Frenetik Void in Conversation with Fakewhale
Frenetik Void is an innovative Argentinian 3D artist who crafts a vivid tableau of romantic post-humans and enigmatic creatures set against the backdrop of stark, inhospitable environments.
In the conversation that follows, Fakewhale explores the nuances of his singular artistic process, uncovering the inspiration behind his distinctive blend of surrealism, grotesqueness, and digital finesse.
Fakewhale: Your art uniquely blends surrealism, grotesque, and elegance in a digital 3D context. Can you tell us about your journey towards developing this distinct style?
Frenetik Void: Transfiguring reality is something that I naturally have affinity with. I always try to turn things into something else and live in my fantasy realm. I’m constantly shifting to imaginary words through video games and anime but also it’s something I organically developed from my connection to dreams. I use my subconscious imagery a lot. There are things, shapes, characters that appear constantly in my life, then I turn that into my artworks.
Fakewhale: Many of your digital works focus on human subjects. What draws you to exploring the human form and what are you trying to communicate through your surrealist representations of it?
Frenetik Void: The digital body was the easiest way to portray and transfer the emotions I felt in a very direct way. From one body to another. In this process of projection, these hollow 3d meshes get distorted and fragmented. I need to break them, transform them into something else to make the emotion appear. I think that’s when the body leaves it human form to enter the field of surrealism.
Fakewhale: Your pieces often seem to border on the grotesque while maintaining an unmistakable elegance. How do you balance these contrasting elements in your works?
Frenetik Void: It’s funny because I consciously try to eliminate this obsessive compositional balance but somehow I can’t. The piece is finished when I feel this internal harmony when I achieve this concrete unity. It’s just something that I still can’t let go of. Honestly, I don’t know. I think that I use beauty or elegance filters to digest things.
Fakewhale: The digital art landscape is constantly evolving. How have changes in technology influenced your style or technique over the years?
Frenetik Void: I like to experiment with every new technology so yeah it’s something I’m used to. Having blind faith in my subjectivity is key to grab whatever new thing is out there and use it to express something. I’m currently working with all these “new” AI tools but somehow the creation process is the same. In the end, I’m always manipulating images, processing them to find this or that specific sensation.
Fakewhale: You were one of the early adopters of the NFT space for artists back in 2020. Can you share with us how you first became aware of NFTs and what inspired you to explore this new avenue for digital art?
Frenetik Void: July 2019 was my first mint in Makersplace. I wanted to live for and from my art so I thought, hey there must be a digital way of commercializing all this stuff that I cant stop producing. I linked this to cryptocurrencies. I thought; if these digital assets have value, there must be a logical way to tie this to art. So I did my research and yeah someone had already thought of this haha. The cool thing was that it all came to this through a mental process, nobody told me about it.
Fakewhale: Your popularity in the NFT space surged rapidly. Can you describe how this sudden fame impacted your life and your art? What were some unexpected challenges or benefits that came with this recognition?
Frenetik Void: I think fast sharp paced growth can be tough. I definitely struggled with myself and others. Luckily I can handle my ego quite well because I work on my mental health actively and constantly since a young age so everything turned out ok. I think the best thing I could do was to share all this new knowledge, so that’s when Cryptoarg arose. The community was a very big support to everyone, many of us became really good friends. It was very comforting and stimulating to be part of a new local scene full of talented digital artists. Luckily I could also turn many of the negative feelings all this inorganic bullshit shitshow gave me into art so yeah, can’t think of anything better!
Fakewhale: There seems to be a perception that you have distanced yourself somewhat from the NFT world lately. Can you talk about what led to this change and how accurate you feel this perception is?
Frenetik Void: It’s 100% accurate! I got fed up of the noise the scene emitted. I feel like very few real artists and collectors are actually there, so I started turning into my work and other scenes. I have no interest in pumping likes, or sucking cryptobros collector’s dicks to make a sale so yeah. Better stay off for a while and focus on producing and creating. Real stuff goes for long term.
Fakewhale: Alongside these shifts, some have noticed a change in your artistic style. Can you tell us more about this evolution? What prompted it and how has it influenced your recent work?
Frenetik Void: I like to think that it changes constantly, I get bored easily so I try new things and evolve, mostly because I try to stay sincere with what I’m feeling, and I change a lot so yeah. Definitely these past 3 – 4 years have been specifically intense in many ways, but I like to live that way and let changes, chaos and inspiration flow the best way possible. The cyber hardcore net glitch was always there, I’m kind of extreme and always go from one limit to another, so the contrary of my surrealist calm scenes could be these mad broken digital realities.
Fakewhale: The art world has seen several trends rise and fall within the NFT space. Given your early involvement and deep understanding, where do you see the future of digital art and NFTs heading?
Frenetik Void: The noise will calm down eventually and people that work for long term will keep building. I guess a new run will come, and with that a new inflow, and the cycle repeats itself over and over again. I think there should be a midpoint, something in between traditional art market and this new NFT wave. There’s definitely many things to learn, explore and develop yet.
Fakewhale: Finally, what are you currently working on? Tell us about your future projects.
Frenetik Void: Ok! So, this year I made Sereno de mi Mente. It was my first solo exhibition here in Buenos Aires and I’m currently working on repeating it abroad. I’m excited about this, it’s a big project. At the same time Game Disease is still growing, also really funny and ambitious. I’m taking my time to craft everything slowly. And ofc continuing my main body of work as always, it’s something I can’t stop and makes me feel right so that’s that! 🙂
fakewhale
Founded in 2021, Fakewhale advocates the digital art market's evolution. Viewing NFT technology as a container for art, and leveraging the expansive scope of digital culture, Fakewhale strives to shape a new ecosystem in which art and technology become the starting point, rather than the final destination.
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