Lowbrow, High-End: Kustom Blasphemy
Lowbrow, High-End: Kustom Blasphemy
Michael Bielawa doesn't like calling himself an artist, and he creates works that would be best off in a gallery. He is an engineer specialising in microwave and antenna technology, but in his creative work he doesn't pay much attention to rules and laws. He is completely self-taught, and has perfected his skills to an extremely impressive level.
Micha, known as "Boms" since the beginning of his artistic journey, was born in Gdansk. Creativity was a natural-born skill for him, but he didn't want to turn his talent into his profession. Aside from a brief role as a graphic designer, he expresses his artistic streak in his free time. In Gdansk, he studied electronics with a specialism in microwave and antenna technology at the city's technical university. After graduating, he worked as an air traffic controller. Since moving to Germany, the 40-year old has been working as an engineer in his studied profession. And since 2016 as "Lowbrow Artist".
Michael Bielawa is a man full of contradictions. When he talks about himself and his work, he relativises the term "art". "What I do is Lowbrow Art", he smiles. Among his works are lowrider vehicles, figurines, signs and everyday objects. The artist (which is what we will choose to call him) works with found objects, flea market purchases and items from second-hand shops. What these objects have in common is that they have been redesigned, reinterpreted, used ironically. Either modelled or painted.
Dürer's praying hands are skeletonised, and figurines of Mother Mary are given a skull. One of his figures is "Cholo-Jesus", a Christ figure with clown make-up and a bandana. "Cholo" was originally a derogatory term for gangsters of Latin American descent in the USA, which has now been incorporated into the culture as a moniker worn with pride.
Micha is well aware that some people take offence at his works, and it's not without cause that he works under the "Kustom Blasphemy" label. But he is not so much interested in provocation as in the desire to combine references from different cultures, to create new aesthetics in the spirit of the "Custom" concept.
"Custom" refers to the remodelled vehicles of the early hot-rod and lowrider scene in the USA, which was strongly influenced by Latin American immigrants. One of its protagonists was "Big Daddy" Ed Roth, a pioneer of the scene, who turned hot rodding into an art form. He is also the spiritual father of "Rat Fink", a cool, slightly broken cousin of the clean and family-friendly Mickey Mouse. Various forms of what is referred to as Lowbrow Art emerged from the Custom Culture scene. Lowbrow Art deals with classic cartoons, rock'n'roll aesthetics, horror films and other products of pop culture.
An element of the lowrider culture that also runs through Boms' sculptures are metal flake coatings, often with particularly large flakes, combined with artful pinstripes. Reinterpreted and applied, for example, to his task rota sign. Once again there are the intentional interrupts and compelling new combinations that make Boms' work so special.
And then, of course, there is the perfection of craftsmanship which can be found in his figurines, and above all in the paint finishes. Much of what Micha can do today, he taught himself, in the spirit of the early Custom pioneers. "You have to make the mistakes yourself", he says. "Sometimes I tried a hundred different things until I was finally satisfied with the result on the 101th attempt."
However, he took a shortcut when it came to painting. Boso, a painter, vehicle body builder and designer friend of his, shared both his knowledge and his paint booth with Micha. Among other things, the clearcoat finish of his bass guitar was created there. It was also there that Micha handled his first SATA spray gun, a SATAminijet 4400 B, and directly experienced the difference from his "non-branded gun". "The handling, atomisation and the overall impression of quality - it was a completely different world", he recalls. When it comes to clearcoat painting, he goes for products from car refinishing. And for his friend and mentor's SATA sata spray guns. In his own studio he now works with a SATAjet 20 B. "It's perfect for my purposes. With my new 1.0 nozzle, it's the perfect fit for me."
For Micha "Boms" Bielawa there is still a lot to do, as he is not quick to run out of ideas. He will tackle them like everything he has done so far. With a special mixture of curiosity, fearlessness and high standards.
His works can be seen on Instagram at @kustom_blasphemy.
