m / band looking and make changes a hundred times – Surely it took a time to create some good result, however I never so really happy with my own result.
HMAW: What and who are your greatest inspirations?
Bahrull Marta: Speaking of inspiration there’s many great artists out there who inspired me, every artists can help people to get ‘eyegasm’ in special way, with seeing other artists work in digital or printed version (poster / book) or final product (cd, dvd, T-shirt, etc.,) it can make myself fall into the new positive dimension and get motivated to create something and of course there’s a question in my head all at once about “how long he/she took a time to create this?” or “where he/she got inspiration while create this?”. But the greatest moment is when I see myself at work and really hard to working on and push myself on and on to get the beast out for make it well done, try to not waste my own time and try to won’t disappoint myself, that’s really sweet.
– Since I’m doing art for band I really glad to know there’s some name amazing artists get featured on this page which I dig a lots from them, of course the mighty H.R Giger painting always makes me creeps even my artwork not really into his style but the universe already know he’s the one of special creature in this earth. Dave McKean with Dream Theater and Testament album covers. Mike Hrubovcak of Visualdarkness, he’s a good dude to talk with and have so many works done for great bands and labels. The awesome Seth Siro Anton, with his unique mix photography. Paul “Unhinged” McCarroll, I got his awesome art book called “Animus Unhinged” his artwork called “Mr. Blue Sky” is really one my favorite so far by him, (you should check his artworks!).
HMAW: What do you do to keep your creativity fresh, and your ideas constantly sharp?
Bahrull Marta: Well, is pretty like a time bomb you have no idea when will you get feel so down and uncreative, It can be obstacle if I can’t get rid of it quickly because for some works on deadlines and someone out there waiting something from me to get it done, I think to not really force yourself to be too good as hell, is a right therapy from inside, so for me personally would give a break for some time, take a look of my past artworks and other breathtaking works from other artists (this really help me to get my heart and spirit back), occasionally take a look my few cds collection then seeing the all the pages inside, and don’t expect too much about how it will goes, so just let myself think in different way freely. The more I look into myself and see everything what I have done, the more I become creative.
HMAW: What is your opinion of digital art and how is evolving?
Bahrull Marta: Since the first time I know this kind medium of art, I can’t imagine myself to get involved so damn far and keep expanding the role of this and still go on and on till now. I mean I’m not saying I have less interest with traditional medium instead that’s why sometime I messing around to do sketches and creating unique shape then mix them, I can put anything in it and mix it freely, in other word is become more fun and exciting If you have clear curiosity to make something different in digital medium.
HMAW: What projects are you involved with right now?
Bahrull Marta: I just had finished working on album covers and packaging for black metal band Mephorash (SWE) and Abysmal Depths (MEX) for their upcoming album release, so there’s no projects for the band stuff right this time but I have personal project called “Self Apocalypse” I plan to release it in a book version someday and it is still long way to go, so best wishes!.
HMAW: Do you have any creative rituals?
Bahrull Marta: Hmm.. not really I think cleaning up workspace, listening to some cds – look inside pages more than once, start sketches for a while then check my drafts and looking in which one I will get working on, oh and not forget with a cup of coffee and cigarro before I start working on something, by the way I have favorite part from Bruce Almighty movie which inspired me before getting busy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT5qrngSWhA Haha!
HMAW: Closing comments or personal quotes?
Bahrull Marta: There’s nothing more important than originality, develop your ideas whatever the medium are and keep on your own way as long as you try your best, eventually the result would be definitely satisfactory.
And for Alex, thank you for giving me such a good opportunity to be interviewed here, this is really nice website. I’m so honored to be here amongst great artists, and thank you for all of you awesome people who read this, Greetings from Indonesia. Hails!
www.abominationimagery.com
www.facebook.com/abominationimagery
Copyright © 2012 Interview with Alex Milazzo from Heavy Music Artwork all rights reserved.
