Word Count: 229 | Reading Time: 1 min
The cover art for Spring 2022 Issue is by Hazem Asif and is an attempt to visually capture the essence of Saad Hossein’s Bring Your Own Spoon which is featured in this issue.
In Hazem’s own words:
The idea behind this illustration was to capture the bleakness and beauty of futuristic Dhaka City through the perspective of our human protagonist. I aspired to illustrate Dhaka as a multi-layered breathing organism and a character on its own; existing on the fringes of a threatening war between the poor and elite, political corruption and intelligent automated Nanites hunting down rogue jinns and humans. The fictional city was inspired by the actual city of Dhaka itself.
The following series of images capture the progression of the art work from concept to finalization and various in-between stages.
Hazem Asif is a multidisciplinary international illustrator, designer and social design activist based in Lahore, Pakistan. He is a graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts campus in Doha, Qatar with a BFA in Graphic Design and MFA in Design Studies with a focus on speculative design, south asian futurism, and world building.
Hazem has exhibited internationally, and has worked in a wide range of markets, such as Publishing, Editorial, Film and Academia. Hazem currently works as a Science Illustrator at Lahore University of Management Sciences.