Meet the Teenage Artist Behind Pink Floyd’s ‘Endless River’ Cover Art
Pink Floyd albums have a long, rich history of beautiful artwork -- one that continues with the group's upcoming LP, 'The Endless River.' But while the new cover may be of a piece with the tradition of the Pink pantheon, its distinctive image's discovery is owed entirely to newfangled technology.
Vice reached out to the artist responsible for the cover, an 18-year-old Egyptian graphic designer named Ahmed Emad Eldin, to get the story of how his work ended up emblazoned on the cover of one of the year's most heavily anticipated rock releases. As it turns out, it's all a testament to the power of the web -- and a pretty terrific advertisement for Behance, the portfolio site where the Floyd team discovered Eldin's work.
Only a five-year art vet (he says he started at 13 because "seeing artwork on the internet motivated me to try it myself"), Eldin recalled creating the image that ultimately ended up on the cover of 'The Endless River' "after thinking about the intersection of life, nature, and what is beyond the world -- what takes you to new limits." It resonated with Pink Floyd's creative director, Hipgnosis co-founder Aubrey Powell, who reached out to Eldin via email after scrolling through pictures he'd posted to Behance.
It's an unexpected burst of exposure for the young artist, who told Vice he considers it "an honor for anyone to work with such a great, legendary band," but it isn't derailing his path toward higher education. A university freshman, he says he still plans to pursue his dream job as a doctor: "I actually still want to be a doctor, but I want to continue to make art as well."
You can check out other examples of Eldin's art in Vice's article, including the poignantly striking 'Gaza Is Burning.' 'The Endless River' is scheduled to arrive in stores on Nov. 10.