Art

Joseph Ari Aloi AKA JK5: An Archive of Sketches, Tattoos, Drawings, Paintings, and Objects

INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards -- 2014 Finalist

The first monograph to celebrate the diverse and eclectic work of one of the true visionaries of the contemporary art world. Joseph Ari Aloi-aka JK5-is a compulsive artist for whom every free moment is an opportunity to create. Bringing together his work as a fine artist with the instincts and references that color his passions of tattoo and graffiti art, JK5 has an expansive, textured, and highly individual visual vernacular. Whether as a painter, illustrator, calligrapher, or designer, JK5 is preoccupied with the collision of personal and revelatory themes with profound pop-cultural iconography, resulting in a powerful and readily identifiable style.

This creatively designed monograph features work that extends from paintings on canvas to plastic vinyl toys, from storyboards for animation films to collages and scratch cards, and from outlines for tattoo work to a vast collection of sketchbooks-each completed with such regularity that they serve as a kind of artist diary, recording his changing preoccupations and varying visual interests. Edited by the artist-with contributions from fellow artists Mike Giant and Kenzo Minami-and designed to reflect the varying and tactile nature of the work, this is an artist's book that will exist as a unique and collectible object in its own right as much as a record of the remarkable output of one of the most prolific voices in contemporary art.

About The Author

JK5, aka Joseph Ari Aloi, is an artist, designer, writer, and tattoo artist. Aloi opened a tattoo studio, expanding his signature styles and approaches to lettering and graphics into work in many mediums. He has collaborated with such companies as Nike, Kidrobot, and Wieden + Kennedy, and his work has been exhibited through Deitch Projects, Alife NYC, and other galleries worldwide.

  • Publish Date: March 04, 2014
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Category: Art - Body Art & Tattooing
  • Publisher: Universe
  • Trim Size: 7-1/2 x 10
  • Pages: 208
  • US Price: $45.00
  • CDN Price: $45.00
  • ISBN: 978-0-7893-2723-9

Reviews

“Melt into a radical sea of calligraphy and geometry with Joseph Ari Aloi AKA JK5. In this book, there are some sketches no larger than an index card, that feature everything from a micro-world of psychedelic patterns to an abyss of wordplay hidden behind vulvas in all the colors of the rainbow.” –Inked Life

"Joseph Ari Aloi Aka Jk5: Sketches Tattoos Drawings Paintings & Objects collects pages from the notebooks along with finished fine art pieces, fashion objects, plastic vinyl toys, scratch cards and everything in between." -Coolhunting.com

"Dipping into this first monography by Joseph Ari Aloi is like finding a glyphed-up notebook by the best artist in your high school. Your eyes devour it before you give it back and say "Hey man, could you draw one of those for me?" This book captures Mr. Aloi's fire, sure line and his love of, well, everything." -New York Times