In this unique promotion, fans get to have the opportunity to take home a piece of the upcoming new film presented by Quentin Tarantino and the first directed by RZA. Graphic artists from around the world have united to create a unique 16-piece tear-off and take-away outdoor poster series that promotes the new action-adventure movie, The Man With the Iron Fists.
Poster Designs for The Man With The Iron Fists
Update: The movie turned out to be terrible and received lousy reviews (but that didn’t stop them from making a sequel!). So, it turns out after all that these posters are the best thing about the movie.
The mere mention of Tarantino’s movie that puts the F-U in kung fu was enough to inspire this eclectic group of talented artists to offer their poster interpretations of the film.
The result is a revolutionary collection of beautiful, stylized, provocative art created by a group of designers as varied as the posters themselves. From a retired Japanese woodblock printer and an independent South African illustrator to a man from Detroit who makes band posters with Sharpies, each artist injected his or her unique sensibility into this innovative campaign that aims to break the mold of traditional advertising.
Below are all 16 posters and a bit about each artist.
YASUSHI ONO:
Yasushi Ono (Born 1947) of Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan, is a retired government worker who has been practicing Hanga (Japanese woodblock printing) for over 50 years. He is entirely self-taught and honed his woodblock carving skills designing a unique New Year’s card for his family every year. He is now considered a master of his field. Ono works out of his home.
SHAWN KNIGHT:
Shawn Knight is a graphic designer from Detroit, Michigan. His work is predominately collage or illustration based and often features hand painted typography. Shawn creates his drawings with Sharpie markers and cheap copy paper, just as he did when he started making flyers back in high school. His influences come from his favorite bands’ record covers: artists such as Raymond Pettibone, Winston Smith, Pushead, and H.R. Giger.
MARGARET BERG:
Margaret Berg (or Magrikie Berg in her native Afrikaans), was born and raised in South Africa. In 2000, she left her beloved country to pursue her creative passion and continue her studies in Los Angeles. Currently, she is an independent art director and illustrator with a flair for the quirky. Her hope and passion is to bring joy and love to everyday life with whatever she creates.
CHAD ROBERTSON:
Western Project artist Chad Robertson has gained critical acclaim for his technique of combining digital, video, and print photography into a multi-layered oil painting. He has shown nationally and internationally in Seattle, New York, London, Stockholm, and Munich. His work has been featured numerous times in The LA Times as well as in LA Weekly, Whitehot Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Anthem Magazine. Recent exhibitions include “Disparate Collectives” which opened at Western Project in 2011. Robertson treats his images equally, employing a similar layering and patterning to imply the interconnectedness of events occurring. It is a conceptual as well as philosophical view: no hierarchy equals all happening, all together.
JOSHUA ANDREW BELANGER:
Joshua Andrew Belanger lives and works out of his studio in Southern New Hampshire.
Collecting comics and conspiracy theories, he spends the night illustrating for bands, magazines, books, skate decks, gig posters and graphic novels, but the day walking his hound dog around the battle torn foothills of the White Mountains. Raised by Wolverine and Todd McFarlanes Spawn, his illustrations focus on high action and intensity with focus on the narrative. Joshua strives to hone his craft and achieve illustration transcendence, through alien abduction… or hard work, which ever comes first.
IAN KELTIE:
Illustrator Ian Keltie lives and works in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the UK. His urban industrial style takes many influences, the skylines and architecture that surround him as well as all things he finds cool: scuffed jeans, old sneakers, 1970’s photographs, graffiti and the paintings of Egon Schiele. Music, fashion, graphics and street art all combine to help make him tick creatively. His life’s desire and ambition is to please the eyes of as many strangers as possible with his graphic style.
ERIC NAKAMA:
Eric Nakama is an L.A. based artist and self-proclaimed baller. He cites SoCal skate culture, Mexican street art, and Japanese animation—particularly the oeuvre of Hiyao Miyazaki—as his primary influences. Much of his work boldly embodies his dual Japanese Mexican heritage. He dedicates this artistic contribution to his idol, Bruce Lee.
RAVI ROCHANAYON:
Ravi Rochanayon was born is New York and raised in Thailand, where he was spoonfed all the Japanese Anime he could handle. He returned to the States and soon began his career as an L.A. based artist specializing in minimalist graphic designs with an ecological message. When he is not working on his pen and ink collection of über-cute nature-loving superheroes, EEKO EEKO, Ravi enjoys dressing his identical twin sons exactly the same.
JEFF STEVENS:
Jeff Stevens was born and raised in Aspen, Colorado, where he naturally developed a love of fresh powder and fresh art. After an early career designing graphics for major apparel and snowboard brands, Jeff turned his aggressive aesthetic to entertainment advertising. He is a proud graduate of Woodbury University in Burbank, CA.
DAVID IKEDA:
L.A. based artist David Ikeda is thrilled to be a part of this collaborative, as Wu Tung Clan has been his jam of choice since the early 90’s. David’s versatile style stems from his eclectic interests: music, automotive design, fashion, commercial advertising, and street art. Even after many years in the world of design, David still loves to draw, doodle, and daydream.
The Outdoor series of exclusive tear-off collectible posters and take-away art for fans appeared in Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Detroit, Seattle, Philadelphia, Dallas and Phoenix. They disappeared in minutes.
About The Man With the Iron Fists
Quentin Tarantino presents The Man With the Iron Fists, an action-adventure inspired by kung fu classics as interpreted by his longtime collaborators RZA and Eli Roth. Making his feature-film debut as a director, co-writer and leading man, RZA—alongside an exciting international cast led by Russell Crowe as Jack Knife and Lucy Liu as Madam Blossom—tells the epic story of warriors, assassins and a lone outsider hero who all descend on one fabled village in China for a winner-takes-all battle for a fortune in gold.
The Official Movie site
Images courtesy of Universal Pictures and Ignition Print