Niq Chen 2023/3/25

• Brief Introduction

• The Starting and Flickering Flames

• Getting into Crypto Art

• Starting My Art Career

• Growing My Concepts and Inspiration

• End

[Brief Introduction]

I'm an artist based in Shanghai who specializes in digital art.
I first got involved in the Asian crypto art community back in my junior year of college (2021) and have been pursuing this career full-time ever since I graduated.
In 2023, I hope to expand my reach globally and start tweeting more in English.
My artwork often features the "Maneki Neko" (Lucky Cat) and anime stuff - from deconstructing internet pop culture to delving into the world of crypto-natives. I'm constantly learning, creating, and evolving my artistic vision, and I'm thrilled to have the chance to share my passion with you.

[The Starting and Flickering Flames]

I come from a humble background and my family had no connections to the art world. Fortunately, my parents always supported my childhood passion for drawing and never discouraged me. I had a happy childhood with no traumatic experiences that I can recall.
But there is onething unusual, I was super captivated by the many different anime and games coming out of Japan and China. From the moment I picked up a pencil, my early influences had a profound impact on my aesthetics, shaping the way I approach my art to this day.
My life took a turn when my parents gave me a digital drawing tablet for my birthday. It opened up a whole new world, and I haven't looked back since.
I think that marked the start of my artistic journey.

However, when I got to high school, my teachers and peers all seemed to agree that the only way to succeed was by getting good grades, and that pursuing art was a dead-end. I felt guilty for even doodling in my notebook during class while everyone else was frantically taking notes.

In the summer holiday before my final year of high school, I was torn and stressed about pursuing art. I didn't make up my mind to be an art student. I took a photo at the art studio where I used to draw, thinking I would never pick up a pencil again.

Thankfully, I worked hard and got enrolled in one of my dream programs - industrial design - at Shanghai Tongji University. It was a huge relief to escape the endless tests and exams, as well as the limitations of my small hometown.

Looking back, it's easy to see that I always knew where I wanted to go, but it often felt like I was caught up in a turbulent current that kept pulling me further away from my destination.

[Getting into crypto art]

As an industrial design student, I've always been drawn to the idea of creating beautiful, tangible objects. However, I often find myself frustrated by the limitations that are imposed by client requirements.

I remember one course in particular, during my sophomore year, where we were tasked with designing a vehicle for Mars. While everyone else was coming up with practical, research-based designs, all I wanted to do was create a touring airship that could take people on sightseeing trips around the Mars.

It wasn't until my internship in interactive design at BMW Shanghai that I experienced a true awakening. During my time there, I realized that designing new interfaces for users didn't interest me at all. When I looked at my boss, I saw a reflection of a potentially boring future for myself.

Thankfully, a stroke of luck changed everything. I stumbled upon a project related to digital art, which introduced me to the developing world of crypto art. The idea of decentralization really excited me, and I felt a strong urge to explore this new frontier. It was a place where I felt like I could truly realize my personal value and express my creativity in a way that felt authentic and true to who I am.

On April 5th, 2021, driven by curiosity, I created and published my first art on Foundation. Four days later, an anonymous collector bought my work for 0.112 ETH.

Some might say that this was just a stroke of luck, and that the collector was simply a crypto whale who stumbled upon my work and bought it on a whim. But for me, that day was a real game-changer for me

[Starting My Art Career]

The night I sold my first artwork, I was so overwhelmed with excitement that I couldn't sleep a wink. Until then, all my happiness had been tied to traditional forms of recognition, such as society's standards, school grades, and my parents' approval.

It was during the last summer holiday before my college graduation in 2021 that I seriously started to consider joining the crypto art movement. It was a stark contrast to the decision I made four years earlier, when I chose the safe and predictable path. This time, however, I decided to take a leap of faith and embark on a new and exciting adventure.

When I first started exploring art, I didn't give much thought to the concept behind it. I simply wanted a symbol that would help me leave my mark in the world of digital art.

Then one day, inspiration hit me right outside my door - the lucky cat, those little waving cats you see in many stores in China. They witness the flow of money, the game of trade, just sitting there and beckoning with a simple wave of their paw.

That's when LuckyCot and VRCot came into being. I began delving into the world of 3D and VR art and joining the Asian crypto art community. Despite my novice concepts and arts, the community provided a lot of support and encouragement.

After everything that happened that summer, I was filled with a newfound determination. So when it came time to fill out my graduation intention form, I wrote down "All in NFT".

To my surprise, my tweet about it went viral and caught the attention of various media outlets, who reached out to interview me. I was also invited back to my school to share my experience and give a lecture, which was a surreal and magical experience that happened so quickly! Later on, my artwork was also featured in the 2021 Autumn Auction of Yongle and the 2022 Digital Art Special Auction by Beijing Rongbaozhai.

even had the opportunity to collaborate with HashKey_Capital and its Chairman DC, designing an avatar for him which was really cool!

[Growing My Concepts and Inspiration]

I am grateful for the support of the crypto community. So I've reinvested most of my income in NFTs, buying from fellow artists. However, I soon came to witness the other side of the decentralized world.

In early 2022, I lost a precious 1/1 Doodles NFT(#2379 ) to a phishing website and had to buy it back for a whopping 75 ETH.

To make matters worse, the crypto market crashed, FTX went bankrupt, and my artist DAO attempts failed. And it was during the time when there was the strict COVID restrictions in Shanghai, all this stuff brought both my emotions and net worth to rock bottom.
This forced me to take a hard look at my work and I realized that, the lucky cat may be left without a home when the store it's in goes bankrupt and closes down.

Perhaps my art shouldn't just be seen as a toy, but something more meaningful. I need to take it a step further and think about how I can position myself in art history, and how my work can contribute to the crypto community and even the wider internet art community.

As I look back in search of answers, I see how Nam June Paik transformed television from a mere entertainment medium to an art medium in the 1960s, creating a dialogue between Zen and technology, and East and West that endures to this day.

As I look around, I see Yuri Zupancic exploring the world at extreme scales, reflecting on the artistic potential of outdated electronic products. In an interview with the Huffington Post, he said...

Looking inward, I see how my aesthetic has been shaped by games and anime. The nostalgic, time-bound visuals of old games and animations are the building blocks of my imagination, fragmented pieces of stories in a virtual universe that I construct in my mind.

It seems like I've realized that I can't just be obsessed with creating beautiful dolls - I need to push the boundaries and explore more cutting-edge visual languages in creating larger artworks and incorporate more reflexivity about crypto.

I've also come to the realization that I need to break down the barriers and engage with international artists and collectors to continue learning without end. Therefore, this has led to the my new exploration series in 2023.

[End]

I know that the current exploration is going to be tough because of the crypto bear market and fewer art players. Plus, since I haven't interacted much with the English-speaking community, I feel like I'm starting from square one.

However, I feel incredibly fortunate to have been an early participant and to have already benefited from the crypto art movement. I'm excited to continue sharing my journey with all of you in the future, and let's keep pushing forward to create something amazing together!

Niq Chen
March 25th, 2023.