Born in England, but moved to Australia at a very young age, Remo Camerota says he’s been an artist his whole life.
“My cousin tells me that I was painting murals on the wall at school when I was in grade two or even actually grade one. I do remember painting the Last Supper and a lot of Da Vinci and Michelangelo pictures for the school because it was a Catholic school, and they would be hot all over the place. Every time I was asked, ‘What are you going to be when you grew up?’, it was always ‘I’m going to be an artist.”
In Remo’s world, everything is in the details. He says he remembers the smallest characteristics in his memory, and can recreate them in his works. One of his favorite childhood memories is painting a mural at the zoo, and leaving everyone amazed with the level of detail he could replicate in his work.
He left high school a year early and enrolled in a vocational program in the fine arts school. There he got to practice various means of artistic expression from filmmaking through animation and photography. Thankfully, he’s saved all of his early works and is now thinking of minting them as NFTs.
After graduating from art school, Remo took a rather unexpected turn and got into fashion design. He spent several years as a successful fashion designer in Australia, and won numerous awards for gown and dress design at fashion shows. However, the fashion design industry was too small, so he decided to switch gears once more after a period of looking for a job and feeling underappreciated.
“So I ended up going and being a hairdresser because my best friend was a hairdresser, which then I brought creativity to that too, because we ended up being the first hairdressers in the world to create extensions and whatnot, which was a creative outlet.”
After experimenting with hairdressing for a while, Remo got introduced to the world of glamour and fun in the movie industry.
“I went to New York with my cousin, she worked at NBC and then we were going out with Steven Steven Spielberg, and he's limousines and whatnot, I got a glimpse of the film world and I thought this could be the place to be.”
When he returned to Australia from his trip, Remo decided to enroll in art school again, and he got his first Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art, Photography, and Video.
“I thought video was a great thing. And it was the start of it all. I got my first computer in the 1990s. And yeah, I've been a digital composer, I guess of images since 1992, when I first got my Amiga 2000.”
While getting more and more drawn to the film and video industry, Remo was an active graffiti artist. He has painted graffiti all over Australia. His venture into the graffiti lifestyle and community defined him both as a creator, and as a person.
“That DIY punk ethos still lives with me today. Like, if I can do it myself, I will, if I can find a way to do it myself, then I will. That all comes from me painting on the streets back in the 80s and 90s.”
Later on, Remo went to Victoria College of the Arts, one of the best art schools in Australia, where he got a second art degree in Film and Television. For him, this was the way to bridge the gap between art, video, and his vision for television production, which for him is closest to the style of David Lynch. Throughout his studies, and afterward, Remo has created numerous scripts and graphic novels, and he says that his ultimate goal would be to create feature films of all this work. One of his big passions is special effects, so he ventured into motion animation and editing.
At a later point, his creative journey took him to Japan, where Remo created “Graffiti Japan”, a collection of photographs of Japanese graffiti, and interviews with graffiti artists.
The cover of “Graffiti Japan” Credit:Remo Camerota
He had been passionate about photography for years, but the opportunity to go to Japan and document the graffiti scene there came to him spontaneously. Remo found a book called “Grafitti Melbourne”, loved it, and recognized the style of the photographs as his own. So he contacted the publisher, saying that he would love to be part of the project if they decide to do a sequel to the book.
“So they wrote back and said, yeah, we love your work, because I sent them examples, but we've got a Melbourne book. Have you got any other ideas? I said, ‘Oh, yeah, I want to go to Japan. What about graffiti in Japan?’ There have never been any books on Japanese graffiti, but I know there is plenty because I've seen it. And they said that's a brilliant idea. You're hired, here is an advance, go and do it.”
Remo’s time with graffiti artists in Japan fired up his passion to start painting again, so he fell back into being a graffiti artist, around ten years since he had last done something like this. While in Japan, Remo also met his wonderful wife. He decided to stay there for a while and take in the Japanese culture and art community. In the meantime, he was also hired to do all the visual work for the MTV Music Awards in 2009.
