APRIL 12TH, 2022
From Jamex_Pirate’s perspective, the future of art is crashing upon popular culture like a tidal wave and now is the time to ride the current. His NFT collection explores the bleak reality of a space-age future where detachment from the planet earth is a way of life. Like mere humans standing amongst giants, Jamex_Pirate’s animated characters stand out against the moving backdrops of cosmic oblivion. He has GIFs of rotating planets and eerie alien landscapes. His NFT collection reminds me of a mix between Cowboy Bebop and Spirited Away inside a set from Blade Runner.
Jamex grew up and currently lives in Mexico City, and as a kid, he had a bunch of energy.
"People still tell me I'm sort of hyperactive. Which is funny because I would feel more of a lazy guy, anyway; luckily for my family, the first time they gave me paper and a pencil, I started to draw and have kept doing it ever since. Drawing(creating in general) transports me to 'flow land,'" says Jamex.
Jamex studied industrial design at UNAM. With shades of Japanese-style animation woven throughout his art, the characters he draws strike you with a sense of reluctant stoicism. Jamex looks up to artists like Moebius, Katsuhiro Otomo, Hokusai, Anime animation and Koyaanisqatsi (documentary film). He describes his style as an evolving blend of multiple artistic mediums,
“There is a little mix of everything cartoonish and photography. Animation in general. I always preferred to draw my stuff, my stories, my clothing and characters. Of course I am always inspired and fired by something else. My style is Jamex :),” he proclaims.
Seeing Jamex_Pirate's art is like taking a peek at a futuristic reality. The message he conveys with his art evolves and guides the direction of the art itself.
"The message, in my work, has changed with me, during this long span.There is always something happening in the scenes I make and perhaps I'm not always sure of the message right away but later find it. With my blending of jobs - animating, composing, editing, practicing and watching lots of movies - I started to have a sense of making better, more complex stories that I was putting on random scripts or concept art."
Jamex_Pirate turned to the NFT marketplace in the depths of the covid pandemic.
“By March 2020 I was in a terrible position, no job, upset with the love of my life, living in a very horrible apartment. The only thing I had as a job was trying to invest money on the market and crypto and I started using twitter to write poetry and complain about life.”
On March 11, 2020 when Beeple shocked popular culture with his sale of an NFT for 69 million, it presented Jamex_Pirate with an example of how to profit from his art.
“I was mesmerized and decided to jump in, I had so much digital art made since 2005. So many things that I did, from the love of drawing and animation. I took out all my hard drives and started digging for art, scenes and stuff I felt I could sell.” said Jamex_Pirate.
Metamasker #11 Friendly Metamasker
Jamex began listing his art on websites selling NFTs like Rarible, Foundation, KnownOrgin, AAssests, and MakersPlace. When he sits down to illustrate a piece of art, he physically draws his work.
"For the illustration, my work is usually the same assembly. Design in pencil, paper is cheaper than film, then go to any kind of tablet (for now Procreate which is great) Then, if it's animated, the piece is composited in After Effects (which was my main job in the animation industry) and then sent to any program for editing. One of my favorite parts of the process is where you add music & sound, and see what you create," he says.
Once Jamex_Pirate started selling his NFTs, he began to connect with people in the NFT world. He linked up with a development team and designed the art for a PFP collection of NFTs called the Rocket Riders.
“I got involved because somehow Neon Apes Collin saw my work and invited me to draw. The creation process from the design standpoint was super cool and fun. I went full flow mode in drawing this for about three weeks like a machine having the vibe of that time of NFTs in my head.”
Through collaboration and resiliency, the team at Rocket Riders has continued selling their collection and are fostering a flourishing community around their project.
"The roll out has been not without challenges. We had to overcome some little problems that were really dragging out the project but being honest Collin is a very self driven NFT person and I support him! I'm not always as savvy on what to do with the Rocket Riders but more art. So I think Collin, Max(dev) and I make a great team. A futuristic one."
As Jamex_Pirate continues to walk his path through the world of art, he has found that being open to new opportunities opens doors to better ones.
"To improve and learn, one day I visited Bellas Artes Museum (CDMX) and saw a Pedro Friedberg exposition. I was very inspired and decided to make an animation about it. Took me three to four months and when I finished I sent it to Pedro. Long story short we became friends and I did more animations for him. At some point, I focused on making videos for museums and filming stuff for video game companies (in a sense it was a very wacky and fulfilling journey)."
Satoshi Toying with the Planets
Like many other artists, the pandemic changed Jamex life’s course but led to him discovering the NFT marketplace.
“I’m actually an industrial designer that escaped to be an animator. On that road I traveled through many jobs. I used to live in an animation studio.Then covid changed everything.”
When Jamex lost his job, he went through a difficult time. The NFT world allowed him to reemerge by selling his digital animation on the blockchain. He sold his first NFT Salome and Abraham Lincoln exploration on March 9, 2021, under his original account Jamex_art, which he has since rebranded into Jamex_Pirate.
Salome and Abraham Lincoln exploration
"I could honestly say that my first 3 months in NFTs were surreal. I didn't understand much of what happened, and I didn't sleep much. I made, perhaps not a crazy amount of money, but enough to be totally hooked up to this and I have been having the time of my life."
Jamex_Pirate sees Web3 technologies as the future but points out how the accessibility to such technologies can be unfairly limited to people who can afford them. Jamex is a resourceful creator that refuses to stop producing art. By overcoming setbacks, he has learned the value of being persistent in the face of adversity.
"Well as the times we live - we are standing on the edge of a cliff of a deep technological revolution. It's crazy. I would have to make the distinction between our World Wide Metaverse Twitter party and Mexico, which is usually unfair to many of its inhabitants, messy but with good food. Mexico is a great inspiration that also beats you a little if you try to fly."
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