Crixtover Edwin NFT Artist Interview | NFT CULTURE | NFTs and Crypto Art

Where are you from?

I am from Lagos, Nigeria

Can you tell us about your background and what led you down the path to becoming an artist and eventually experimenting with NFTs?

Crixtover Edwin, a self-taught multidisciplinary contemporary visual artist, was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. His visual art creations celebrate black people, black love, women of color and pop culture – and therefore create the much-needed conversations where emotional connection and creativity meet cultural identity.

Most of his visual renderings are inspired by eras, movements and events surrounding women of color and pop culture. While his subject matter, which explores the global diverse beauty of everyday people, is rooted in Afrocentric representations. By creating near-realistic portraits, Crixtover celebrates typical black culture, love, lifestyle and rejuvenates an appreciation for black excellence.

My journey as an artist experimenting in the nft space was as a result of me exploring new collectible media and chaining my art in the context of a new developing renaissance like web3.

When did you make your first NFT? Which platform did you choose and why?

I stamped my first nft in March 2021.
My platform of choice was Foundation
I chose it because at the time Foundation was a 1/1 artist, the marketplace they pitched as one of the best tiers to discover high quality work like mine.

Can you tell us one thing you can’t live without? (and why)

My mom, because she is the WHY after I lost my dad on my birthday in 2020.

Who is your favorite artist(s) (Not NFT)? What about their style resonates with you

I have a couple of favorites from the old renaissance and this new era namely;
Basquiat, Alpay Efe, Kehinde Wiley, Bart Cooper, Wak Williams and Frank Morrison.

While they all have different art styles that vary across exploring visual emotionalism, power, excellence, unapologetic beauty, body language and detail. The distinct difference, however, is always the representation of persons by colr.

Who is your favorite NFT artist? What makes this artist unique?

Anthony Azekwoh and NkJuls are my two favorite artists as I can’t pick a single favorite and it has to be split between them both. I think for me what makes their style unique is how they both tend to play with texture and visual emotionalism while still keeping the narrative of the subject in focus, it’s just a beautiful perspective on art that I really love as an artist myself, therefore , why I relate to their art style.

What made you pursue NFT art?

I have been an artist professionally before I joined NFTS and I think the main reason I joined NFT was because I realized that it was an open source for my art to become easily accessible to a new audience of art lovers in unlike my collectors in web2 who are used to the traditional format of art collecting.

What is the one NFT you wish you had bought but missed out on

Boring monkeys and DeGods

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why this location?

That would be Greece. The juxtaposition of its crystal clear waters, tranquil environment, safe islands, wonderful people and standard of living is an ideal place for any creative person to have a clear mind and be inspired by the rhapsody of life.

What are your other passions besides art? Why?

I am a 6ft 4 shy introverted artist who ideally loves to write, travel and play soccer, in addition to art these are my passions that clear my hand of the constant mojo yo-yo of the endless creative idea that runs through my head for it the next masterpiece.

Do you make other forms of art?

For now I don’t, but I would like to get involved in oil and acrylic art, I have always loved the flow and wild romance of color and texture in its physical form.

Are you self-taught or trained?

I am a self-taught artist

How did you arrive at your specific style?

Practice, practice, practice.

Ultimately, experimentation was an important approach to my discovery, but I think it has been my urge to always improve and create art that people can easily relate to that eventually translated into my current style.

As someone who loves to use color to experiment with visual emotionalism on my mice, I was heavily influenced by Basquiat and how he emphasized hidden phrases and narratives about the context of his paintings via words and symbols.

I incorporated it into my semi-realistic art style and people really loved the approach, since then I’ve stuck with it while still exploring other perspectives.

How has your style evolved over the years?

All I can say is constant practice led to the development of my paintings up to this point, a career that started as a hobby translated into becoming a graphic designer and finally getting serious about getting my name out there, and taking it seriously and go professional.

It’s been a pretty amazing journey, but one obvious narrative I’d say about my art style is that when I found a purpose for why I wanted to do the kind of art I do currently, which was to celebrate people of color and black excellence, which set the pace for my current style.

What is coming in the near future?

All I can say is that a lot is coming in the future, I see my art in Sotheby’s, on Time Square billboards, collaborating with big brands, my art in museums and living life big knowing that I have inspired many new artists with my message.

If you could collaborate with one artist, who would it be? (and why)

I feel that in this creative journey it’s okay to go it alone, but to go faster and into spaces you might not have access to is the lifeblood of collaboration. ThankYouX has been an artist I have always wanted to collaborate with, as I love his unique style of abstract expressionism in his works, in a similar context to how I play with visual emotionalism in my paintings.

What was your biggest failure and what did you learn from it?

I have a lot of regrets, so I just wanted to pick one that involved me not getting into the arts professionally in time, but rather wasting 5 years of my life going to college to study a degree I wouldn’t use in the end. One prominent thing I learned from that experience of seeing where I am now is, life happens in seasons and dwelling on the experiences of past events is never an option as they are never a relevant compass for what the future will hold for your dreams .

What is your biggest piece sold

My biggest piece sold was a commissioned Dave Chappele piece I did for a private collector that depicted him as a Renaissance subject.

How much was it sold for

11000

Do you have any upcoming drops?

Yes, I have a couple of 1/1 drops I plan to drop in the next couple of weeks, ranging from a renaissance of Michael Jordan, TuPac Shakur, Kobe Bryant, and some pop culture pieces.

Link to website

Social links and NFT market links

Anything else you want to share?

The best advice I ever received on my career path as an artist was this “”never let the randomness of yesterday’s denial derail you from accepting the fruits of a new day not yet born””