Not many people succeed in working and developing in new, unexplored areas. But there are people who are willing to evolve, to look at the world with an open mind and to explore new markets.
One such figure is Vasily Popov, a famous poet and one of the CIS's most astonishing and peculiar NFT artists, whose works sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Vasily is also known in the media as "the progenitor of the primitive-expressive trend in NFT''.
In the spring of 2021, Vassily Popov began working with NFT paintings and unveiled a highly acclaimed NFT project called 'ENTITIES META'. The pinnacle of the collection was the first NFT painting in the world to go into outer space on the ISS with one of the CIS most famous astronauts, Oleg Artemyev, and orbit the planet several hundred times.
Today, top businessmen and collectors from all over the world buy Vasily's NFT paintings. One of them is billionaire Igor Rybakov. The sales volume has already exceeded 175 thousand dollars. The first book with the characters from the collection called ‘ENTITIES’ has been written (part 2 is planned). It has become the first NFT novel on the largest NFT platform, OpenSea.
For 2023, Vassily is planning a series of closed and open auctions that, according to closed sources, will attract prominent businessmen and collectors.The highlight will be the sale of the "Space" painting for 100 million dollars.
We spoke to Vasily Popov – poet, artist and author of the NFT collection "Entities META" - to find out how a successful poet can become an NFT artist, sell paintings to billionaires and send NFT to outer space.
- Vasily, we know that you are a well-known poet and author, and that you have won several top literature prizes. Could you tell us more about how you came to write? In your work at that time, were there any "preconditions" for an artist?
Besides poetry, my other love has always been drawing and visiting art exhibitions and museums. Very often, when I was writing poems in manuscript, I'd sketch quickly to complete what I wanted to say. Sometimes they were even strokes that I would tune out, and then I would see images in them and draw different beings. They then became images in my NFT collection. Poems and paintings are as ubiquitous as music. It's all a matter of vision, and the artist's eye helps to enlighten them.
- You said you were always drawn towards painting. When did you realize you wanted to focus on painting? What was the turning point when you decided to make art?
I've always been an artist. Poets are also artists, but artists of words. They always see the world through a picture. After some point, colours and lines just called me and I started talking with them. Music also calls to me... I'd even say I'm not dedicated to one thing. I'm just adding new things. I'm growing. One of the things I want to do next is to create a trinity of poetry, painting and music, but that's a whole topic of conversation. I think we will talk about it later on.
- So you started out as a classical artist creating physical art. What were your first works like?
My first works were sketches in the margins, you could say pen strokes (smiling), abstractions in color. I even had a work where I just wrote the word POET on a white background with a square, as I felt and wrote it. I could say this whole creative experiment is still going strong.
- In addition to the previous question, are there any rituals you follow before you begin to create? What is the process of creating a painting?
In poetry, an image comes like lightning, like an insight, like a flash – from a feeling. That's the way I create - quickly, in the moment, giving birth to a work of art. And I am glad that digital technology allows me to do that. I want to be a co-creator of this world that is constantly being created. The human being here is like an artist, a creator who can create at the same time as the world, in the flow. That makes the process of creating art the most important part of the universe. When you can create here and now. Even as I answer your questions I am creating a work of art and together we make a masterpiece.
- You moved away from traditional art. Why?
I wasn't a follower of any kind of direction. I came into this activity with my own vision of 'creating' and that's probably what I'll be remembered for. Digital art and NFTs enable my work beyond traditional painting. Not on the canvas, but behind the canvas, somewhere in the digital, immaterial space. And that is where it is my path to show it to the world.
- Today you are one of the most famous NFT artists in CIS. Your total sales amounted to 93 ETH (about $175,000). How did you get into the world of blockchain and NFT?
Blockchain and the Web3 world seemed to choose me. I think one has to live in the world from the inside. If you immerse yourself in something new and somewhere inside you it resonates, you are really interested, then you have to keep doing it. At some point it can become "your" thing. With the world of blockchain technology, that's what happened to me. It immediately spoke to me: somewhere inside, in my heart, when I heard about NFT and was introduced to digital creativity. I started digging deeper, attending conferences - the idea of digitizing my art captivated me. That's how I started to create.
- Why did you decide to work with generative art? What attracted you to NFT technology?
I was attracted by the speed. Since I write poetry quickly, I saw and felt how quickly you can create digital paintings in color and line spontaneously. I don't need paints and brushes. In no time at all, using only your finger and what you feel, you can create art that expresses your thoughts and feelings.
- Your flagship NFT collection is entitled ENTITIES META. Can you tell us about the Entities you work on? One can see that you are inspired by the space – why? Where does this love of space come from?
Essences are facets of our being. Each of us is not just a single entity, but a multifaceted personality in which these facets unfold in different ways. My work is fundamentally about people, about the dark and light side of each of us.
