BIOGRAPHY
KAI JAMES WARICK BASTARD
BORN: PIETERMARITZBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, 1981
LIVED: LONDON, ENGLAND, 1986 - PRESENT
STUDIED: SOLENT, SOUTHAMPTON, UK, 1999 - 2003
KAI IS A CONTEMPORARY IMAGE MAKER WORKING AT THE INTERSECTION OF REALITY AND SURREALISM. HIS WORK COMBINES PHOTOGRAPHY, FILM DIRECTION, CGI, ANIMATION, AND INTERACTIVE ART TO BUILD LAYERED VISUAL NARRATIVES THAT EXTEND BEYOND A SINGLE FRAME.
BLENDING TRADITIONAL CREATIVE DIRECTION WITH ADVANCED DIGITAL PRODUCTION, BASTARD CREATES VISUALLY PRECISE, EMOTIONALLY ENGAGING EXPERIENCES DESIGNED FOR MODERN ADVERTISING ENVIRONMENTS.
KNOWN FOR A 360° APPROACH TO IDEATION, BASTARD DEVELOPS INTEGRATED FRAMEWORKS THAT ALLOW IDEAS TO SCALE, ADAPT, AND PERFORM ACROSS PLATFORMS, AUDIENCES, AND CONTEXTS.
WITH OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, BASTARD HAS PARTNERED WITH BRANDS AND AGENCIES WORLDWIDE TO DELIVER AWARD-WINNING CAMPAIGNS—ENGINEERING PHOTOGRAPHY, CGI, AND INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS INTO COHESIVE VISUAL SYSTEMS RECOGNISED GLOBALLY.
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AbbVie
AstraZeneca
Boehringer Ingelheim
Eli Lllly
GlaxoSmithKline
Johnson & Johnson
Merck
Novartis
Novo Nordisk
Pfizer
Roche
Shire -
2025
Gold Winner - AOP Awards - Martin Evening Awards Excellence in Retouching
2024
Honourable Mention -Prix de la Photographie de Paris
Winner - Lürzers Archive Best 200 Digital Artists
Photography Shortlist - Communication Arts 2024
Winner – Dragons Den Pitch – ProcureCon Marketing EU 2024
2023
Winner - Lürzers Archives Best 200 Digital Artist
Gold Winner - PM Society Awards
2019
Winner - Fine Art Photographer - UK - One Eyeland
Winner / GOLD - Innovation - AOP Open Awards
Gold - Emotions / Human Relations - Trierenberg Super Circuit
Gold - Windows and Doors - Trierenberg Super Circuit
Honorable Mention - Fine Art / Abstract - The Prix de la Photographie, Paris (P×3)
Professional Nominees - Conceptual - Fine Art Photographer Awards
Honourable Mention - Advertising - International Colour Awards
2x Silver - Advertising - PM Society Awards
2018
200 Best Digital Artists Worldwide 2018/2019 - Lürzers Archive
Winner - Emerging Talent Awards - LensCulture
3x Honorable Mention - IPA Lucie Awards
Winner - Spotlight Photography Awards - Production Paradise
1x Silver - Fine Art - The Prix de la Photographie, Paris (P×3)
2x Honorable Mention - Advertising - The Prix de la Photographie, Paris (P×3)
1x Gold - Fine Art Abstract - One Eyeland Awards
1x Gold - Fine Art Nudes - One Eyeland Awards
1x Silver - Advertising Conceptual - One Eyeland Awards
2017
1x Gold - House Promotion - PM Society Awards
2x Silver - Advertising - PM Society Awards
Honourable Mention - Advertising - International Colour Awards
2016
200 Best Digital Artists 2016/2017 - Lurzer’s Archive
Best Digital Marketing Campaign - Property Marketing Awards
2015
Silver Innovation Award - Geoff Brook
Shortlist Finalist - Event / Exhibitions - Pharmaceutical Marketing Society Awards
2013
Bronze Award - Retouching - One Eyeland Photography Awards
2012
Fully Integrated - Honorable Mention - International Creativity Awards
2011
Golden Spider - The Eircom Spiders
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Group Exhibitions
Dec 12-23, 2018 - LensCulture Emerging Talent - Klompching Gallery, New York, USA
Solo Exhibitions
June 01-02 & 15-16, 2019 - E17 Art Trail - Blitz Factory, Walthamstow, London, UK
June , 2019 - Art Night London - Co Lab, Walthamstow, London, UK
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2019
Wired - These Images are not a Horror Movie Gove Wrong - Read Article
Tax Collection - Artist Spotlight
TRUSTED BY LEADING BRANDS
A PHOTOGRAPHER WITH A BROADER TOOLSET.
GREEN SCREEN STUDIO
AS THE FOUNDER OF BAD STAR STUDIOS, A LONDON-BASED GREEN SCREEN STUDIO, KAI CONTINUALLY EVOLVES HIS PRACTICE—PROVIDING CLIENTS WITH THE FLEXIBILITY AND SUPPORT REQUIRED TO DELIVER FULLY INTEGRATED CAMPAIGNS AND EXTEND THE BOUNDARIES OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
PHOTOGRAMMETRY
KAI HAS CHAMPIONED EMERGING TECHNIQUES WITHIN HIS PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE, INCLUDING AWARD-WINNING WORK RECOGNISED WITH GOLD FOR INNOVATION AT THE AOP AWARDS 2019. PHOTOGRAMMETRY ENABLES THE CREATION OF HIGH-FIDELITY DIGITAL TWINS OF PEOPLE, OBJECTS, AND ENVIRONMENTS.
CGI / CREATIVE RETOUCHING
RECOGNISED AS ONE OF LÜRZER’S ARCHIVE’S 200 BEST DIGITAL ARTISTS AND A GOLD WINNER AT THE AOP AWARDS 2025 FOR THE MARTIN EVENING RETOUCHING AWARD. CGI AND CREATIVE RETOUCHING ARE USED TO EXTEND PHOTOGRAPHY WITH PRECISION, CONTROL, AND CONCEPTUAL CLARITY.
ENVIRONMENTAL
COMMITTED TO BEST PRACTICE IN LOWER-IMPACT IMAGE PRODUCTION, WITH A FOCUS ON GREENER WORKFLOWS, EFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES, AND RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING ACROSS PRODUCTION. CO2e REPORTING IS UNDERTAKEN TO MEASURE, UNDERSTAND, AND REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WHERE POSSIBLE.
CONTACT
Kai holds a US O1 Visa, ensuring smooth, unrestricted operations across all US projects