“So while I was in Japan, I was very busy creating stuff, creating animations, painting, photographing books, and it just changed my life completely. And this all came from a wish - I would love to go to Japan.”
How did Remo get started in the crypto world - cryptocurrency vs. NFTs
It all started with the QR code. While in Japan, Remo worked with a company that created custom QR codes for clients. His work there introduced him to Bitcoin in around 2010. While Remo himself didn’t buy any Bitcoin, some of his friends did, but they, unfortunately, fell victim to the disaster that was Mount Gox. Back then Remo was reluctant to believe that Bitcoin was going to be a real thing, and could potentially go up in price.
“Honestly, I mean, back then it was very hard to believe that Bitcoin could actually change the world.”
Around 2012, Remo moved to America and continued his work as an artist, doing gallery events and exhibitions, as well as films. This allowed him to meet a lot of interesting people from the art world, and get introduced to the American art scene. He also ventured into creating big digital display commercials for numerous companies. This, of course, involved a lot of running around LA, mounting and building neon signs, and constructing art installations.
“And then I find out about NFTs in 2017, when they first came out, like crypto punks, and CryptoVoxels.”
When he heard of the success of some of the NFT pioneers out there Remo thought to himself:
“They're just doing it on the computer and not even leaving the house to go and build anything anywhere.”
Back then, minting NFTs was not an easy feat. The web3 interfaces that we have now were not yet created.
“Well, there was no easy way, there was no easy access, like open sea or Rarible or whatever. None of that existed. It was like you had to know how to get your artwork, either physical or from your computer, to their marketplace, there was no other way around it.”
This was a bit of a hurdle for Remo at the time. This meant that minting NFTs would have to sit in the background of his creative focus for a while. Even so, he understood that NFTs will be the future of art.
“As soon as I saw it, I could see immediately the value, the actual value to the artist and the actual fact that you can cut out the middle there, the gallery people and all of that. Just go out there and sell your work to people who want it.”
Problems in the art industry and solutions in the form of NFTs
“In the art world, you've always got someone in between you at the show. You've always got the gallery owner or an agent, the person that's going to say yes or no. And it's really up to them, whether they like your work or not.”
According to Remo, the middleman in the art industry is a big problem. Throughout his experience, he found out that gallery owners and curators look for consistency, and some artists just like to experiment.
“I have a lot of different styles, and they can put me in a box, a nice little box, and say, this is all, you know, this is all his work. So we call it the middlemen because they get in the way. And then they also take a big chunk as well. 30%. And once your artwork is sold, you don't get any more out. That’s that.”
Remo points out that he is not against galleries and art dealers. He just would like to have the option to benefit from further resales of his artwork. And that’s where NFTs come into play.
“With NFTs you can continue making royalties forever. So a platform, taking 10 -20-30% is fine with me, because I know that I'm going to keep getting tips.”
One of the fundamental problems Remo sees in the way NFT marketplaces are working now is their resemblance to traditional art auction houses. While in the beginning, Nifty Gateway, Foundation, and Open Sea started out by supporting small-time creators, who have not yet risen to fame, today, all marketplaces are focusing on drawing in celebrities and selling pieces with pumped prices.
“The problem is, they're selling at lower the cost of purchase. Therefore, they're, they're saying that it's not worth as much as it was when they bought it, which is, you know, a bad step in the wrong direction.”
For Remo, showing his art in galleries will always be exciting, however, NFTs are a new and liberating way to reach more people.
“If I did do a show, I will tie it in with NFTs, it would have to be the only way to do it. But it has freed us from the shackles of middleware and galleries, so it's been a blessing in disguise.”
Can anyone be an NFT artist?
Starting out in a new field or sphere is always intimidating. When he first started thinking about creating NFTs, Remo was a little intimidated by the initial investment. However, this was just the initial shock of launching yourself in a new industry.
