29 Artworks to Make You a Little Nervous by Chris von Steiner

(Pictured: Captain Rainbow)

To call Chris von Steiner a perverse imp is kind of missing the point. But yeah, he is that. But more he is a provocateur that uses fairly simple art supplies to bring up images from the collective unconscious that make us feel queasy and joyful at the same time. Like the first time you get drunk or high. There is a nervy freedom in his work. How far is he going to take this?

Chris tells us:

"From May 16 to May 19, I'll be part of a temporary art shop in Paris (ShopArt), where limited edition prints of my recent works will be for sale.

"As part of this event, a pin badge I've been asked to create for The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia will be for sale to raise money for a French association fighting against homophobia.

"Two of my recent works were recently published in the French gay art fanzine Homothetie, where 10 artists with queer influences are invited to work on 1 common theme. The Cockring is the theme of this issue.

"Also, one of my works has been recently acquired by the House of European History and will be part of its permanent collection. It will be displayed for the first time in Brussels at "Restless Youth", a group exhibition hosted by the House of European History till February 2020. "Restless Youth" looks at four generations of young people who came of age at key moments in the European story: the late 1940s, the 1960s, the 1980s, and the 2000s. It explores the key experiences of youth, from education and employment, to forging an identity and finding love.

"I like the idea of people being confused about my works, and I have to admit that some of them are still like dreams to me: they hide in themselves their very own secrets and logic."

Born in France in 1965, digital artist, art director, graphic designer and writer Chris von Steiner (aka Christophe Austruy) currently lives in Brussels. After several years of working in advertising in Paris, he has published two novels in France: "Un panda dans l'escalier" (H&O Editions/2001), "Je veux te voir nu" (H&O Editions/2002) and one in USA : "Switch", in "Userlands" (Akashic Books/2007), a collection assembled by Dennis Cooper for his "Little House on the Bowery" series.

His digital art is a lurid manifestation of his twisted imagination, where pop icons of childhood, music, movies, or television fuse haphazardly with his fantasies, dreams and desires, ultimately creating a both dark and humorous, sexy and scary kaleidoscopic world that is at once familiar and menacingly foreign.

Since 2000, he has exhibited throughout Europe (Paris, London, Berlin, Rome, Brussels, Amsterdam, Oslo) the United States (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco) and South America (Rio de Janeiro). His work has been featured internationally in various publications, including Toh!(IT), Kee Magazine (HK), Du&Ich (DE), Attitude (GB) and Last Gasp Publishing (US).

See more on his web site, Instagram, and Facebook.