David Kracov: From Animator to Artist

Animator-turned-artist, David Kracov is a jack of all trades, an illustrator, a painter and a sculptor. Talented even from the tender age of 12, he won first place in two categories in an art competition, becoming one of the youngest artists in the world to have his paintings. He later received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the illustrious Rhode Island School of Design, going on to receive degrees in Animation, Special Effects, and Illustration to start a career in animation. Kracov has worked with studios such as Disney, Don Bluth Animation and many others. During this time he experimented with sculpting characters from the films he worked on, quickly discovering a passion in the medium, which he pursued ardently. 


I Claim This Planet
Kracov's art is very much inspired by pop culture, especially cartoons. Much like cartoons, his works are bright and colourful, vibrant and eye-catching. They carry a sense of whimsicality, a child-like joy that makes one smile. He reaches out to the child within every one of us with his metal sculptures, to rekindle the youthful curiosity we all had once. 

I Love Murakami
He also likes to reference other artists in his work, such as Takashi Murakami and Keith Harring. This piece is an homage to Murakami and the influence he has had on popular culture and the art world. Kracov adds his own artistic twist to the latter's subject matter, making a statement about the happiness and liveliness that exist in pop culture. Multicoloured, individually laser-cut flowers populate the three-dimensional canvas, animating and livening the piece with their playful antics, giving the artwork an undeniable expressive quality. A clear wave form is visible through the positive and negative spaces, inviting movement and thus instigating excitement in every viewer. 


One of Kracov's trademarks is a single butterfly that he adds to all his artworks. They may be visible or hidden, but they're always there. This is because in 2006-2007, he was commissioned by the National Holocaust Museum to create a sculpture to pay tribute to the children who lost their lives in the Holocaust. It depicts the Tazmanian Devil, a Warner Bros. character, tearing the roof off of a boxcar and releasing and setting free 517 butterflies, which represents the souls of the children who lost their lives at Auschwitz. Each butterfly represents 1989 children, all handpainted by Kracov. 




Passing with Flying Colours
The motif of the butterfly can be clearly seen in this artwork. He forms a great swathe of butterflies, a visual feast of bright colours, all flying in a formation. In this piece, Kracov uses wordplay to make a statement about childhood and expectations. "Passing wit Flying Colours" is a term most often associated with students and exams, and signifying children with his butterflies, the artist turns the phrase around, showing instead the free flight of the children as they pass by, resplendent in color and levity. This brings into focus both a social commentary of the pressures on children today while also celebrating them in their natural form- colorful, full of life, and with wings of freedom and imagination.


David Kracov's art brings joy to all who chance upon it. His exuberance and verve shine through in all his works. They remind us that life is more than dreariness, that there is colour and there is beauty.