A huge great-white shark sitting in a taco shell occupies the center of the bottom of a skate deck. With its mouth open and sharp teeth showing, the shark is surrounded by orange Taco Bell hot sauce packets, and is just another one of Mirko Antich's playful, tongue-in-cheek illustrations.
Mirko, who grew up in Los Angeles' South Bay - a sleepy suburban beach town that became a hardcore and punk breeding ground starting in the late 70s - is a visual artist whose work can most frequently be found on the bottom of skateboard decks, on people's arms as tattoos, and across the chest of T-shirts for surf and skate brands like, Globe, Insight, Roark Revival, and Enjoi, to name a few. Having grown up in Redondo Beach, Mirko's day-to-day was embedded in the South Bay's intertwined subcultures of skateboarding, surfing, and punk; particular lifestyles and attitudes that continue to influence and inform Mirko's doodles, designs, photography, and graphics, including his work as Art Director for Insight.
We had a chance to stop by Mirko's studio space in Venice, California, where he filled us in on how early punk flyers, 90's skate graphics, and L.A. beach culture continue to shine through in his pieces and define his overall artistic style. Check out some behind the scenes polaroids from the studio visit, and look out for the final cut of our time with the artist as part of our Havoc TV "In the Studio," series.
