Feature

There is a particular tension running through the work of Alex Jenkins—a push and pull between the grotesque and the familiar, the absurd and the everyday. His visual world doesn’t sit comfortably in any one register. Instead, it slips between candy-coloured psychedelia and awkward, almost deadpan normality, where violence, humour and tenderness coexist in uneasy proximity.

It’s an aesthetic that feels deliberately unstable: car crashes rendered in pastel tones, mythological figures colliding with internet-era oddities, and narrative fragments that read like overheard dreams. Nothing is fully resolved, and that seems to be the point.

Raised on a diet of cartoons, early console gaming and cult action cinema, Jenkins builds his imagery from the detritus of collective visual memory—where GoldenEye, Robocop and internet surrealism blur into the same cultural atmosphere. The result is work that feels both nostalgic and slightly unhinged, as if familiar imagery has been reassembled by a very funny but slightly unpredictable mind.

Humour, for Jenkins, is not decoration but structure. It functions as a stabiliser inside otherwise chaotic compositions—an essential counterweight to the darker, more visceral elements of his practice.

That balance runs through everything he makes: anatomical fragments sit alongside comic timing; erotic undertones are softened by irony; violence is reframed through absurdity. The effect is disarming rather than confrontational—an invitation to laugh first, then reconsider what exactly you’re looking at.

ALEX JENKINS

Influences range from the raw psychological intensity of George Grosz and Max Ernst to the dark wit of Robert Crumb and the unsettling surrealism of Goya, all filtered through a contemporary visual language shaped by illustration culture, internet aesthetics and lowbrow traditions.

What emerges is not pastiche, but something more instinctive: a kind of controlled visual overload, carefully tuned to oscillate between discomfort and delight.

Jenkins is also increasingly drawn to narrative expansion. While illustration remains his core language, animation represents the next logical step—a way of extending static chaos into time-based storytelling, where his fractured worlds can breathe, collapse and mutate more freely.

It is a medium that mirrors his broader ambition: to push images beyond their fixed state and into something more unstable, more alive.

At present, the realities of freelance life remain unglamorous. Working from his childhood bedroom in Penge, South London, Jenkins occupies a familiar contemporary position: artist as constant negotiator between ambition and circumstance. Yet this tension feeds directly into the tone of his work—restless, self-aware, and quietly determined.

Because beneath the humour, the grotesque flourishes and the normcore surrealism, there is a clear artistic instinct at work: to build worlds that feel slightly wrong, but emotionally precise.

Or as Jenkins puts it, with characteristic understatement:

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

 

“I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO FIND A BALANCE…”

 

– ALEX QUOTES

“SO IF I CREATE SOMETHING FULL OF GORE, I TRY TO PUT A COMICAL ELEMENT IN PLACE TO BALANCE IT OUT. I DON’T WANT TO OVER-EGG THE PUDDING.”

 

DT 500ZINE: –  As a kid, what really left a mark on you?

ALEX: – As a child, I liked a lot of cartoons and would watch my favourites whenever they were on. I feel even the world of computer gaming has an influence as it probably consumed so many people’s time in their youth; I was in the generation of the N64, and games such as Goldeneye, Metal Gear Solid, Tiberian Sun really seem to have resonated, and I can remember details like the soundtracks clearly. Also, violent action films like The Terminator and Robocop were inspiring, and I’d watch them religiously.

DT 500 ZINE: – Your art’s like a wild trip—psychedelic, trippy, and full of cheeky vibes. What’s your main focus when you’re creating?

ALEX: – humour is essential, especially as I like to draw grotesque or sinister things. The humour can act as a reveller as if it leaned towards something dark or outlandish; it could be overdone. Not that I’m saying I’m hilarious, though.

DT 500 ZINE: – Who were your biggest influencers on the journey?

ALEX: – What really got me back to drawing was a Robert Crumb book I was given when I was about 21. It was really inspiring in that it was technically drawn at such a high level, with dark and, you could say, controversial themes but always with a powerful sense of humour. It instantly appealed to me and pushed me to begin an illustration course. Also, the work of artists such as George Grosz, Max Ernst, Giorgio Di Chirico, Philip Guston, and Goya appealed to me.

 

DT 500 ZINE: -So, you’re mixing the real with the dreamy—what’s your philosophy behind that?

ALEX: – Some of the stuff I draw falls into the category of being classified as lowbrow. At the moment, I like to focus more on themes that require more imagination than dirty humour.

 

DT 500 ZINE: – What’s got you all fired up with ambition lately?

ALEX: – I find it always valuable to try to look at new things, whether visiting galleries or looking at interesting visual imagery or themes online. Whenever I see something I like or an idea pops up, I must try to remember it to produce something new.

DT 500 ZINE: –  What project has been the highlight of your career so far, the one that really got your creative juices flowing and left a lasting impact?

ALEX: – I recently did a triptych of big posters for the US-based band Phish, which was really exciting, mainly due to the scale and size of the signs but also the pleasure of working with a group with a real cult following.

DT 500 ZINE: – What are your aspirations summed up? Anything exhilarating on the horizon for the next five years that’s got you pumped?

ALEX: – I’d really like to get into animation, and it would allow an idea to be explored and give a particular image more room for a narrative. It’s time-consuming and looks complicated regarding learning, but hopefully, I’ll get there.

DT 500 MAG: – Could you paint a vivid picture of the neighbourhood you currently reside in? Give us the insider’s perspective on what makes it unique and what daily life is like there.

ALEX: I live in a luscious 6-bedroom Victorian townhouse that overlooks Russel Square. Nah, just kidding. I live in my old bedroom back at my mom’s in Penge. Making money as an illustrator is always a struggle, but I look forward to moving back out as soon as possible!

 

DT 500 ZINE: – Got a quick quote that’s your hype mantra for the day?

ALEX: –

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

DT 500 ZINE: – What’s the latest scoop on your creative endeavours?

ALEX: – I’m looking forward to moving out of my mom’s house. Then, hopefully, get some animations going!

DT 500 ZINE: – Alex, keep smashing it and stay blessed!

Alex is the ultimate art provocateur of the Gen Zees. This visionary effortlessly blends contemporary cool with deep intellectual chops, pushing the limits of art while staying true to his South London roots. His journey is a testament to creativity’s power to ignite change and inspire minds. As Alex continues to evolve and innovate, he’s poised to leave an indelible mark on the art world, solidifying his status as a powerhouse in illustration and beyond.

“Creativity is the spark that ignites possibility.”

Edited by Frida Anglstein

Illustrations by Alex Jenkins

Interview by Arthur Sopin