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Pseudonymous artist neurocolor is forging a futuristic and psychedelic path through web3.
The Mexican artist came up studying traditional visual arts, but soon found himself dissatisfied with the structured curriculum and drawn to the more freeform online digital art community. In 2004, he discovered digital art collective Depthcore and began sharing his work under the neurocolor moniker the following year.
Embracing the self-dubbed style of “visual alchemy,” neurocolor’s work blends cyberpunk aesthetics with the colorful chaos of psychedelic experiences. His eye-popping works draw upon internet-age influences like video games, anime, and science fiction.
“My work is highly derivative, and I phagocytize visual styles from the net era and post-internet art but always through the optics of a contemporary painter,” he explains.
After discovering KnownOrigin and joining SuperRare in 2020, neurocolor dove head first into the burgeoning NFT space and began building a strong collector base, which includes the likes of Punk6529, Anonymoux, Kanbas, Batsoupyum, and Token Angels. He notably collaborated with XCOPY on a commemorative artwork for Mexico City’s NonNFT Summit in 2022, which helped elevate his profile and exposure his work to a wider audience.
Every week, nft now’s Next Up showcases a new artist from our curated list of ascendant talents who have been making significant waves throughout web3. This week, our spotlight turns to neurocolor.
How did you first become interested/involved in digital art?
neurocolor: My first encounter with a digital image creation tool was Microsoft Paint in the late 90s. However, it wasn’t until 2004, when I discovered the online digital art collective Depthcore, founded by Justin Maller, that I became captivated by the idea and aesthetics of digital fine art. I found fascinating the idea of an avant-garde movement, where each creator could engage in dialogue with people around the world from the comfort of their own rooms. Additionally, the possibility of operating under a pseudonym was attractive to me, as I was also influenced by graffiti/street art culture and electronic music producers. In 2005, the idea of “neurocolor” as an artist alias, brand, and visual concept was born and was inspired mostly but not limited to, the phenomenology of color.
“My most well-known works are animated GIFs that could be described as motion brutalist posters and futuristic psychedelia.”
NEUROCOLOR
How would you describe your art?
My most well-known works are animated GIFs that could be described as motion brutalist posters and futuristic psychedelia, but I have minimalistic series, expressionist pieces, etc. Put holographic effects, anatomy, dark art, type, geometric patterns, VR sculpted models, and hand-drawn shapes in the mix, and you probably get a neuro. My work is highly derivative, and I phagocytize visual styles from the net era and post-internet art but always through the optics of a contemporary painter.
What’s your process like? And where do you usually find inspiration?
I coined the term “visual alchemy” to describe the way I work. I learnt traditional painting at the same time I was self taught in digital art, over the years I have incorporated digital aesthetics into my tangible paintings as well as brought the complexity of painting to the digital realm. I never liked the idea of doing what is supposed to be done in each medium with the tools. In other words visual alchemy means to approach the tools and mediums in unorthodox ways.
I find inspiration in various places, starting with my surroundings. Mexico’s visual culture is multilayered, colorful, and dense; Mexico City, in particular, is a vibrant place to be an artist. It is a melting pot of Western and Mesoamerican heritages. Here, my fascination with saturated colors is fueled just by walking through a street market, be bombarded by neon signs, all kinds of colorful fruits, geometric crafts, and more. I’m obsessed with composition, so I often revisit painting books and frequently browse digital art on different platforms, particularly genres native to the internet like vaporwave, glitch art, and cyberpunk stuff. I can enjoy a good anatomy book as much as going into the rabbit holes of mystic traditions too and I’m a big enthusiast of sci-fi movies. Anime and arty video games.
“I find inspiration in various places, starting with my surroundings. Mexico’s visual culture is multilayered, colorful, and dense.”
NEUROCOLOR
What was your breakthrough moment in web3?
Has it happened yet? Well, not sure if it was only one moment, but there were some key events that allowed me to make some noise: being accepted on SuperRare back in 2020, being curated by XCOPY for his NFT Boxes drop, and when Anonymoux bought my 1/1s on the secondary market, which created a trend followed by other prominent collectors in the space.
What are the biggest challenges facing rising artists in web3?
The biggest challenge for web3 artists in general, not only rising ones, is understanding the artist-to-collector ratio; it’s a market sustained by a few enthusiasts, and the number of artists is by far greater. They are competing against each other for the attention of the potential collectors. It’s not like in the first years when it was more similar to a circular economy. A challenge for rising artists is being able to efficiently get involved with the community. Since the space grew bigger, the chances to generate income by just creating and minting without actively being active on social media are less, and because it’s a global scene, speaking English is essential; lots of incredibly talented artists are overlooked simply because they are not constantly putting themselves out there in the dominant conversation. Assisting to events and meeting people is as important.
“The biggest challenge for web3 artists in general, not only rising ones, is understanding the artist-to-collector ratio.”
NEUROCOLOR
What advice do you have for rising artists in this space?
If you want to make the hottest art, work hard, and be obsessed with your craft and your own voice, that’s the ideal. But if you also want to make a living, and it’s still not happening just with your art, consider participating in the conversation and putting yourself out there, like in any professional career, try to take it as seriously as possible; creating art professionally is a job and requires going beyond the enjoyable part of it. I consider it important for rising artists to see the big picture. Art is an immense thing, and NFTs are just a fraction of the whole digital art world, the same way digital art is just a fraction of the bigger art world. Connect with the niche while knowing you are part of a long art tradition, yes, even if you think of yourself as fully digital and disruptor. Also, don’t forget to use a hardware wallet.
