INTERVIEW
In Conversation with Josh Katzenmeyer (luxpris)
by Jeff Davis
Josh Katzenmeyer (luxpris) is a creative technologist using generative means to produce extraterrestrial results. He has been tokenizing his work since early 2020 and enjoys producing art that makes use of cold geometric forms to craft immersive, abstracted landscapes. I caught up with Josh to talk about his creative practice and Art Blocks projects Pathfinders and Elevated Deconstructions.
Jeff Davis: Hi Josh, it’s great to finally interview you! So how long have you been making art?
Josh Katzenmeyer: Visual art wasn't a very central focus of my practice until 2018 or so. Prior to that my primary side hustle was as a musician, but I would frequently throw together collages as gig flyers, album covers, and things of that nature. I didn't pursue visual art very studiously until I started to realize that it was the medium I was most comfortable in. I'm an introverted person so I appreciate the solitude and slow pace I can settle into while coming up with a new design. It's something I can focus energy on every day without feeling overwhelmed or bored. Pure positive energy.
JD: When did you start pursuing generative art?
JK: Two pivotal moments: one was discovering IBNIZ and the simple joy that came from floundering around with an esoteric technology I didn't really understand. It was doubly cool to think that a programmer invented this whacky thing and I could do something similar if I studied hard enough. The other pivotal moment was when I shifted away from my old day job to teach myself web development. That was what started me on the path to finding all of these great creative uses of code to invent immersive experiences that run right in the browser.
JD: And then you mentioned starting to tokenize artwork in 2020. How did that come about?
JK: It's hard to remember even though it wasn't that long ago. I've always curated my Twitter feed to maximize exposure to good artists, but I think the first person I followed who was talking about NFTs was Giant Swan? Maybe TwistedVacancy? Then I started diving into SuperRare and exploring their roster. That was around December 2019. When I sold my first NFT there in January or February of 2020 it was all shock and awe for me. I was waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up. It's been really cool to see the space grow and the intense enthusiasm that has developed around NFTs and Ethereum at large. There's nothing like it. It feels like I'm discovering the Internet for the first time all over again.
JD: How has your creative practice changed since discovering crypto?
JK: It's shifted quite a bit since I've started tokenizing my work. A consistent thread is that I try to cultivate a pretty rigorous creative process: it's important for me to sit down and work on something every day even if it isn't something I find very high quality or worthy of sharing with others. I also think I've grown more critical of my work with each new design. I'm invested in trying out new things and am intentional about avoiding retreading the same ground. I like challenges. Because of this, I think my output has slowed a bit moving into 2021, but that doesn't mean that I don't have a lot of interesting things going on outside of the public eye. I just keep raising the bar for myself, so newer creations require a bit more preparation and intentionality on my part to make sure it's at the caliber I'm shooting for. As I explore different mediums, I also think of myself as building a shared universe for all of these different creations, so that also requires a bit more thought, making sure something "fits" even if it's a large departure from what came before.
JD: What was the inspiration for your recent Art Blocks Playground project?
JK: Pathfinders is a bit of a love letter to generative art and the impact it's had on my life. The piece revolves around deterministic color palettes and brush textures that trail across the canvas in unpredictable ways. The brushes "find their path" across the image in new ways each time you reset them, but I also wanted the title to be a nod to how generative art has provided a true sense of purpose and path forward for me when there have been times I've felt confused about who I am or what my goals in life are. I wanted to create a piece that showed the art coming alive in front of the user, and give them the ability to curate the image that they think is the best. It mimics some of my own process when working on a new piece.
JD: What has your experience been like around the release of your Art Blocks projects?
JK: Art Blocks is the most emotionally taxing platform I've minted on. Since you don't really know exactly what's going to be minted until it's sitting in someone's wallet, my inner perfectionist gets really worried about an image not meeting someone's expectations. I really want to do right by the community because they're all so engaged and pleasant to chat with. I'm always taking out a fine tooth comb on everything I work on, but it gets pretty extreme with Art Blocks. Yes, I do lose sleep! During and after the drop it's just intense gratitude for this platform that has allowed so many generative artists to monetize their work in a new and exciting way, and gratitude to the collectors who trust in what I do and support my work. It's pretty moving, honestly!
JD: Anything else you’re working on that you’d like to share?
JK: Right now, I have some collaborative pieces and an Async project in the pipeline that I'm excited about. I also want to dedicate the next couple of months to finish tokenizing the final five tracks to Territories of Elimination, my audio visual album I've been releasing on SuperRare.
JD: That all sounds great! What’s the best way for people to stay current with your art happenings?
First published 02 March 2021: https://beta.cent.co/artblocks/+95ml3q
