His paintings are so realistic, you can almost taste the honey
Before Mike Dargas emerged onto the contemporary art scene with his hyperrealistic paintings, he was a tattoo artist with a solid reputation. With the help of the hashtag #art on Instagram, Dargas’ works went viral and later caught the attention of Opera Gallery.
His works have since appealed to a huge celebrity clientele, including Boris Becker, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, with pieces selling at prices from £25,000 to £30,000.
See also: Karena Lam Brings Japanese Artist Watanabe Mayumi’s Magic To Hong Kong
Born in 1983, Dargas is currently living and working between his native Cologne and Los Angeles. He stood out as early as his childhood years with his talent for drawing. Through his mother, the artist discovered the works of Salvador Dali, Caravaggio, and HR Giger, who were all influential examples for his artistic endeavours.
At his Asia solo debut here in Hong Kong, we got up close and personal with the artist to find out how he works and what he thinks about art in the social media age: