Visual Artist for Vol. 121: Live, Lab, Love
Zach Hackman
Brooklyn, NY
With a sensibility that borrows from comics and commercial illustration,
Zach Hackman has forged a career as an in demand designer for
major brands and celebrity clients like Luka Dončić and others. The
artist maintains a spirit of looseness and spontaneity in his work that
nevertheless possesses a high degree of detail, often serving the
purposes of a greater narrative. The four interlinked panels of this
volume suggest a gentle surrealism, with a through-line of research
scientist both in and out of a lab setting. A cartoon serpent wends its
way through the four vignettes, menacing a cowering scientist in the
final frame. The artist’s vision of the natural world is one of amused
detachment—while the scientist imposes order through observation and
categorization, the artist can see the futility of this pursuit in the face
of the randomness and arbitrary violence of nature. Hackman renders
the scene with a light, humorous touch and a sense of detachment and
curiosity. His deft navigation of the medium has led to collaborations
with The New Yorker, The New York Times, and international corporate
clients.