Digital art is on the rise, to say the very least. We've been posting many articles on the digitization of art and the movement that is currently occurring in both the art and blockchain worlds. From platforms, to digital artist and various blockchains which host NFT's, the craze around the digital art place is only rising. Sotheby's just completed its first NFT art auction, famous action house Christie's beat them to it.
With all the research I've been doing about NFT's lately as well as Ethereum (the blockchain which hosts majority of the NFT's). I thought the best way for me to better understand the space, is to interview a rising NFT artist. Visual artist PRØHBTD - Tagging Blocks On The Chain
PRØHBTD - Artist
For PRØHBTD, crypto art isn't a form or style, it means liberation, democratizing access and tagging blocks on the chain. Our art explores two central themes, FACE It and ESCAPE It, outwardly conflicting concepts that interconnect to bring harmony and balance through a state of chaos.
Through the prism of these themes, we take on all forms of control with art that beautifies contrast, displaces institutions and redefines normal. 3.14% of all sales are donated to https://propeller.la/prohbtd
credit: SuperRare
OWITY: Tell us, how did you get started in the industry? Are you a traditional artist before venturing into NFT's? Or were you always a digital artist of some sort?
PRØHBTD: We've never been a traditional artist even if we sometimes use traditional mediums. That answer might sound pretentious AF, but part of our creative identity is to challenge tradition. We want to destabilize societal constructs like "normal" and showcase the unique beauty that exists in abnormal. In terms of creative platforms, we love digital works because it shows you don't need acrylics and canvas to create true art, and we love NFTs because it allows artists to circumvent the gallery gatekeepers and offer up their creations directly to the world.
OWITY: Your style of Art caught my eye. Not only your use of colour but the visuals and messages behind some of your artwork. What's the main message you'd like your audience to keep in mind when portraying your artwork?
PRØHBTD: We have a lot of messages that we want to convey through our artwork, and 3.14% of each NFT sale goes to nonprofit organizations that fight for equal rights, the environment and other causes we care deeply about. If we had to boil it down to one main message for our audience, though, it would be that we care about these causes because we care about humanity.
OWITY: The NFT (Non Fungible Token) space is very much in trend nowadays. What are your thoughts on the current digital art market today?
PRØHBTD: NFTs might be trendy, but it's not a trend. Digital art and NFTs represent a transformational change in the way the public owns, views, sells, showcases and experiences creative works. The hype might fade and the clickbait will move on, but the foundations are being built for a decentralized digital art scene. This is merely the start.
OWITY: This may be a cliche question but which artwork of yours is your favourite. Which piece do you think best represents you as an artist?
PRØHBTD: We like Control Couple. Going back to the term "traditional," this piece takes a traditional-looking couple and turns them into game controllers. The couple portrays itself as normal, which it's not, and control issues are an underlying theme, but are they trying to exert control over each other or is someone else pushing their buttons? Maybe it's society's definition of a traditional couple that has them trapped. Whatever the case, this is the piece that we believe will have the highest value in the near future because issues of control are so prevalent in relationships.
As of today,
\the piece that best represents us as an artist would be the Out of Control master, which should be on SuperRare by the time this interview comes out. The collection features nine individual works, like Freedom of Choice and Family Renaissance, that we've been releasing one by one throughout the month of April. The master combines all the pieces in the Out of Control collection into a single work that delivers the complete visual experience and message.
OWITY: Because our platform merges Art and Investing. We have to ask, which artwork of yours has fetched the highest amount?
PRØHBTD: We minted the first piece of the Out of Control collection in early April, and collectors are currently bidding up the available pieces, but to celebrate our arrival in the NFT space, we decided to accept the first offer we received. That happened on day three when someone bought Reject Routine, the third piece in the masterwork.
OWITY: I see you go by an alias after quickly browsing your profile. What do you think is the benefit for an artist when they go by an alias or better yet stay anonymous? Like famous stencil graffiti artist Banksy.
PRØHBTD: That really depends on the artist. For example, let's say Banksy is actually Robert Del Naja from Massive Attack. He might use an alias as a way to keep the two art forms separate. We personally hope Banksy is a woman who's simply having fun watching all the men debate who "he" might be. We go by PRØHBTD for a much simpler reason. We want the art to be viewed on its own without the personality or background of the artist distorting that view in any way. Keep the focus on the art and not the artist.
OWITY: Your Instagram bio slogan sounds like you're referring to blockchain. What do you think are the biggest benefits to the art market since blockchain and art has merged?
PRØHBTD: When we say "tagging blocks on the chain," we're paying tribute to the graffiti artists and muralists who didn't wait for a gallery's approval to put their art out into the world. These people inspire us to do what we do. They also created great art at considerable risk without the ability to monetize it or in many cases receive credit for it. Digital artists faced a similar problem in that their work can be easily downloaded, copied and shared without compensation or credit. The blockchain as a decentralized digital database changed all that by allowing artists to mint their works as NFTs that confirm authorship and originality, which adds value and establishes scarcity. Imagine trying to auction 100 The Persistence of Memory paintings without saying which was the Dalí original. You could only get so much. But if you're only selling the verified original, the sky's the limit.
PRØHBTD:
This is NOT Investing or Financial advice, we're sharing our opinions respectfully from a speculative point of view.