Valentin Fischer
Who looks at my collection, knows that I have a weakness for contemporary art and portraits. A great artist in this area is Valentin Fischer and I am pleased that he presents himself and his fantastic works today!
Valentin please tell who you are!
I started painting while still in school, around the turn of the century (haha, that sounds much longer ago than it really is). At that time exclusively digitally on a Wacom tablet. After school I did a bachelor and master as a communication designer and during that time I worked as an illustrator on the side. Mainly for agencies and clubs here in my hometown in Stuttgart (Germany). But after graduation I soon realized that I didn't enjoy illustration anymore, because I much preferred to work on my own stuff and not just be the executing hand for a client*. Accordingly, I oriented myself more towards art with a focus on figurative works. When the first invitations to exhibitions came, I switched from digital to analog work with oil paints. Over the last few years I have worked with galleries in the US in New York, San Francisco, Denver and Chicago and in Europe in Paris and Barcelona - where two years ago a work was acquired by the European Museum of Modern Art.
How did you get involved with NFTs
The first time I heard about NFTs was at the end of 2017 in relation to CryptoKitties. I've also been interested in cryptocurrencies for a few years and accordingly the topic of blockchain was not entirely foreign to me. With the big wave of hype at the beginning of this year, I first realized the possibilities of an additional source of income for me as an artist. Accordingly, I first got involved from an economic point of view. Quite quickly I was surprised by the community and the helpfulness, especially on H=N. Henrik Uldalen, whom I already knew from Instagram, and who certainly does not need to be introduced here, then helped me with the onboarding. Since then, it is a great pleasure for me to be part of this community.
What kind of impact will NFTs have to our future ?
Currently, we can see the beginning of NFTs entering the mainstream. I think most people will realize that the topic is not just a buzzword, but that the technology will be with us from now on. The boundaries between analog and digital will continue to blur and I look forward to the time when we will no longer say "irl" because there will no longer be a difference between "online" and "offline."
If you had one wish - who would you want to collaborate with or who inspires you?
Hah, this wish has already come true - I may currently work with the great Laurence Fuller!
Inspiration comes from countless artists I can't list here. But I would like to highlight a perhaps not so obvious hero for me: I never met Anthony Bourdain in person but I miss him immensely. In particular, I miss hearing his voice, which reflects so much honesty and humbly has a kindness and openness to others like no other. He has inspired me to visit parts of this world and eat in places that mean a lot to me. But more than that, he is a role model for how to treat each other and what it means to be a good person despite imperfection - It is hard to fathom someone taking their own life who has shown so many others why it is worth living.
Art by Valentin Fischer
Who do you want to promote?
This is definitely the hardest question to answer because there are so many great artists in the community. Shoutouts in any case to Henrik Uldalen, Daniel Martin, Adam Disbrow and of course Laurence Fuller and Tania Rivilis!
Nominating for the next interview I want David Cheifetz!
Where can people find you Valentin?
One last word
A special thanks to the collectors who make this project possible for me.
And also many thanks to Tania and to you for the interview. <3
„It’s easy to fall in love with Rome. She has endured and survived many things. What’s left of her former glory are in ruins, but those ruins, continue to enchant us. You think, no matter what, this beautiful dream will last forever. And then suddenly… shit gets real.“
Anthony Bourdain