By Editor In Chief

“Although these photos contain nudity, it is worth remembering that this required a lot of study, as it was explicitly forbidden to be naked where we photographed. Perhaps these are the only ones of their kind made in this place, something that makes them even more exclusive.” -Ariel-

Ariel, Elements NFT Collection

You like to tell stories, touch the senses, and make poetry with your camera lens. How did you get into this rabbit hole. What is your origins story with photography?

It was carnival here in Brazil, I was only 19 years old and working at a newspaper, so I had access to a good camera. I discovered that I could express myself through it by chance. As time went by I realized that photography for me only made sense if there were humans in front of the lens and that I liked to create with photographs in a different way, like painting pictures. Imagining scenes and making them real in order to capture them with photography.

Why did you decide to turn your photography artwork into nfts? Is it about the technology? If so what is it about nft technology that you like?

For a Latino artist things are harder than for artists from other parts of the world. It is almost impossible to live off your art independently in Brazil for example, creating only what you love. I found out that there were people creating and selling NFTs, I spent 1 year trying to understand how to do it too and I got a good acceptance from the community. I was discovering all the technology and the idea of eternalizing a piece is surreal to me, and beautiful, because that’s what a photographer does with an image, and the technology of NFTs allows you to eternalize this on an even deeper level. It’s beautiful!

A lot of your art is sophisticated nude art. Is art nude or nude art?

Thanks, I’m glad you see it that way. I really have a passion for creating using nude bodies, I think it allows a very deep level of intimacy between the artist, the model and the audience. And I like not only the beautiful in nude art but also the strange, the bizarre. So I like this antagonism in my nude creations.

Can you shed more light on your intriguing 1/1 nft art collection titled Elements. Is there a deeper and hidden meaning to the artworks?

It had been a few years since I had been to the beach and I had never taken my camera to create something on the beach. With my partner I found a more secluded beach with fewer people and we took just the camera, hoping that we would find “things” on the way to contribute to the creations, and we did. A naked body, a beach and 3 objects: A leaf, a twig and a flower. Things from nature that inspired us to create and when we saw, we had built a narrative with the four elements, having water as something present in all photographs. It was a very pleasant session and the result delighted me. You can notice the leaf showing a relationship of interaction with the air, the poses with the branch show the model more grounded, referring to the earth element, and the flower, red, vibrant like fire and since there is light, that is why they are the only colorful ones. A curiosity of this collection is that although the beach was far away, it wasn’t a nude beach, so we broke the rule and took the risk lol

You obviously have worked with nude models in your craft. Does it get HARD to stay focused on the work at hand and how much does the model influence the work? Are you directing the shoots or is it a two way effort?

This is one of the most interesting parts. Throughout my 13 years of photography I realized that although I have many ideas and want to execute them, everything flows better when the construction is together with the model. So of course there is a bit of direction on my part, but in a very light way, very free, because I want to create what I imagined but I also want to capture the feeling of the model, it is she who sets the tone, I really believe it is a joint construction and that is why the pieces are always unique.

Your descriptions of your Elements nfts are intriguing poems. Do you write them before, during or after the shoot?

The first art I discovered in life was creating poems. I have always written and created with words and in the NFTs I realized that this could amplify the power of understanding and depth of my pieces. I make poetry with light and why not complement it with words? They are made after the photographs. I look at the pieces, at the collection, and start writing what I feel, what it represents to me. It’s a delightful process!

When you are not making beautiful art, what else do you do to relax and have fun?

My biggest distraction is creating. Not only with photography but with poetry, movies etc.

But I am also passionate about music, I have a collection of vinyl records and when I want to switch off this is my escape. I have a little room just for that, my oasis haha

I play good music, smoke a Marijuana, write down some thoughts and relax.

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