comics artist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...
,
conceptual artist
Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called instal ...
, illustrator and
magazine editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
Kustom Kulture
Kustom Kulture is a neologism used to describe the artworks, vehicles, hairstyles, and fashions of those who have driven and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today.
It was born out of the h ...
scenes. He is known as a co-founder of ''Nonchalance'' and '' Oaklandish''. He was the editor and publisher of ''
PORK
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...
''. ''PORK''s self-description is "rock&roll, weirdo art, bad ideas. Real American cool culture. Uncompromising. Upbeat. Free. Quarterly. Not suitable for squares".
Early life
Sean Aaberg was born in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
. He is the son of
Philip Aaberg
Philip Aaberg (born April 8, 1949) is an American pianist and composer. He gained international recognition through a series of successful piano recordings released on Windham Hill Records. Although classically trained, Aaberg incorporates clas ...
and LouAnn Lucke. He grew up in Oakland, attending
Bishop O'Dowd High School
Bishop O'Dowd High School is a Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory school in Oakland, California, administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland and named for the late auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Jam ...
and briefly attending the
California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded in Berkeley, California in 1907 and moved to a historic estate in Oakland, California in 1922. In 1996 it opened a second campus in San ...
. As a kid, he liked "anything weird, nasty and old", including cheap magazines which he bought thousands of, as he said in an interview. His friends and he read '' Mad'', drew comics, liked to listen to
Cheech and Chong
Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. The duo found commercial and cultural success in the 1970s and 1980s with their stand-up routines, studio recordings, and feature films, which were based on the hippie a ...
and the
Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
on the
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen (born April 2, 1941), known professionally as Dr. Demento, is an American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograp ...
show, and later discovered the
Church of the Subgenius
The Church of the SubGenius is a parody religion that satirizes better-known belief systems. It teaches a complex philosophy that focuses on J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, purportedly a salesman from the 1950s, who is revered as a prophet by the Church. SubG ...
. He admired the movies of
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatric ...
. The interviewer noted that Aaberg writes in ALL CAPS. Sean founded and played drums for Eugene-based Rock and Roll band The Latrines and for the Oakland-based hardcore punk band The Masked Men. He also played drums for Baltimore-based anarcho punk band A//Political.
Career
Aaberg came up in the international
DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...
Punk scene in the 90s doing
zines
A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very sma ...
and art for Punk zines such as ''
Slug and Lettuce
Slug and Lettuce is a chain of bars that operate in the United Kingdom, with a large number located in London and South East England. As of 2017, there are a total of 70 outlets. Hugh Corbett opened the first Slug and Lettuce in Islington in ...
''. Aaberg has created illustrations and comics for ''
Bitch
Bitch may refer to:
* A female dog or other canine
* Bitch (slang), a vulgar slur for a human female
Bitch or bitches may also refer to:
Arts and media Film and television
* ''The Bitch'' (film), a 1979 film starring Joan Collins
* ''Bitc ...
'', '' Roctober'', ''Kitchen Sink'' magazine, ''BANG!'' newspaper, and ''VICE'' magazine. Aaberg is mostly known for his Weirdo Art following in the foot-steps of
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth (March 4, 1932 – April 4, 2001) was an American artist, cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer and builder who created the hot rod icon Rat Fink and other characters. Roth was a key figure in S ...
,
Basil Wolverton
Basil Wolverton (July 9, 1909 – December 31, 1978) at the
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...
. Sean has been noted for his ability to change styles and use different design languages in order to keep things lively. Such comic artists as
Tim Goodyear
Timothy "Tim" Patrick Goodyear (born August 1977) is an American minicomics publisher, distributor, and comics artist from San Jose, California. He has been a contributor to Tim Root's ''Crappy Comics'', Sean Aaberg's ''PORK'', and has compiled ...
have been published in PORK.
Aaberg is the designer and artist, with Eric Radey, of ''Dungeon Degenerates: Hand of Doom'', a cooperative fantasy boardgame with a punk metal esthetic
He is married to artist and photographer Katie Aaberg, who collaborates with her husband on ''PORK''. She told an interviewer for ''Tension Magazine'' that people do not always understand their sense of humor and that they frequently receive hate mail from "activists" who lecture them on appropriate behavior, but "cultural ownership" is against their artistic vision. The Aabergs ran a blog called The Daily Hitler, incorporating Nazi imagery in commentary on contemporary society.
In September 2018, Aaberg suffered a major stroke affecting his cerebellum and brainstem. This event left him in critical condition, severely weakened and requiring life support.
Works
Pork
''PORK Magazine'' was created by husband and wife artist team Sean Aaberg and Katie Aaberg in 2010. PORK magazine has been a big catalyst for Weirdo Art and Rock&Roll, with an emphasis on street culture elements like denim, studs, pizza, burgers, switchblades and anti-social behavior. Its roots are in 70s New York City. It was a free magazine and in circulation between 2010 and 2018.
From its inception until February 2017, PORK regularly incorporated nazi imagery. Beginning in 2017, such images were removed from the magazine as a response to changing "national circumstances", according to an interview with founder Sean Aaberg.