And man is a separate cosmos that surrounds us everywhere - inside, outside, deep down, infinitely high and low. The center from which everything is born, develops and happens is the human soul.
It's a long story that I could go on and on about, but the main thing is to make the right stops and cuts in my life. I really want to get my point across, because it's also a conversation with the viewer, and in a way they are one of the most important characters in my work. Try to look at some of my pieces a little longer and you can feel everything for yourself: see how they come to life, hear what they say. And then I'm sure you'll enter into the space that exists within each person, which is what I'm trying to show.
- We know that one of your paintings was bought by the billionaire Igor Rybakov. Can you tell us more about your most famous collectors?
It's true! The portrait of Igor Rybakov is an attempt to reflect the image of the teacher, the mourning as well as the exuberant colors and life force Igor gave to the man. And this work really captured him.
This NFT is a life-changing opportunity. Igor sells his digital portrait and investors get a lifetime of mentoring from him that is worth many times more than any money.
I've noticed that the collection is bought by people from all over the world. Most of them are entrepreneurs who are interested in art and collectors who are buying something really unique and interesting that will increase in value and become even more valuable in the future.
Let me tell you the story of one owner who has earned over $20,000 by reselling my work. In fact, he was one of the first who saw me on the Internet and bought more than five of my works for his collection. This encouraged me so much. I literally felt that this person really believed in me and what I was creating. That was the impetus for my continued success, and for him the opportunity to become a hoarder of paintings that he later sold at a high price. And I think this is one of many such cases.
I'm sure that every owner of my work will have a great opportunity to be a part of the art that I'm responsible for with my heart and soul.
- You are the first NFT artist to send a work into space. How did you manage to send a painting into space? Can you tell the story of this event?
I am in very close contact with many of the NFT artists and in 2021 the question was raised as to who would be the first of us to send NFT into space. Everyone was sure - it was a huge potential and a footprint that everyone dreamed of leaving.
The subject of space has always been close to my heart, so I had no doubt that I could be the first NFT artist to conquer space (laughs). It was not an easy road: dozens of unsuccessful attempts, but it only charged me up and pushed me towards my goal.
And once, fate itself brought me together with one of the most famous astronauts, Oleg Artemyev, whom I met to make the world's first NFT flight into space. Oleg was inspired by the idea and we realized the idea!
It's a picture of an astronaut who has been in orbit for more than half a year. Of course, there were a lot of approvals and checks, but that's another story - the main thing is that the creative act took place and now we have "NFT-Gagarin" in the art world!
- According to the private information, you're planning a closed auction soon, which will be accessible only to NFT holders. Can you tell us more about this?
Yes, how did you know! I'm planning to have a private auction where only the followers and owners of the works can bid. Participants will be able to purchase and add to their unique collections by purchasing several new paintings. And I can't help but share the good news: The collection is about to take a major breakthrough, as we are now preparing a worldwide auction for the collection's flagship work, which was the world's first to go into space! I've already received several offers to sell the painting, but we're going to try to break the World Record for selling NFT at auction. We will bring together the most prominent entrepreneurs and collectors and, of course, provide special access to NFT's holdings.
- The current NFT world record sale is Everydays: the First 5000 Days, sold at Christie's for $69.3 million, yours should be near $100 million! Who do you want to sell to for that amount, and why do you think you are going to make it happen?
I'm sure the buyer will be a big businessman from China, the United Arab Emirates or India. These are the three countries that are now involved in the early stages of space exploration and are the unofficial leaders of the space race.
This digital painting, not just a combination of pixels and code, is the NFT GAGARIN that opened the way for digital art in space. The work has a mystical and sacred significance for the whole of humanity. And the state that will own it - will lead the space industry for the next decades until 2050!
- How can potential investors and individuals who wish to purchase your work participate in the project? Are there any conditions or qualifications?
There are no conditions or selection criteria. Time is the main thing here (smiles). In the ENTITIES META collection there will be 350 NFT (291 NFT at the moment, 2-3 new works are added every week) and now more and more people want to buy a painting. After all, each NFT has access to a closed elite club of top entrepreneurs, including several billionaires. That's the value of the collection - to make the buyer feel part of something important and to be able to talk to the top people.
I'm afraid that demand may outstrip supply.
By the way, when I started two years ago, you could buy my work for ridiculous amounts of money. Now the entry level is $1,500 and up and the prices are going up and up. To be honest, I did not expect such a rush - it just keeps growing.
It's also worthy of mention that my plan for the future involves organizing a meeting with all the owners of the works to get to know one another. I'm sure the collection will increase cosmically.
Original interview text: https://vc.ru/u/1008961-bitcoin-bard/729374-100-000-000-za-cifrovuyu-kartinu-pobyvavshuyu-v-kosmose-intervyu-s-vasiliem-popovym
