Sugar Tuesday

“CONCEPT IS KING...STYLE IS INEVITABLE.” These are the words that will greet you as you visit www.evaq.com, the digital home of the versatile artist/designer/director Asif Mian, a two time mtvU nominee for his work on Aesop Rock’s music video, Fast Cars. This Tri-State native’s extraordinary talent and passion for his work has generated such a buzz that he no longer needs to seek work; instead, high profile work finds him. “Whether it’s design or a music video, I try to push it.”

Asif operates in the field of commercial graphics and design, working on music video development and art design for a variety of different high profile clients, while at the same time, managing his own artistic portfolio. He preaches the value of the big picture, stating that it is not enough to paint well, its what one does with that talent. “I don’t just sit in my room and just draw, I’ve changed, the world’s changed, ideas change, and I try to reflect that in my work. The next time I do a show I want to show that I’m a singer, not literally, but I want my voice to be heard.”

Growing up, he dedicated his time not only to drawing but also to building various objects like remote control cars, tree houses, and intricate paper airplanes. His multifaceted talents inspired him to turn down lucrative offers from many prestigious art schools after graduating high school. “I spent my high school years expanding into charcoal drawing and sculpting, but I was also doing a lot of science. I was way into academics.” In lieu of art school he attended a four-year liberal arts program with a double major in biology and studio art. “I have the right and left side of my brain battling a lot, but my education has really paid off and shaped me into the artist I am now.” While in college, Asif scored a few lucrative NYC internships and learned the ropes of designing along with splitting the rest of his time between the art studio and the biology lab.

Being a Pakistani-American has certainly shaped the way he sees the world. “It gives you a different vision as to how people are treated. Being Pakistani makes me fluent in a different visual language, whether it is the colors I work with or my overall approach. I’m big on having central purity in my work. More of a central idea.”

He maintains a sense of pride in both his Pakistani heritage and in the diversity of his friends. “There’s a whole sense of culture that I’m bringing, and there’s the American culture that’s always there, let them collide and make sense of it.

You really cultivate a sense of awareness in yourself if you can assimilate your various cultures into your own voice.”