burst_

Burst_ is an anonymous crypto artist with an emphasis on post-neoexpressionism and digital art. He creates futuristic-hybrid-organic artworks in digital as well as physical form. These are multi and mixed media artworks which are supported by video, animation, digital media, augmented reality and actual paintings. He often plays with motifs which repeat themselves, a sort of code. Transformative processes of the human psyche in a digital age constitute an important focal point of his work.

Burst is from Vienna and currently lives in Peru. His early years and artistic influences go back to his childhood. His father was an artist and his mother worked in a record store. He grew up with the smell of oils that he remembers to this day and the afternoons of listening to records of all ages and genres. Due to his background and living in Vienna he had the opportunities to study many great painters and access to all the museums and galleries. Burst was influenced by painters such as Pablo Picasso, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Joan Miro, Mark Rothko, Monet, Van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and the Jugendstil in general. Later in life, he actually worked on a major historic reconstruction of a wall frieze on ‘THE’ Jugendstil building in Vienna. He was also been attracted to Egyptian art from a very young age.

Burst is quick to point out that this exposure is the tip of the iceberg for him. He has had many different artistic influences from music (playing in more than a dozen bands, producing music, touring, songwriting), to performance art, video art, movies, books, poetry, animations, digital art, contemporary fine art. He is known to travel to museum in other locations (countries) where there is a certain exhibition of interest. For Burst art is life and liberation.

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Burst_, thank you for being a part of this exhibition. Your prominence and embracement of the crypto artist community is well known, as is of course the prolific volume of your art work. Before you transformed into Burst you had had many solo and group exhibitions of your work. You moved into the crypto space in November of 2019 though the encouragement and mentorship of the legendary crypto artist, Yusaymon. Did your earlier work, i.e., non digital art differ from the work you now producing? 

That’s a tricky first question! I had already developed my “signature - HAHA style“ but I didn’t know how to implement it in my body of work I had at that time. Nobody has seen it. You can say I kept it for myself. I felt it was something special and it needed a persona. I was always fascinated by anonymity and creating a persona which could impersonate the essence of an idea(l) and around the time before I first came to Peru in spring 2019, I was questioning myself where I was heading as a fine artist. By that I also mean in my socio-cultural environment in Vienna (Austria). I was in debt at my bank, did not get the recognition I was aiming at as an artist and I was starting to develop self-destructing behaviours. I was drinking alcohol almost everyday and smoking a lot of cigarettes. Exactly at that time in my life I came for the first time to Peru to visit my girlfriend and I met Yusaymon who showed me crypto art. I fell in love with the place my girlfriend and I had moved to, Huanchaco and I started changing my behaviours and changing as a person. When i came to Peru a second time, I didn’t know we would stay here for 2 years due to the pandemic and that the work of my girlfriend as a therapist would become very important. However, by that time I knew instantly that it was the right moment in November 2019 to create my persona burst_. He is a person who is laughing at and with life, art and the world in general and who wants to spread joy, laughter and visual as well as intellectual pleasure with the artworks.

That is a fascinating story, burst_. I can see how things and moments came together for you to change your life and artistic direction in a very positive way. Can you tell us some things about your approach to making your digital art crypto art as burst_ as well as what motivates you and captures your attention or imagination.

For me there is no distinction between there is art and there is life and all the other things. For me art is life. I think, feel and breath in art. I “do“ art everyday, for me it is something essential like drinking water or going to the toilet. This is my mindset and I love what I’m doing! About my approach: it almost always starts with an actual painting, then I take a high res photo with my iPhone and transfer that to my MacBook where I start with the first layers of image manipulation and later on animations.

I have some narratives going on like my “At the exhibition" series where I reflect on the idea of the artwork as a portal or gateway to another dimension/reality. In that series I play with the idea of the artwork being exhibited at an art fair or in a gallery. What role has the artwork in such a space, which meaning has it? And what does it do with the observer?

The artwork itself is a portal to a different realm. The realm of imagination, a different dimension, a gateway which opens up to the observer, who immerses him/herself in the work. Or put into other words: The artwork serves as an object of immersion through which the viewer is able to immerse himself in this different reality. Besides that I reflect a lot on technology, blockchain, crypto and where we as humans are headed in this new evolving world. Laughter is something absolutely human something basal and natural and there are so many different laughters I am fascinated by that. You can laugh that much that you can have an out of body experience.. I actually had such an experience.. HAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHA - i bet that was something. I get it entirely what you mean about art as a portal. There is a communication of understanding and meaning that can be transmitted in unseen and unimagined ways beyond the artists initial intent. Art can play this mysterious ministry with life. I’m curious about the initiation though. When you are working with digital processes such as algorithms, filters, visual modulators and/or AI, is there a discovery process that is somewhat consistent for you?

In my digital process I learn a lot about perspective, angles and composition. Since it is much easier to try out new things. I often fool around and totally transform my work to understand better where I am headed and where I wanna go. But mostly since I start with an actual painting first this gives me a sort of framework or basis from where I am starting my creation process. And since a couple of months I am fascinated by combining the digital work with the physical. I am immersed into AR (augmented reality) right now ;)

I saw a photo in your twitter post of an AR experience. One would have thought they were looking at the original art except that small elements were moving. It was quite convincing and makes one wonder where this display medium can go in the future. What has been others' responses to your work? Are you often surprised and/or enlightened by what the viewer brings to the table when encountering your art?

The response has been really fulfilling. My experience is that a lot of people can identify themselves with my work and especially with HAHA, it speaks to them. I really appreciate hearing personal stories from my collectors in what way they are perceiving in my work for example or how my work is communicating with them. I really believe that sometimes the artwork itself has its own life and interact/communicate with people who are observing, appreciating it. The artwork develops a life of its own you could say.

Yes, it most certainly does. burst_, i have one final question. What is your view on the future of digital crypto art mined as blockchain NFTs? 

I just say this one sentence (it is also the title of one of my artworks): Cryptoart is the future of art!

I believe you are correct. A time will come when viewing art on a gallery wall is seen as so 20th century. burst_ thank you for your time and for being a part of this exhibition.