Tomm Zardoz artist spotlight: Diegrich

Editorial is open for submissions: editorial@superrare.com

Diegrich interviewed by Tomm Zardoz

View Diegrich´s latest work in Zardoz Gallery in Cryptovoxels:
https://www.cryptovoxels.com/play?coords=W@460E,21N

How and when did you start with Cryptoart?

In February 2020, right before the pandemics lockdown, I attended a Cryptoart workshop in Madrid by Lenara Verle and Ilan Katin, two pioneers of the NFT scene. I was fascinated with the new paradigm and I learned how to use all the tools necessary for minting my own NFTs. It showed be new path of creation and new digital formats to apply my know-how in 3D modeling.

You have 15 years of work experience with jewelry design and hyper-realistic 3D rendering, how has this contributed to your creative process with Cryptoart?

I always liked to work with industrial design, especially with luxury watches and jewelry. My experience in this industry made me super strict with the quality of my rendering and with creating complex animations for moving watches parts. That’s where my love for golden textures, gems and glitter comes too, elements that are present in almost all my art pieces. That will be reflected in my new collection of “interactive 3D virtual jewelry” that I plan to showcase on SuperRare soon.

Some of your work features male and female nudity in a very elegant way. Do you consider these pieces somehow “erotic” or even “queer”?

I studied Fine Arts in Madrid for many years, so I was used to working with naked models for drawing and painting. Nudity was always natural for me, and also necessary for studying sculpture and anatomy. Also, “eroticism” and “queer culture” have been a great influence in my work because I was surrounded by it through movies, art, music and my daily life in Madrid, Spain.

Some of your videos contain original soundtracks. How was the process of working with musicians for their creation?

I was introduced to a Brazilian duo called “Hot Soft” that created some interesting soundtracks for fashion shows, and also released some cool dance tracks. I talked to them about the idea of composing some tunes for my videos and they loved it! And we are really proud of the results. You can listen to some examples in my pieces “He” and “She”, minted in SuperRare. From now on, I will always try to add original soundtracks to my very special pieces.

You have released some real-time 3D pieces on SuperRare. Did you have any challenges creating them?

I realized that SuperRare featured some of these “3D pieces” and I got interested right away. They are really complex to create because of technical limitations on polygons, textures, lightning, etc. You cannot get the same hyperrealism from a 3D render or advanced animation. It has been an adventure trying to figure out the best way to produce and optimize those objects, and I learned a lot about real-time environments like the ones used in video games and VR spaces. I hope that in the future it could be possible to add more effects and visual features, and to have less technical limitations on file size, quality of textures, etc. Let’s wait and see!

What are you working on now?

I just finished my fourth piece from the “Witches” series. I am really proud of this collection because I learned a lot creating them. It started with one witch loosely inspired by “The Wizard of Oz” movie and later I decided to create three more, trying new materials and lightning techniques, running a bit away from my regular style. I wanted to offer something new to collectors, and I think it worked – just the last one is still available for bids. That’s why I am moving forward with more digital fashion, augmented reality and virtual jewelry. I think it’s a new artistic niche that I would love to explore.

Talking about witches, some of your work shows mystic or classic/pagan influences. Do you consider yourself an “spiritual” person?

Not exactly, but I love art history, it´s like a parallel world from what we learn in school. Ancient legends and civilizations, their symbols and rituals have always fascinated me. Their aesthetics are timeless and much more connected to human nature than the postmodern world we live in.

What has changed in the Cryptoart scene since you started in early 2020?

2020 was crazy. Luckily for a few, the lockdown allowed us to dedicate time to learn and to create personal projects that were parked. At the beginning I took Cryptoart as a “fun project”, but slowly it turned into a passion and a community of friends. To witness the huge amount of new digital art being created in the last months increases my will to keep creating. There are great artists and wonderful art pieces moving around the Cryptoart scene, and this is absolutely great for the arts in general. I’m really glad that I took the chance to start exploring it and dedicating much of my time into this world.

About the author:

Tomm Zardoz is a Spanish-Brazilian collector that helps and support a selected group of cryptoartist. His website zardoz.club features many virtual exhibitions and music events, mostly hosted in its various parcels on Cryptovoxels.

SuperRare profile: https://www.superrare.com/tommzardoz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zardoz.club/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zardozclub
Website: https://zardoz.club

About Diegrich

Diego García-Carpintero aka Diegrich is a 3D artist based in Madrid, Spain. His style is, in his own words, “digitally handcrafted”. Ranging between fashion, jewelry, sculpture and art, Diegrich’s work always stands out with its delicate forms and colors, sometimes with a dark and mystical twist. Diegrich has designed commissioned jewelry work for many celebrities around the world and his Cryptoart pieces are increasingly becoming more appreciated by big collectors and curators.

SuperRare profile: https://www.superrare.com/diegrich
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dgcarpintero/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/diegrich