We’ve all seen it, the stereotypical rocket ship, alien-monster, grizzled astronaut. With space movie after space movie after space movie coming out in recent years, we thought we’d highlight some fascinating pieces from the Art Lords community that take the sci-fi genre and does something interesting with it. Enjoy.
Morning Stroll by Adam Kuczek
Robots as status symbols, pets, servants? Bring it on. This piece by Kuczek is exactly what we’re talking about when it comes to doing something interesting with sci-fi. Robots aren’t just going to be another gadget, they’ll be integrated into culture. Adam’s piece blends traditional Japanese culture (the umbrella, a modified dress, etc) with pieces of American influence (purse) and other modern ideas (dog walking, robot servantry).
Yoda Illustration by Jose Vega
Fusion is great, it allows us to reevaluate the old and the new within context of each other. This depiction of a younger Yoda with a blade drawn. The costume change, the pose sans cane, the emotion in his facial expression, all add up to a fantastic and unique take on everyone’s favorite little green war machine.
Island by Darek Zabrocki
The juxtaposition in this piece by Darek Zabrocki shows what good sci-fi often lacks; nature. Think of all the best sci-fi movies, the big ones. Star Wars, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Jurassic Park. They all delved into the future, reanimation of long extinct plants and animals, space exploration, artificial intelligence, intergalactic politics (gross).
But their worlds were both futuristic and natural. The reality is, people won’t stop needing parks and wide open spaces to get away just because they can drive from planet to planet in a car with no wheels.
What’s the point of a road trip with no sights? Zabrocki gets it, and that’s why we see this beautiful beach hidden underneath a white metropolis hover above and behind it.
Martian Witch by Chema Mansilla
Last but not least, Chema Mansilla’s “Martian Witch.” This highlights a really important idea when creating a sci-fi piece, not everything has to be futuristic. Grounding your audience in the world is what makes sci-fi compelling, across all genres. So if everything is robotic and foreign, we might applaud your interesting design, but the art won’t move us.
Chema’s piece is frightening, tribal, visceral, all while reminding us that this is another planet. Without the title, we might not assume this was a sci-fi piece, but that subtlety really works in its favor.
What makes a good sci-fi piece? Let us know in the comments!
About the Author Hunter Baugh
