Abdul Vas – An International Artist with a Passion for AC/DC
Written by Tony Wilson on July 17, 2024
Abdul Vas – the International Artist with a Passion for AC/DC is the only visual artist who brings the Australian band’s energy to the contemporary art circuit.
![Abdul Vas](https://totalrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/0-Studio-Abdul-Vas-1024x682.jpg)
Abdul Vas in his studio
For Abdul Vas, painting is a way of making music. In his imaginary world, Vas sees images that are transformed into guitar riffs during his creative process. Each stroke is like a musical note that will be engraved on the canvas, giving shape to cybernetic, metamorphic, bold and striking rock creatures. In his paintings, Vas captures all the energy of AC/DC’s music, and is the only visual artist who brings the Australian band’s energy to the contemporary art circuit.
As a child, blues and rock´n´roll filled Vas’s home, and this music would shape him, a fundamental source of inspiration in his growth as an artist. Even today Vas continues to study old records by the Eagles, Big Joe Williams, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tina Turner, The Who, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Hank Williams, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Howlin’ Wolf, Louis Armstrong, The Beatles and AC/DC with total devotion.
Vas has painted Brian Johnson again and again, using very basic techniques, with bold strokes containing a very narrow range of colors. His trick is how he creates different shades of the same color, making his palette unique. Vas has created his own vision of what art and rock´n´roll are, fusing the two in a very original way, unlike anything we are used to seeing within the expanded world of contemporary art.
But the moment to which his unconditional love for AC/DC’s music can be traced was when Vas saw a series of promotional videos for the 1990 album The Razors Edge. At the age of just 9 he was astounded by the Thunderstruck and Money Talks videos constantly aired on MTV.
Abdul Vas lives and works between Ho Chi Minh City and Madrid. His works have been exhibited in the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Europe, and are included in various international collections.
- Abdul Vas in his studio
- Brian Johnson 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 The Flintstones, 2019 oil on belgian linen
- Cliff Williams The Best Bass Guitar Player of All Time AC/DC, 2007 oil on belgian linen
- Angus Young Power Up, 2021 oil on belgian linen
- Brian Johnson Code Red, 2021 oil on belgian linen
- Angus Young Backstage, 2019 oil on belgian linen
- Brian Johnson 1971 Dodge Charger (B-body), 2021 oil on belgian linen
- Back In Black World Tour 1980-81, 2015 oil on linen
- The Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Album Ever “Back in Black”, 2019 oil on linen
- Brian Johnson AC/DC, The Razors Edge, 2002 oil and senok on paper
- Abdul Vas in his studio
Instagram @abdulvasacdc
See Also…