MVHVMA: Artist Spotlight

zonted -
MVHVMA's artworks are a glimmer into her life experiences and the deep emotions she's associated with those moments. Toeing the line between illustrative realism and abstract surrealism makes MVHVMA's art truly special—you get to view both sides of the coin, artworks that you can relate to literally and metaphorically.

- zonted

🖼 view MVHVMA's art in the zonted genesis exhibition: https://www.cryptovoxels.com/play?coords=N@308E,565N,0.5U

How did you get into crypto (NFT) art?

My entry to the crypto scene was heavily influenced by my boyfriend, Tom Orchard. I observed him and other artists such as femzor and Etiene Crauss for a while before deciding I would enter the NFT space.

MVHVMA, my first love was heavenly, 2021, edition 1 of 1

I was rather confused and a little lost at first because the concept of crypto was so new to me, but after reading a few articles written by Loopify, I got the jist of it and went from there. I initially started off my crypto journey on Rarible and later applied to SuperRare when I felt more solid within my work—I got accepted within two weeks of applying and so here we are!

You guys are the first artist couple that we've heard of! How's dating another artist like? How does an artist relationship look, do you critique each others artworks often?

It’s pretty cool! I think we’re each others biggest critiques which is intense but it only makes us better artists.

Sharing an appetite for the same craft makes it easier for us to understand each other. Art is a love language and we both speak it fluently.

So yeah, pretty amazing.

How are you juggling university classes with creating digital NFT art?

Honestly, it’s difficult. I try my best to get my assignments done as quickly as possible so that I can focus on creating art but it’s hard because my degree is in fashion photography which means, I also have to create fashion related content.

When I initially decided to pursue a degree, my passion was fashion photography however; over the past year, I haven't loved it as much as I did 2 years ago. It’s hard to force passion so i just came to terms with the fact that i love something else now, and that’s okay.

I’m at a point in my degree where I'm counting down the months until I finish so that I have the freedom to focus solely on creating what I want to create with no boundaries, boxes, or restrictions—only 4 months left to go!

After you're done with University, is the plan to become a full time crypto-artists? Do you plan take on commissions or any side gigs? If so, where do you plan on sourcing those jobs?

I think the plan is to kick off a clothing line and have multiple streams of income rather than confining myself to just crypto. I will take on the occasional commission if it’s something that strikes out to me, continue selling prints and see what comes of it!

It’d be nice if a collector decides to take me under their wing at some point, so that I have a sturdier ground in the crypto world. We can all hope!

There’s a lot of folks that are just getting started and uncertain about how to grow a following. How were you able to rack up an audience so quickly? Were there any specific things you can attribute your growth?

I’m shocked at where I am right now,  in all honesty. I only began creating digital art at the beginning of the first lockdown in May 2020, it all happened so fast it’s crazy.

I would say, if you wish to build a following, interact! Support other artists and be a part of the community. Honestly it wasn't a struggle for me because my introduction to art twitter was so welcoming and supportive. I would say, post artwork as regularly as possible, but don’t feel pressured to do so on a daily basis.

Over flooding the timeline will give a person interactions and followers for sure but it could stunt artistic growth if you’re not taking time to study your pieces. Post collections, multiple works of yours that compliment each other, stay active online—tweet often!

Also I know it’s difficult but try not to focus on the numbers too much. A lot of the time your art will speak for itself, and the followers will follow naturally.

Similarly, a lot of cryptoartists would die to be on SuperRare. Any thoughts on how to gain acceptance onto one of the most prestigious platforms?

SuperRare was something I aspired to be a part of from the minute I dipped my toes into crypto; I wanted in.

However, I refrained from applying too early on when my work wasn't at its strongest. I wanted to submit my best so I waited and created until I had made multiple solid pieces that embodied my spirit, a part of me.

Once I felt content within my works, I applied and hoped for the best. My advice would be to submit what you are proud of.

What inspires you to create art? Why?

MVHVMA, demigod, 2020, edition 1 of 1

A lot of my inspiration derives from my surroundings. I perceive people, objects and even emotions within my environment as something more beautiful than their realities. I want to make everything pretty, my fantasies of a utopian world is what drives my artistic concepts and ideas.

We’ve seen you reference the usage of marijuana quite a bit on your social media. Do you use marijuana to help you calm down, focus, create? Are there any aspects of marijuana that you feel are a negative influence in your life?

I started smoking as a way to sleep initially. I was diagnosed with chronic insomnia when I was younger and hated taking medication for it because I would wake up sluggish and unmotivated to do anything when I woke up. I now smoke sometimes to sleep but also to relieve stress every now and then.

