Nihilism and The New Arms Race: New Talent Annual Entries

Two of the latest entries to our New Talent 2021 Annual deal with some surreal, heavy themes. 

“Ranch it Up” (above) by Haozhe Li from the ArtCenter College of Design delves into millennial nihilist humor with references to popular cartoons and shows like Spongebob Squarepants and The Eric Andre Show. Professor Simon Johnston tasked Li with creating a multi-page typography project.

Li encapsulates the theme of nihilistic humor by creating bizarre associations between pop culture references, condiment bottles, and so on. The use of references makes the project both appealing and critically inquisitive.

The next newest entry is “The New Arms Race” (above) by Alex Kim from Temple University. With the guidance of Professor Amy Guido, Kim created a 3D exhibition informational on the weaponized use of data in our digital age. The exhibition raises awareness about military collection of intel through the Internet. The exhibit is simplistic and ominous, much like the threat it warns about.

Rising graphic artists can showcase their work in our New Talent Annual 2021. Submissions close on October 20th – there’s only one day left to submit your work!