Giger

Swiss artist HR Giger is most famous for creating the space monster for Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror sci-fi masterpiece, Alien, for which he won an Oscar. In retrospect, this was just one of the most popular manifestations of Giger’s biomechanical bestiary, as he continuously fused human with machine into images of shocking impact and dark psychedelia.

These visions draw on demons of the past, harking back to Giger’s earliest fears as a child, while also evoking mythologies of the future. Above all, they express the collective fears and fantasies of his epoch: fear of nuclear power, of pollution, of the abuse of resources, and of a future in which our bodies depend on machines for survival.

From surreal dreamscapes created with airbrush and stencils to album cover designs, from guillotine-like sculptures to bars designed in person, Giger himself guides us through his multifaceted universe in this ultimate introduction to the master of horror. Detailed reproductions and designs, as well as an introduction by Timothy Leary, complement Giger’s intimate autobiographical texts.