“Anyway, that was over very quickly, because within a week I was selling stuff. And I was like, wow, this is actually working. I can't believe it, you know. So I was able to do something quickly and put it out there. And people could see the value of what I called the Cryptobot. So it was an evolution of a project that I had already utilized elsewhere.”
‘Cryptobots’ Credit: remography
Becoming an NFT artist is not as inaccessible as it used to be. Of course, Remo emphasizes that he had experience in trading crypto before diving into NFTs, so he was familiar with crypto wallets and the tech. Yet, he believes that minting NFTs can help artists foster a relationship with their collectors, and make important decisions about their art.
“NFTs enable me and every other artist, to be their own gallery. Simple as that.”
Considering this, it is worth it to focus on reading up on NFTs and the tech and get into the NFT art market. One of the most important things before getting started is having the right mindset.
“See, there is a mindset, I mean, you've got to want to be able to sell your work digitally. So if you're a painter, and a traditional painter, for instance... I always tell them - you can sell the painting with the NFT. You know, you'll probably get more from selling the JPEG than you will from your painting, but then you can give them both because you'll get double. Anyway, when they hear that - that's when I can see their brains ticking over and like - Oh, I see I see what you're saying.”
In this sense, anyone can become an NFT artist, if they have the right mindset to get into it. Minting NFTs does require some technical knowledge, and that’s where most people give up. But if you manage to get how that works, you will see what NFTs are really all about.
Let’s talk about community and ownership
The NFT art community is like no other. It is a new take on what art creation and collecting can be. For Remo, the NFT community is one of the biggest benefits of getting into minting tokens.
“This is the first community I've actually come across where people actually care enough to talk to you, and ask you questions, and tell you they're like, we're gonna look after you and, you know, support you because they like your work and you support theirs back.”
NFTs also help build trust among community members, as they essentially serve as ownership verification.
“It's not only the artwork that people are buying, they're buying the verification, and the validation of the digital signature.”
A great example of this concept is one of Pac’s latest NFT drops. While the NFT represented a single pixel, its’ value came from something entirely different.
“There's this guy, he sells a pixel. He sells a pixel as an NFT. What he's demonstrating is not the actual artwork that people are buying, it's the technology, buying into the whole idea of verifiable, you know, signed goods that can be traded down the line, and always trace back to the beginning.”
Remo on Minty.Art
When asked what he likes most about Minty.Art, Remo was enthusiastic.
“It's a beautiful concept. I think it's quite genius, actually. What's great about it, is that as an artist, you always want to meet the people that you do your work for. So number one, you get to meet people, they'll come to you because they like your work or they want you to create something, or they like your idea, and they want to be part of it. That sense of community is fantastic,”
Not only that, Remo is fascinated with the idea of active participation from collectors. Building a relationship with your fans is hugely important to artists, and Minty makes this communication direct and easy.
“For me, I want to know the guy, who spent a lot of money on it. But often I can't find out who he is. And that's his choice. And that's fair enough. That's what decentralized kind of means in a way. So I accept that. But with Minty, that's not going to be the case - people will get to come over, they might be anonymous people, fair enough, they'll just be an avatar, maybe. But at least you'll be able to have a conversation with them, find out what they want to know, what they already know, what they're interested in…”
Finally, Remo said that one of the best things about Minty and the patronage scheme we offer is the ability to see how works come to life, what is the creative process behind the finished piece, and how much work was put into it.
“We're going to be going on a journey with our patrons all of us are going to be probably, you know, documenting and recording things. Yeah, and those videos for me are gonna be priceless. We'll be looking, you know often I look at some of the work you see the end product, but I want to know how they got there. So for me, it will be the only place where we'll be able to do that, go and have a look at how the person got to the point.”
We want to thank Remo for his time and dedication, and for doing this interview with us, it was an honour. If you liked the interview, subscribe to our blog and newsletter, and follow us on Twitter, to get the latest news around Minty and NFTs.