Although German artist Olaf Hajek is best known for his illustrations accompanying stories in everything from The New York Times to Playboy, it's no question that his angular and surreal works can stand on their own. With stong, graphic lines, dreamlike colors, and rustic, stylized forms, his works effortlessly meld a graphic design sensibility with the tactile qualities of paint or collage.

In conjunction with a new monograph being published by Gestalten, illustrator Olaf Hajek will be opening an exhibition at Gestalten's space in Berlin this Thursday, July 5. The Germany-based artist will be releasing his second monograph, Black Antoinette, a collection that covers much of his personal, fine artworks, as well as his extensive commercial works for the likes of Rolling Stone, New York Times, the Royal Mail, and Washington Post.

Olaf Hajek is an award-winning illustrator currently living and working in Berlin. His fantastical and highly textural works combine elements of South American folklore, mythology, religion, history, and geography to create images that strike a balance between sober reality and mystical hallucination.