CAN Review – Rofo creates visually rich 3D artwork that conjures up mysterious narratives that often combine technological elements with surreal fantasy characters and scenarios. His initial works on SignArt.App indicate a highly accomplished 3D artist with a growing portfolio of exceptional work. His 3D composition ‘Suspension 2’ reveals a strange deconstructed creature that is loosely bound together by chains. The doglike skull and body is brightly textured, but the lighting renders the skull area in deep shadow hinting that this creature possibly contains malice within its strange form. The colourful cloud ‘platform’ appears to support the creatures feet and another thick chain seems to suspend everything from some unknown source. It is an image that leaves the viewer with the impression that there are complex machinations at work.
The following piece ‘Eldritch 1’ reveals Rofo’s love of creating alternate realities and narratives. Strange spermatazoa appear to glow within a fluid volume and a closer study of the central structure reveals mysterious skull-like features and other sculptural elements. The following quote provides hints at a strange reality outside our own:
The crew encountered many such creatures, beings that have evolved beyond our understanding.
From https://tinyurl.com/yfawjgcc by Rofo
The final piece by Rofo depicts a beautifully modelled and textured metallic hand partially obscured by an encroaching sand dune. The artwork is carefully composed with a very natural environmental aesthetic despite the technological aspect of the hand. The details in the hand only add to the sense of realism as each joint appears to be intricately detailed. The narrative conjures up a number of possibilities which include the flotsam and jetsom of a shipwreck washing onshore, or perhaps the arm signifies an apocalyptic future whereby society has been overwhelmed by some catastrophe and nature is slowly reclaiming the planet. Visit the link below to read the artist’s revealing description 😉
Rofo is relatively new to the cryptoart scene, yet his artwork brings an important mixture of concepts, narrative themes and high levels of technical ability. CAN look forward to seeing more from this exciting artist and encourage you to delve into the social media and website links below to view more of his work.
Name
Rofo
Social media links and website profiles
https://www.instagram.com/rofo.art/
https://twitter.com/RofoWrld
https://mainnet.sign-art.app/user/3P3qnbZjs2Zy1YVmDfSxJGerFDtQExTbSyX
What is your background as an artist in general?
I got into animation a few years back to help me study film-making and for practice setting up my shots. My interest in 3D art quickly overtook my interest in directing, and I’ve been producing rendered art and animations since.
What is your overall process in generating art?
I focus a lot on finding something in nature that evokes a certain emotion or sense of awe in myself, and I try my best to recreate that same feeling within a scene without making a 1:1 imitation. I will typically sculpt a centerpiece in zbrush, bring that into blender, experiment with camera settings and details until I find an angle and starting point that interests me, and then build a scene from there. It might be a pretty backwards process compared to other artists, and in the end it will look nothing like the original inspiration, but it produces the same feeling in myself as the original.
How would you describe your art in your own words?
Many of my pieces have darker overtones. I’m not always the most subtle when it comes to conveying themes abandonment. I put a lot of focus on the sci-fi genre with abandoned or overgrown technology, quite a bit of death and decay, and occasionally some light-handed surrealism.
Favourite artists / influences?
Roman Bratschi, am2pointoh, Briscoe Park, Simon Stålenhag, and of course HR Giger.
How did you discover the new blockchain world of Crypto Art and NFTs in general?
Beeple, of course. That’s gotta be everybody’s answer, right? But when I saw a bunch of my peers on IG also getting into it though I realized I didn’t want to miss out on this.
Has the digital nature of cryptoart NFTs changed how you approach your art practice?
If I’m being honest, not all that much. For the longest time I created these pieces for nobody but myself. I wanted to practice constantly and get as good as the artists I looked up to, only now I am actually able to support myself and my practice. It’s insane to me, I have hundreds of these pieces that I’ve put so much time and effort into, and I’m incredibly grateful that there are now people out there who enjoy what I’ve produced and want to support the process. I can continue doing what I love more comfortably because of them.
What if anything, has surprised you about this new area of art practice?Â
Just how much money is involved in this new market and how quickly it came about. It’s amazing that digital artists are being treated as well as popular physical artists financially.
How would you like the field of cryptoart and nfts to evolve over time?
I would love to see a sustainable market focused of benefiting creators. Right now it still feels like its growing and finding its place, but I think it’s moving in the right direction for sure.
How can access and information to this new field of art practice be encouraged?
Peer support has been huge for me (yourself included)! I love that many of my artists friends are able to communicate with one another about best practices, collaborations, resources, etc. I think as the community around NFTs grows, the practice will become more refined and awareness will certainly increase.
CAN also invite you to check out his latest work on Foundation with his collaborative partner ‘Ghost McGrady’: https://foundation.app/NotFun
