Intro
GM GM Everyone,
I had the recent pleasure of talking virtually with Nishe out of France.
Nishe is an artist I stumbled upon on Twitter a while back and wanted a piece for a long time. What initially brought me to Nishe was the polaroid’s that where modified in such a way that I had not seen (more on that below). As a photographer I love polaroid’s even though they are finicky ass hell to work with to take shots and once I saw these modified polaroid’s, I knew I wanted to follow Nishe and her work.
So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy my conversation with Nishe.
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Interview
What are five words you would use to describe yourself? and why?
Maybe futuristic, abstract, dynamism, energy, harmony. Because as a way of living and creating, I think these are important pillars of everything I do.
Paint the scene of where you grew up, do you think this influenced your art in anyway?
I grew up in a small countryside French town, the only ways to experience new technologies back then were with TV, and later internet, I loved discovering how the world was evolving, and trying to reproduce and "translate" it with the only available old tools and mediums here: acrylic paint, sculpting materials
As a random side note, I sometimes do wonder if younger generations now will be impacted by creativity with screen in front of their faces at a young age. I am sure older generations have said something similar in the past to new technologies so I am probably just being a boomer.
How would you describe your art?
I would describe it as a mix of natural elements confronted to new technologies aesthetics, a way of using old traditional mediums (painting, sculpting, lettering) to represent current and futuristic movements. A kind of reversed way, physical art inspired by digital art instead of the other way around.
What made you take the leap to mint your first piece (Reshape)? And why this piece?
This was my all time favourite and key-point of my current painting series, so it felt natural to choose this one. I entered cryptoart way earlier in 2018 on MP, but more as a "curiosity" way and outcome, it was very interesting to discover the concept of the blockchain.
What advantages does blockchain technology offer you over more traditional mediums?
I think it fixes the "problem" or fragility of physical art. Anything can happen to a painting, being stolen, damaged, lost, reproduced, and so on.
In conservation terms, it adds a really unique layer and way to certify information with digital data, so even if anything happens to the physical art, the blockchain will still have a transactional history.
How was your experience at ESAA? Do you feel that your formal education has helped you in anyway with being an artist?
It was a great experience, even if I didn't really fully like it back then, it introduced me to many art genres I didn't know nor liked, and which I would never have found by myself. This way helped a lot to discover what's been done, what's possible to do, where to experiment, and most importantly, where to place myself in all of this.
How did you choose your name? Or does it mean anything?
I picked my nickname first to "hide", because I was such an extremely shy person, it was impossible (on a self-confidence level) to introduce myself with my original name. This new identity acted as a shield to enter a world which I was too afraid about. "Nishe" is simply an anagram of "shine", which has always been a goal, to focus on the light to pursue my passion.
How are you coping with this bear market? Does it influence your decision on when you do drops?
Not at all! It doesn't influence my choices in any ways, I consider that the "worst" bear market was simply to be unknown & invisible 10 years ago. The current bear market is not easy for sure, but when the passion is here, there is always a way to continue and persevere.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I'm a very obsessed painter, in a "stereotypical" way, and painting is the first thing I'm thinking about when I wake up, and the last thing I'm thinking about when sleeping!
I always use mornings to catch up on emails and social medias. Afternoons, evenings and nights to endlessly paint and create more and more. It chases all other thoughts away.
What is the process behind the modified polaroid’s? They are super awesome!
Thank you VERY much! That was a very long term process and experiment about affecting and modifying the emulsion contained inside Polaroid pictures with various chemicals and inks. Some alcohol based ones are the ones working the most. Also, measuring at precise times when to inject these chemicals inside, to obtain different effects. Temperature is very important too!
What is it like being a woman in this Web3 space? Have you faced any challenges?
These days I kind of try to detach from it, as I mainly want to put the focus on what I create, and not who I am.
It's also really painful to see how it's all going when you're making it clear that you're a woman. Intrusive questions become the norm, and in the end I think I'd rather be called "bro" and "dude" all the time here, instead of questions about how old I am, if I'm living alone, if I can send selfies or if I'm up for a drink outside.
What goals do you have for the rest of 2023? What is next for you?
Simply to continue pursuing my passion, it's a real chance that I'm doing exactly what I like every single day, and this is all I ever dreamt about !
What are some of your hobbies or activities you like to do to unplug from the space?
Before going as a full-time painter, I used to play lots of music instruments (guitar, bass, synth, piano, drums) and make videos on Youtube. These are still very nice to set time off and relax.
Do you collect any pieces from any other artists, if so who are your favorites?
Yes ! These days I'm a lot into collecting small originals from artists. My top three is Mako Vice, Dusty Ray, and Imon Boy. They're really incredibly talented and absolute masters in their own styles
Final Remarks
I want to thank Nishe for doing this with me. As a disclaimer, I have collected an NFT + Physical before from Nishe. But I felt that her art needed to be shared with the world.
I think what stands out to me about Nishe’s work is the idea of making something with real life materials that we would imagine could only happen in a digital format. It is the inverse relationship of what most people do. Most people want to make digital artifacts looks as closely to the real mediums vs her work is just out of this world with it’s textures especially when you see them in real life.
Another aspect I wanted to call out is that both Nishe and Lakon are taught in a formal setting; and even if they didn’t learn there current style of work in school. It taught them a few key lessons, one is it centered them in what was possible (different styles and types of arts). Second, it gave them skills and time to explore these ideas in their heads. In a way, modern education (at least in the USA) is this. You may not learn everything you need to do your job irl, but it lets you tinker and learn new skills where the stakes are a bit lower. It teaches you more about youself and prepares you in that manner. You might never use LOG in your real life, but at least you know some arbitrary random facts about math now lol.
Fin
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