Rafael Alvarez is an incredibly talented illustrator with a knack for reimagining everyday banal scenarios to showcase a strong message. He specialises in the self-described “illustration as visual essay,” where he illustrates normal day-today situations with a very unique perspective that aims to shock people out of their comfort zone.
For instance, one illustration known as ‘Mass media for all the family’ features a vintage family gathering around a television to play a games console. One family member is literally being consumed by monsters emerging from the television set whilst the family look on obliviously.
Alvarez has worked for Playboy Magazine, American Express, and Paramount Pictures to name a few, and his illustrations have also features in children’s books. Not only that, but art aficionados and experts have become fans of his work, leading him to receive several prestigious awards.
Hotel Pandemonium is one of the artist’s most beloved creations yet. An interactive e-book app, half of the illustrations presented were developed for iPads by members of the Institute of Visual Arts.
Check out some of his striking illustrations below.
Fresh disinformation
Hotel Pandemonium
Academic degree
Mass media for all the family
A higher education
Meticulous work
Grasping one’s muse
The dance of death
Memoirs of a Geisha
