Next Up: RVig Fuses Florals & Poetry in Award-Winning Generative Art

Born in Lyon, France, and now residing in Geneva, Switzerland, RVig (born Richard Vigniel) has been at the forefront of digital artistry since 1999, seamlessly weaving his expertise in computer science with his passion for visual art.

His journey into generative art began with a deep-rooted fascination for the intricate dance between algorithms and aesthetics. A graduate of the National Institute of Applied Science in Lyon and McGill University in Montréal, he has developed a unique collection of custom scripts and tools over the years, constantly refining them with the latest technological advancements to push the boundaries of what generative art can achieve.

RVig’s work has been celebrated in exhibitions worldwide, from the FTWeekend Festival in London to the Lausanne Art Fair and the Paris Metaverse Summit. In 2021, he made his mark in the NFT space with the release of “Flowers” on Art Blocks Factory.

His latest project, “Les Fleurs du Mal,” is a profound exploration of Charles Baudelaire’s poetry that earned him the Arab Bank Switzerland’s Digital Art Prize earlier this year.

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 RVig.

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nft now: How did you first become interested/involved in digital art?

RVig: The passion for creating digital images has been with me since a young age. I discovered early on the possibility of exploring and discovering new visual worlds created from code: 3D, fractals, demos—universes that were difficult to access when I was young, deep in the French countryside, with computers of limited capabilities and no internet. This made them even more valuable, especially when it took a whole night to render a 3D or fractal image.

After studying computer science, in 1999 I began developing my own image generation framework, with the ability to combine filters, generators, and transformations.

“My generative art is always very lively, colourful, and organic. I like to incorporate external sources into my algorithms, such as colours, music, or poetry, elements that inject additional energy.”

RVIG

How would you describe your art?

My generative art is always very lively, colourful, and organic. I like to incorporate external sources into my algorithms, such as colours, music, or poetry, elements that inject additional energy. I am often very eclectic in my techniques and visual outcomes, but my creative process is always guided by my passion. I have always preferred creating abstract images, which, for me, invite much more interpretation and imagination. My work focuses on creating images made possible only through the use of code.

What’s your process like? And where do you usually find inspiration?

My practice of generative art has always been guided by the search for new concepts, techniques, or combinations of techniques to discover new aesthetics. I never aim for a precise result: I start with a concept, an idea, a technical experiment. Then I proceed step by step in discovering and constructing new mechanisms, following my creative instinct, learning to master and tame algorithms to exploit their potential in interesting and original ways. Once the concept and code are established, there is a final meticulous stage of perfecting the details, fine-tuning colours, balancing structures and harmonies.

Over time, my inspiration has spontaneously drawn from nature and flowers, which naturally offer an exceptional variety in both colours and structures.

“Over time, my inspiration has spontaneously drawn from nature and flowers, which naturally offer an exceptional variety in both colours and structures.”

RVIG

What was your breakthrough moment in web3?

My breakthrough moment in web3 was clearly my “Flowers” project on Art Blocks. I discovered Art Blocks and NFTs at the end of 2020, and then in February 2021, when the popularity was rising, I decided to create a project suitable for the platform and submit my proposal. The drop happened in early August 2021, during a peak period for generative art. 6158 editions were minted in one hour, which is still incredible today!

What are the biggest challenges facing rising artists in web3?

Today, NFTs have lost some of their popularity, the market is more challenging, and many artists are already present in the space. It is very challenging to stand out, get noticed, and find one’s audience and collectors. There is no single, ideal social network for promoting NFTs. The solutions are very scattered, and all have their flaws; artists often need to use a combination of several channels to reach a broader and more diverse audience.

“There is no single, ideal social network for promoting NFTs.”

RVIG

What advice do you have for rising artists in this space?

Work hard, be original, refine your artworks, make yourself visible, join artist communities, attend conferences, meet people, and submit your projects to competitions. Be patient; it can take time to be noticed by your audience. It’s also very important for all of us to evangelise digital art to the general public—go out and talk, explain, give talks outside the web3 space!