Emek

Emek surfaced as one of the contemporary period’s most prominent poster artists by linking the psychedelic visual language of the 1960s with the pop-culture symbols of the 1990s, producing distinctive images that drew on fantasy, social critique, and sharp humor. Born in the 1970s to parents who themselves worked as artists, he nevertheless absorbed the spirit of the counterculture that had flourished a decade earlier. His initial professional assignment came in 1992, when he created a poster for a concert and unity rally staged on Martin Luther King Day in the aftermath of the widely condemned Los Angeles riots. The design proved popular, launching Emek into steady demand; executed by hand and then transferred to silkscreen, usually in runs limited to 300 copies, his posters quickly appealed to both performers and collectors. He soon supplied artwork promoting performances by Rage Against the Machine, Garbage, Prodigy, and the Verve, while also painting covers for albums by Neil Young and Pearl Jam. Additional contributions appeared in a Washington Post article devoted to music and in numerous other periodicals and newspapers. In 1995 he was asked to show his posters in the “History of Rock Posters” exhibition organized to coincide with the inauguration of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio; a number of his works remain on permanent view at Hard Rock Cafe locations worldwide.