Client: Square/Enix
Art Directors: Sakura Minamida, Jay Allen
When Square/Enix decided to release the original three Hitman video games in High Definition, instead of just using a plastic clamshell case, they opted to package the games in a hardbound art book featuring 23 artists' interpretations of the classic series.
I was tasked with the Anathema mission, in which Agent 47 must rescue his friend from a mafia Don with a penchant for golfing. Each artist was also required to submit an artist's statement to accompany their work. Mine read:
"Since my work references the iconography of video games, doing a tribute to the Hitman series was a perfect fit. I imagined what the Anathema mission might look like as an action-adventure side scroller in the 8-bit era and then created several layers to construct a narrative element. Showing Agent 47 use the golf club to kill Don Guillani also underscores the personal nature of this mission; it requires more violence and effort to kill with than a gun, and the irony of killing the Don with the object of his favorite pastime is particularly vengeful."
"Since my work references the iconography of video games, doing a tribute to the Hitman series was a perfect fit. I imagined what the Anathema mission might look like as an action-adventure side scroller in the 8-bit era and then created several layers to construct a narrative element. Showing Agent 47 use the golf club to kill Don Guillani also underscores the personal nature of this mission; it requires more violence and effort to kill with than a gun, and the irony of killing the Don with the object of his favorite pastime is particularly vengeful."
They even launched a site to sell signed lithographs of some of the artwork, you can purchase a signed copy of my piece here.
