This Mind-Bending Artist Can Take Up Residence in Our Curiosity Cabinet

Let’s pretend for a moment, that in our virtual cabinet of curiosities, we had an imaginary artist-in-residence programme. And on the top shelf of our giant cabinet, we kept a little guest studio to invite exceptional talent that speaks to us in ways that only a truly peculiar type of artistry can. Armando Veve would be the very first person we’d invite, and I’m not sure we’d ever want him to leave…

“Tik Tok Spies” for a story published by The Center for International Governance Innovation (cigionline.org) about Tik Tok’s dizzying growth, platform surveillance, and how regulators can do better © Armando Veve
“World of Windfall”

Armando Veve is a rising illustrator working in Philadelphia who already has a long list of accolades under his belt, including a selection for the 2018 Forbes 30 under 30 list. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, National Geographic and many more.

Ticket to Ride © Armando Veve
Tiny Tenants – full page illustration in the new issue of National Geographic for an article exploring the mysterious lives of microscopic spiders in our skin.

Armando’s vivid imaginarium feels like a delicious combination of influences, from antique lithograph nature charts and medieval monsters to futurist mid-century cutaway art, he’s created his own signature brand of surrealism that burrows its way into the mind. It’s both dark and utterly charming.

Mapping the maternal brain
The Waiting Room © Armando Veve

One of his latest projects has landed his illustrations on the cover of a book about Edgar Allan Poe, the American icon of morbidity, who we can easily imagine being a fan of Veve’s work. The illustrator has also spent the last two years creating an exquisite deck of cards for Art of Play….

Imagine the wall display you could create with this deck of cards!

“Mechanical Botanical” commissioned by MTA Arts & Design for the NYC Subway Poster Program © Armando Veve

Some limited edition prints are currently available through Black Dragon Press and Hensteeth Prints, but while we wait for Armando to fill up his very own much-needed online print shop, take a tumble down the rabbit hole of his work…

“Streamlining Data” © Armando Veve
Recruitment poster for the Rhode Island School of Design, where Armando Veve graduated with honors
NYT Book Review on Robert Macfarlane’s “Underland” illustrated by Armando Veve
“Outsourcing” © Armando Veve
“A Stream of Questions” – a Variety cover story about the launch of Disney’s new streaming service © Armando Veve
‘Horizons’, available as a limited edition print with Black Dragon Press
“The Third Policeman”. Available in a limited edition of 50 prints through Hensteeth Prints
Armando Veve’s first illustrstion for The New Yorker, a portrait of Sigmund Freud

Get your very own cabinet of curiosities in a deck of cards from Art of Play and follow Armando Veve’s work on Instagram.