Supermundane is an artist who designed a T-shirt together with Hafiz (12). The proceeds will be used to renovate her school which was damaged by earthquakes.
For artist Supermundane it’s hectic at the moment. Between designing for Apple, the latest hotspot bistro in London and filling walls with street art in Glasgow, Rob Lowe a.k.a. Supermundane worked on an exclusive Face This tee together with 12 year old Hafiz. ‘Supermundane’ means ‘above or superior to the earth or worldly affairs’, but the graphic artist, illustrator, designer and typographer from London stands firm on the ground as his contemporary art work is in great demand on our planet.
Who is Supermundane?
Interviewing Supermundane about his awesome collaboration with Face This, he immediately jumps to talking about his childhood and education. “As a kid I very much liked comic books. I copied the characters, also from television. Was always drawing stories and figures. As a child I was good at art in school. That’s what I enjoyed the most, the rest didn’t interest me that much. Later, working at a printers, I learned about graphic design and then it all started.”
Now Robs geometric signature in which strict lines, colour, simplicity and playing with optical effects are key elements, is seen throughout the UK and world. His art work comes to life in paintings, prints, sculptures, rugs, tiles, t-shirts and books. From a Penguin book cover, a rug for Made.com (being a search topic on Google), street art in Glasgow to upcycling IKEA-furniture into tiny liveable spaces for animals. One of the latest additions to his portfolio was creating 28 pieces of art for London’s high end French bistro restaurant Bob Bob Cité.
Favourite place as a child
In between all the A-listers, now stands out the collaboration with Face This and 12 year old Indonesian boy Hafiz from Senggigi, Lombok. A new way of working for Rob. “Usually, when working for charity, there is already an idea which you execute. This is really working together with a child and it had an open brief. Much more interesting, a more fuller project, more fun. Also because a positive way of doing good instead of all this negativity. The idea of creating something positive, attracted me.”
The local waterfall is a place where Hafiz loves to come
“Plus: kids are more open, have no presumed ideas and as a child the world looks big, an idea I like. I grew up right next to a theme park. My parents still live there and when visiting them I again hear the kids screaming. There are also a small woods where we used to play. As a kid I thought it was huge. Now when I go back, it all seems so tiny. But, the woods keep being a favourite place. The things I liked as a child, I believe still influence my work.”
Supermundane on telling the story of Hafiz on a t-shirt
When asked Hafiz which was his favourite place in the town Senggigi, he said he loves the waterfall. So, for the project a school bench was placed near the local waterfall and he was asked to make a drawing on that nature spot. This very drawing is the basis for the T-shirt design that visually tells the story of Hafiz. “The drawing had loads of energy. I used the work basically as it was. I created a semi abstract composition saying ‘Lombok’ and added various bits to hold it all together.” Rob adds that he’s “really curious how the other artists working on the Face This project have approached it” and that “education is always important, wherever you are.” “I hope people and Hafiz like the t-shirt I designed and that it helps the children on Lombok. The Face This approach could work all around the world, it is about creating something positive together.”
