Inside Giger’s world

He developed a style that was little known at the time. Through the Hollywood film Alien, HR Giger became internationally renowned, but that didn’t help him to gain the acceptance of the art world. (SRF 10vor10, SRF Tagesschau / swissinfo.ch)

The works of Swiss artist HR Giger often came under attack for being explicit and pornographic. But Giger’s art was not obscene. The world he created was an expression of his darkest thoughts in what he considered to be a form of therapy.

His biomechanical style was the result of what was at the time, highly innovative techniques coupled with his relentless perfectionism.

Fame came with the creation of the monstrous and visceral creature, for the 1979 horror film directed by Ridley Scott, Alien. The subsequent recognition did not bring the acceptance he yearned for in the art world, especially in his own country, Switzerland. Despite this he leaves behind the legacy of his wide-ranging body of work and a vast, cult-like following.