Rob Hakemo’s bizarre and ballistic imagery
bypasses the need for Photoshop. Instead,
with his keen eye for imaginative layering,
Hakemo resourcefully applies creative tools,
blending images on mobile applications like
Mextures, to achieve majestic digital art with
nothing but his iPhone.
Since his youth, the worlds of horror, fantasy
and science fiction always attracted Hakemo.
“I am a brooder and was a bit of a loner when
I was little,” he shared with INSPADES. “I grew
up with divorced parents, and very strange,
difficult and horrid things happened during
that period, so music and fantasy became a
refuge for me.”
Hakemo became enthralled with surreal
imagery when he discovered Instagram’s
digital editing communities, namely @
mexturescollective and @unsplash. “I began
to edit seriously after a brief illness involving a
cyst,” said Hakemo, who was unemployed for
three years following his diagnosis, “This was
a very dark time in my life.”
Struggling with depression and unable
to work, Hakemo found productivity in his
creative energy. “My life has not been a
bed of roses,” he admitted, “But shame on
giving up.” Following the example of digital
artist Abang Oewie (@sioewie) for informal
guidance, Hakemo developed his artistic flow
and became addicted to “creating something
new every day.”
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inspadesmag.com