At the tenth anniversary of his death, legendary Swiss painter, sculptor, and designer HR Giger (1940–2014) is once again celebrated for the haunting power and dark psychedelia that informs his objects and paintings in an updated XXL edition by Taschen.
Edited by Hans Werner Holzwarth, a book designer specializing in contemporary art and photography with a long record of superb books on Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei, and other artists, the current edition on Giger is impressive as expected.
HR Giger was particularly famous for his combined approach of surrealist influences, dark fantasies, and terrifying designs. He developed what was later called a “biomechanical universe,” as his distinctive biomechanical style merged organic forms with mechanical structures, often creating nightmarish hybrids of flesh and machinery.
His work from the 1960s, such as the Atomkinder series, explored post-apocalyptic, mutated figures set in sterile, mechanical environments; the book meticulously covers each early step, education, and influence. Several artists and cultural figures influenced Giger’s biomechanical aesthetic, including Francis Bacon, Salvador Dalí, and Hans Bellmer.
Bacon’s deformed figures and exploration of existential suffering mirror Giger’s dark, grotesque representations of life and technology, while Bellmer’s twisted depictions of the human form may share similarities with Giger’s mechanistic representations of the body. He also drew inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft, particularly in his depiction of alien horrors beyond human comprehension.
The 1960s saw the beginning of his development of “biomechanoids,” a concept that blended human and machine elements. His 1977 publication Necronomicon, which compiled some of his most iconic biomechanical works, was pivotal in defining this style.
His biomechanical creatures often feature skeletal structures, smooth metallic surfaces, and alien forms that blur the line between life and machine. This aesthetic reflects Giger’s deeper philosophical concerns about the integration of humanity and technology, as well as fears about the future.
“At its essence, Giger’s art digs down into our psyches and touches our very deepest primal instincts and fears. His art stands in a category of its own. The proof of this lies in the intensity of his work and imagination, which I can only compare to Hieronymus Bosch and Francis Bacon in their powers to provoke and disturb,” says director Ridley Scott.
Giger’s painting Necronom IV (1976) famously inspired the design of the Xenomorph creature in Scott’s Alien (1979).
The many versions of his artworks, sketches, and paintings mentioned here make up the 500+ pages of heavy photo paper. Altogether, there must be about 1,000 paintings, details, and other objects connected with his creative output in the book.
Giger first received acclaim in the early 1960s with his airbrushed fantasies of post-apocalyptic creatures and landscapes and rose to fame through high-profile movie work, most notably the creation of the monster in Alien, which won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. That monster was unique, as it is experienced by most audiences as both horrifying and beautiful at the same time.
Giger designed not only the alien itself but also the spaceship and environments in the film. The film’s success paved the way for similar approaches to set decoration and character design in movies such as Species, where his biomechanical aesthetic was used to create the alien-human hybrid Sil. Giger’s design for Sil, a seductive yet deadly creature, embodied the same fusion of beauty and terror seen in his earlier work. The female form, central to Giger’s artistic explorations of sexuality, was once again depicted as a dangerous fusion of life and machine.
Other films that bear his influence, though indirectly, include John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), Event Horizon (Paul W.S. Anderson, 1997), and Dark City (Alex Proyas, 1998). These films borrow from Giger’s themes of body horror, cosmic dread, and the merging of human and machine, reflecting the pervasive influence of his vision on science fiction and horror cinema.
In the Alien sequel/prequel Prometheus (Ridley Scott, 2012), Giger’s influence is still visible, particularly in the design of the alien landscapes, technology, and the Engineers’ ship, echoing the biomechanical forms he introduced in Alien. Although he did not directly design these elements, his aesthetic is deeply embedded in the visual language of the entire franchise.
Giger’s biomechanical designs have also left a legacy in video games, with titles such as DOOM (1993), Quake (1996), and Dead Space (2008) all drawing on his aesthetics to create dark, mechanical environments and grotesque creatures that evoke the same sense of horror and fascination that defines his work.
The long essay of this multilingual edition (English, French, German) on the artist comes from curator, author, and Giger expert Andreas J. Hirsch. Much of the text deconstructs Giger’s complicated and symbiotic designs, deeply rooted in psychological and mythological symbolism. His works frequently explore themes of life, death, birth, and sexuality.
Drawing from Jungian archetypes, alchemical symbolism, and post-apocalyptic visions, Giger created images that delve into the human psyche’s darker aspects. The recurring themes of birth trauma and death suggest a deep philosophical reflection on the human condition, with technology playing a central role in these explorations. Simultaneously, the plots of Alien and its sequels also delve into those themes.
After his success in film, the artist shifted his focus to creating three-dimensional environments and sculptures. His Giger Bars in Tokyo and Gruyères (Switzerland) exemplify his ability to bring his biomechanical visions into physical spaces. He also designed furniture, such as the Harkonnen chairs for the unrealized Dune movie project of Alejandro Jodorowsky. (Initially introduced to the Swiss artist by Salvador Dalí, Jodorowsky assigned Giger to design the entire planet, based on sketches by cartoonist Moebius and other artists, who came up with a different science-fiction world each.)
The establishment of the HR Giger Museum in Gruyères allowed his work to be showcased in immersive environments, which further expanded his influence on art and design. This book, in its initial edition begun shortly before the artist’s untimely death, shows the complete story of Giger’s life and art, his sculptures, film work, and iconic album covers.
It also presents his impact on later artists and designs. His biomechanical style has had a lasting impact on modern and popular culture, and his influence can be seen in film, music, tattoos, and contemporary art.
His legacy endures not only through his works but also through the myriad artists he has inspired, from tattoo artists like Guy Aitchison to filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro. Giger’s vision of a future where humanity and technology are fused continues to resonate in today’s cultural landscape.
Hirsch’s very interesting essay is lushly illustrated with a mass of pictures, making this heavy volume (hardcover in a box, almost 14 lbs.) a celebration of the biomechanical world of Giger.
Having his creations in XXL size will surely excite many fans of sci-fi movies and design experts.
Review by Dr. A. Ebert © 2024
Hans Werner Holzwarth (ed.) HR Giger. Taschen, 2024, XXL Edition, Hardcover in box, 11.4 x 15.6 in., 13.67 lb, Multilingual Edition, 506 p., ISBN 978-3-8365-7716-8
