Totem

Each of these designs was individually cut by hand, taking inspiration from Mayan glyphs, Incan rock carvings, North American totem poles, South Pacific spell books, Easter Island and Angkor Wat, via Manga and 80s skatestyle. Together, they make up a coherent vision of an idiosyncratic new religion.

Despite the dizzying variety of styles and effects, TOTEM is all the work of one hand: PIRO, an Italian artist relocated to Thailand. It represents a long, profound visual dialogue with many of the world’s most distinct iconographic traditions.

At the same time homage and satire, serious reflection and playful parody, soothing, gruesome and witty, this book creates a pantheon of deities and demons from a secret religion. TOTEM is about both the representation and evocation of power itself, and it is a unique resource for designers, artists and witchdoctors alike