Interview: Afroscope

We had the opportunity to interview Afroscope, an NFT artist making rounds in the digital space. Check out what he has to say about art, his creative process, and what he has in store for the future.

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1. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your background? Where are you from? Where do you live?

I’m from Tema, Ghana where I currently live and work as well.

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2. In your earliest memory, what was the first thing that inspired you to make art?

It was either a drawing of a character in a book or a cartoon which I wanted to replicate. I can’t remember which one though.

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3. Why did you choose to pursue art?

I’m a very curious person and so I love to try ideas out when they pop in my head. And pursuing art, for me, is the most natural way for me to investigate an idea or topic I’m hoping to understand better.

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4. Do you remember your feelings when you sold your first piece of art? 

Wow, I honestly can’t remember the details but I was definitely excited and must’ve felt a strong sense of validation.

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5. Who or what is your biggest inspiration/influence?

Nature, Bob Marley, reading.

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6. What is your creative process like?

It’s extremely spontaneous and intuitive. For example when I’m making a collage piece, I tend to just show up behind the canvas, rummage through my collection of images and then allow myself to be guided to pick which ones to cut up and combine.

7. What kind of work are you making now and what kind of work do you want to be making in the future?

Right now I’m making mostly 2D digital collage work, alonge with some physical large scale installations, but I want to be making more 3D, motion design pieces in the future.

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8. NFTs is the craze and a lot of people are asking if it is here to stay. Are you totally sure what NFTs are? What are your thoughts on this digital authentication and is it something you see as the future? 

NFTs are definitely going to play a role in the future of art, tech and the economy. I understand them to a point but I cannot say I’m totally sure what they are. But because of curiosity and learning-by-doing attitude, I’m all in.

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9. When did you start making NFTs? Why?

I started making NFTs in December 2020 because I learned about them around then and simply had to get involved to understand how they worked. Plus, I’ve had interest in cryptocurrency since 2014 but never seriously got involved in the space. And so when NFTs introduced a way for me to combine this interest with art, I just had to hop on the train.

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10. How do you adjust your business with the volatility of cryptocurrency?

I haven’t had to do much adjusting to be honest. I think I’ve come to accept the volatility of crypto as a current feature of the space. Because of this it’s been mostly business as usual i.e. don’t put in more than you’re okay with losing. 

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11. African American art exploded in 2020, why do you think that is and where do you see black art in the future? 

More and more African Americans and Africans in general are beginning to show up authentically in the world and also really claim and celebrate their identities. It’s amazing to see this intentional and unfiltered way of self-expression, considering how much we’ve been violently silenced over the centuries. And so finally we’re slowly earning back the respect we’ve deserved all this while as our contribution to culture globally is finally being recognized. And black people all over the world are also beginning to love themselves and each other more. Thus I see black art continuing on this upward trend as more and more of these positive shifts occur.

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12. What do you think is an artist’s role in society?

To challenge the status quo and bring more beauty and joy into our increasingly polarized societies.

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13. How do you wish to be remembered in the world, as an artist or otherwise?

I don’t know if I want to be remembered.

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14. What are some of your biggest accomplishments in art so far? And what is your ultimate goal as an artist?

Even though I’ve worked with brands like Adobe and have had my work shown in acclaimed museums and at events like Art Basel, I believe my greatest accomplishment is to have made work that moves people. I’ve got countless messages from folks all over the world telling me how much they connected with something I’ve shared and how it helped them out of a dark place or inspired them to create as well. For me that’s the greatest thing about making art and my ultimate goal is to continue doing this.

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15. What are some of your upcoming projects/exhibitions/etc.?

I’m working on some really amazing collaborative crypto art projects that should be dropping early 2022 and I’ve been invited to participate in some of the major art biennales in 2022 as well, and so I’m working on pieces for those opportunities.

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Rapid Fire, quick answer

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Favorite Color?

Black.

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Favorite Animal?

Mantis Shrimp.

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Favorite Artist?

Reez (my younger brother) and Basquiat.

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Mom or Dad? 

Mom.

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Last Meal? 

Waakye.

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One art piece you can not live without? 

None.

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