My art is pretty but my brain is not, so marijuana helps me focus on the good thoughts rather than the ugly ones. I don’t think that it’s affected me negatively in any way to be honest, there’s a common misconception that weed makes you lazy but if you have a healthy balance, it’s not a problem, well not to me anyway.

As a follow up, what’s your favorite intake method for weed? Any specific strains or combinations that you’d recommend for creating art?

I smoke because it allows me to have a better control of my high, occasionally I'll eat an edible and treat myself to a day of rest and creativity.

In England weed is yet to be legalised so it’s hard to find new flavours and strains but if you can get your hands on it, lemon haze is top tier. It increases my energy levels and helps me pay attention to intricate details.

How would you describe your artistic style?

I think the best way to explain my work would be to say that my art embodies euphoric surrealism through the use of perspective to form a relationship between my environments and dream-like concepts.

In the last few months, we’ve observed a few distinct styles that you’ve dabbled with. First, we saw sketches paired with abstract surrealism. Is there any particular reason you decided to move on from this style?

That was a favourite era of mine! I loved making those pieces however, I didn't want to oversaturate the art scene with this one particular style; I felt as though it would lose its value that way.

As an artist, I like to branch out and explore as many forms of art as I can, there's never enough to learn! I’m trying my best to refrain from sinking into a habit of self restriction and bounding my creativity to one particular style because growth is important to me.

That’s not to say that my surrealism sketches are gone forever. I will eventually make more, but not for consumerism purposes, simply because working in that style brought me a sense of peace.

Fascinating perspective! How do you feel about Hackatao's and Pak's artworks? One could say that their art is saturated with a particular style yet they've achieved massive success with that style.
Pak, Möbius Knot, 2020, edition 1 of 1

Their art is amazing! Truthfully, I feel like they’re able to generate so much of the same style of work because they have mastered what they do. I’m yet to consider myself a master at my craft so exploring and delving into various mediums and forms of art is integral to my growth.

Hackatao, 80s, 2018, edition 1 of 1

I believe that developing artists should strive to keep certain elements consistent throughout all of their pieces so that they can establish a distinctive branding in order to connect an artist to the art. However, they shouldn’t allow that branding to hinder their progress in learning about the visual arts as a whole. Especially in early stages of discovery.

The two colours have always brought me a sense of belongingness since I was a child, the warmth of the orange and the natural freshness of the colour green remind me of back home.

Now that i think about it, it may subconsciously have something to do with the Bangladeshi flag, the two colours of the flag are orange-red and green.

I think the calmness and tranquility of those particular pieces evoked very positive emotions from people so they were able to connect with the art on a personal level.

Finally, you’re blending the two together with some sort of illustrative surrealism. Which style do you like the best out of all the ones you’ve been trying? Why?

I pushed the idea of solitude in quite a few of my recent works by incorporating one singular subject in a large space of surrealist architecture. During this pandemic majority of individuals have been spending a lot of time in their own company. I wanted to show people that you can find solace in being alone, taking time to understand oneself can be a truly peaceful experience.

I think this experimentation with architecture has led me to develop a new favourite style of art. I like my sketchy drawings but this concept represents so much more so I would say, my recent works are currently my favourite.

What excites you most about your future with art? Where do you see yourself going?

The possibility of the unknown excites me!

6 months ago I had no idea I would be in the position I am right now. So 6 months from today I could be in a whole other place. I had no direction when I first began making art, I simply made it because I enjoyed it. I’ve now set myself goals for the next few months so i’m excited to build on that progression!

MVHVMA, transcending worlds to reach my deity, 2020, edition 1 of 1

They’re personal goals so I won’t speak them out loud but I will say, I’ll hopefully be dropping some garments/bags in the upcoming months! I would love to start my own clothing line, it could potentially be something great with the assistance of my background in fashion, maybe this degree will come in handy after all haha.

Any shout outs?

Shoutout to my mum and brother for always being so supportive of me, my boyfriend Tom Orchard for introducing me to this world of possibilities, SleepingBonnet for constantly pushing me to believe in myself, and all the friends I’ve made throughout this journey—in particular the wip 4 wap groupchat.

I love you guys.

Notable past exhibitions / praise / press:

  • zonted genesis exhibition
    1/1/2021—4/30/2021

The first ever ("genesis") digital art exhibition by zonted art gallery. The exhibition features sculptures, installations, videos, and digital creations by a wide array of notable international artists that are on the forefront of digital art.

Visit the exhibition here: https://www.cryptovoxels.com/parcels/3734

Support the artist: