Artist Interview: NurArt | NFT CULTURE | NFTs & Crypto Art

Where are you from?
I am from Cuba, although I always like to say that I am a citizen of the world. I studied painting at the National Academy of Havana, graduating in the specialty of painting. I worked for some years as an easel restorer at the National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba. But I have always dedicated myself to art and to develop my own artistic style, because for me creating is a vital necessity, a refuge, a way to express myself.

Can you tell us about your background and what lead you down the path to becoming
an artist and ultimately experimenting with NFTs?
Since I was a little girl I had a strong inclination towards drawing and painting. My family loves the arts and has always been a total support for me. I was able to study from a very young age in art schools and learn a lot from other artists and teachers. Art is always in constant evolution and my mind is always searching for new ways to reinterpret my work in different media. That’s why I moved from drawing on cardboard, to painting on canvas and wood and other materials. But always, parallel to this, I have felt very attracted to technology and its infinite possibilities to create. So in recent times I invested to get the necessary equipment to make digital art, learning programs like Krita to take my physical style to the digital without losing its essence, or even 3D modeling and sculpture programs like Blender and Zbrush, where I take my work to the three-dimensional plane. So, one thing has led to the other. I needed to find a way to market the digital art I had been producing and the NFTs opened that door wide for me. Today I am completely focused on this new medium.

When did you mint your first NFT? What platform did you choose and why?
My first work was minted in Opensea with the help of a great human being named Ernesto Cisneros, who has been in this medium for a long time and has been an advisor, guide and friend for me and many other artists in their start in the world of web 3. At that time, Opensea seemed to be the best place to start in the NFTs because of its facilities to create collections and the cost.

You were selected by Trevor Jones’ Art Angels, and seemed to be a huge success! Would you tell us a bit about this experience? What has it changed for you?
Since I started this journey in December 2021 it has been a road where I have walked slowly, learning from each step … So when I was invited by Trevor Jones to his space -I didn’t know him at all- I felt surprised, first because there are many good artists on the web 3, like a giant sea where I am just a drop. So it was an honor that he saw me and invited me for that important space. It was in fact a huge change for me everything that happened after that invitation. Shortly before, I was already dreaming of one day coming to Superrare, but for me
it was a dream for the future. To know that it would also be my genesis with an auction in this exclusive market was a surprise that filled me with excitement!

Since then I have gained a lot of followers and sales, which is an impulse to continue creating and to improve my work even more.

Can you tell us one thing you cannot live without? (and why)
Well… For me there are two fundamental things in my life: My family and my work. My family is my spiritual support. My husband and daughter, who are also dedicated to art. We support each other, we are a team. We share the work, the ideas, the housework. On the other hand, work, the creative process, is a necessity not only because it is our economic support, but also because it feeds the spirit. My mind is always creating images that I must concretize in a visual support. It is the easiest way for me to express myself to the world.

Who is your favorite artist(s) (Non NFT)? What about their style resonates with you?
In the world of art I am first an admirer of gothic and pre-renaissance art, artists such as the Van Eyck brothers or G. Boch inspired me a lot in my early stages. But fundamentally I love surrealist and symbolic art. From there I could highlight two artists that fascinate me: Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. I feel a great connection with both of them, especially with Remedios’; work and her dreamlike world of stylized fantastic entities, coming from her personal imaginary. A work full of details, poetry, scenes that tell a kind of story stopped in an instant.

Who is your favourite NFT artist? What makes this artist unique?
There are many artists on the web 3 that I admire. But it’s different when you are close enough to see their work and thought process. This is the case of the artist @jassbarbier who has been my life partner for more than 20 years. I don’t choose him for that, but I admire him as the great artist he is. His work has always been in a constant evolution towards the search for self and aesthetic perfection. I have seen him go from drawing, sculpture, painting, collage to digital photography and then transform it into something unique, beautiful, surreal. His pieces transport me to another world. One that somehow reminds me of the Steam Punk style, but in a personal and highly refined way. The way he can take pictures of objects, fragments of doors, scenes, and then turn them into something totally new, into machines, into clothes, into fantastic ornaments that wrap his portraits, fascinates me.

What made you pursue NFT art?
As I said in a previous question… I was already doing some digital work when I started hearing about NFTs. At the beginning I was very suspicious because I didn’t know anything about it. I joined Cuban and Latin community groups and started to listen and learn how this new universe worked. Everything has been learning little by little because there is too much information and there is still a lot to learn. I was lucky to have the support of the community which is wonderful and where everyone helps each other and I repeat, the musician and artist NFT Ernesto Cisneros. Who helped me with the necessary resources to start my first collection in Opensea.

What is the one piece of NFT art you wish you had purchased but missed out on?
I don’t think I have yet reached the point of considering becoming a large-scale art collector. I have seen great artists and works, but I have not yet been inclined to buy. I am still at a stage where I need to focus more and invest in better resources to improve and optimize the tools of the trade.

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? Why this location?
I can only say that I love the mild climate and the landscapes. Watching wildlife and wild birds. I have always dreamed of places a bit far away from the big cities. There are many places I could go that meet these requirements. In Spain, in British Columbia…. in Germany…. well, I haven’t decided…maybe all of them!

What are your other passions besides art? Why?
Well, it has something to do with the previous question a little bit. I am an admirer of nature and animals, I love studying birds, I like rescuing animals and finding homes for them. I also love music and singing, although I only dare to sing with friends! I love video games, yes, even though I’m 44 years old my inner child is still there!

Do you make other forms of art?
I am always looking for new ways to create. I’ve done a little of everything. In my beginnings I drew on paper or cardboard, then I began to color on canvas and wood. I was fascinated by using pieces of wood that were once parts of doors, windows, furniture…. also painting on
metal or stone supports. I also had my ephemeral stage of conceptual art and performance. I have done sculpture in clay above all and in wood. In digital art I have tried drawing, painting, 3D modeling and sculpture, animations and so I have been experimenting with different ways of creating. There are still many things to learn and do!

How did you come up with your specific style?
Ever since I was little, fantasy has always accompanied me. Imagining characters and animals and situations between them that I see as stories in my mind. I was externalizing that and as I was learning drawing and painting techniques I was adopting my own style. At first full of influences from medieval art, erotic art, but little by little I found my way, my figuration, my symbols that are recognizable today although the evolution continues.

How has your style evolved over the years?
As I told you before. It has been a gradual evolution. I always liked the human figure and at first the proportions were very difficult for me until I found my way of doing them. The rest has been letting myself be carried away by my thoughts, feelings and fantasy and improving my way of interpreting all this in a better way.

What is coming in the near future?
I am full of ideas and projects. My mind doesn’t stop and I’m still very inspired. I am working on several projects at the same time, something that has arisen from entering the great nft community where new things always come up. For a new market to which I was invited, for a collective exhibition in Paris under the wings of Ernesto Cisneros’ Impulses. art project… I am also working on several collaborations with Web 3 artists, which is one of the best ways to get to know each other better.

If you could collaborate with one artist who would it be?
The first artist I want to collaborate with and in fact I’m already doing it is with my dear @jassbarbier. But I am open to any artist who wishes to collaborate, be it a painter, a musician, a 3D artist, a writer…and beyond.

Do you have any upcoming drops?
I am waiting for the right moment. I have finished work, but I want to wait a bit before putting it on the market. I don’t want to saturate right now.

Where can collectors find your work?
I currently have works available on Foundation and KnownOrigin. But in the near future there will be a new work available in super rare. I have not yet defined the moment for it. I also have a facet of my work closer to drawing and experimentation with 2D animation at
Objkt.com
Link to Website:
https://linktr.ee/nurediem

Social links:
https://www.facebook.com/Nur.Art.Pure
https://www.instagram.com/nurart_10/
https://twitter.com/NurArt_

NFT marketplace links:
https://foundation.app/@nurart
https://knownorigin.io/nurart
https://superrare.com/nurart
https://objkt.com/profile/tz1NjRn5DNE8D4qT8irc7YLGgBcLw9yMbLkR/created

Biggest piece sold?
So far it has been my genesis in SupeRrare, which was up for auction and sold for 1.777 eth.

What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?
The truth is that I don’t remember anything happening to me that I could call a failure. Life is a constant flow of ups and downs, of decisions and consequences. We learn from everything that happens and that helps us to evolve. I had stages in which I sold a little more commercial and artisanal art, without ceasing to be myself, in order to be able to support myself financially. I enjoyed it and it worked out well. Then, at the moment I thought it was right, I left it to focus on the kind of art I have always wanted to do, where I feel like I can be myself.

Anything else you’d like to share?
Just thank you for the opportunity of this interview. It is emotional for me to be able to tell a little about my career as an artist and as a person. and to be able to share it with so many others through this publication. Web 3 is a wonderful place; A space where I have been able to meet and interact with people, artists and non-artists, from many parts of the world. I have found friendship, support, inspiration. Strength and hope. I think it’s an opportunity to bring out the best in us as individuals. Show support and solidarity with those who join, think of the collective as a skein in constant movement. It is simply beautiful even with its flaws.