DotPigeon is an italian digital based in Milano, Italy. He first became interested in art during his high school years. With over ten years of experience as an advertising art director, DotPigeon started his own Instagram page in 2017 to express his creativity without any constraints. His art draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including street and contemporary art, as well as real-life situations that he has experienced. DotPigeon’s works represent the inner struggle between our outwardly polite personas and our true feelings and thoughts, often using characters to convey this message.
NFT Granny: “Dear DotPigeon – thank you very much for taking your precious time. I like your nickname, but what does it mean, and what is its story?”
DotPigeon: DotPigeon came very naturally from my love for pigeons. They’re such underrated animals if you think about it…you give them puke, and they eat it. If you provide them with lobster, they eat it. They know how to adapt. I think the pigeon somewhat represents my attitude. In Italy when we want to strongly affirm something we finish the phrase with “punto” (dot). So “Pigeon, dot.” (Just a pigeon, full stop). From here DotPigeon.
How did you first become interested in art, and how did you get started with it yourself?
DotPigeon: I’ve always been interested in Art, and I started creating Art, well, maybe not properly Art, when I was a young kid in high school, just for the pleasure of doing it (it wasn’t an art school). Here are some of the design I did back in the day. I still love them. I’ve been an advertising art director for over ten years, working on national and international brands, so I’ve always collaborated with creators and artists to create ads. In 2017 I decided to start my own Instagram page, a place dedicated to myself. There were no client budget constraints, no briefs, or incompetent people to deal with. Just what I wanted to do. And so it began.
Could you tell us more about the story of your project “For the culture”?
DotPigeon: “For the culture” was born from an invitation to participate in a physical group show in London, at Phillips, during the last Frieze week. Since, for me, artists must speak the language of our time; I chose to insert artwork that Phillips had auctioned: Meta. In the physical work, I have included the ‘Hothouse doll’ by Yoshitomo Nara, which was auctioned for an incredible amount of more than $12 million. In the NFT, I included ‘Replicator’ by Mad Dog Jones, which was the first NFT auctioned by Phillips and sold for more than $4 million.
But what is “For the culture”? It is a cry through which I wanted to break into the established world, represented by the luxurious house. It’s a proud stance. The balaclava guy is wheeling, keeping the bike balanced, with his arm raised and his fist clenched. “For the culture” is how subcultures take their due. Like members of dirt bike gangs, the character rides a wheelie on a dirt bike. But slowly, they become part of our social fabric, from being marginalized to becoming the face of the Supreme. The motorcycle then has references to our subculture, cause even if we are mainstream, we are still a subculture often mocked by the establishment. And here comes Pepe, the writings that are excerpts from discussions on Twitter and discord, ‘the long haul’ and the rest. Finally, to close the circle on today’s world, another element is the clothes the character wears. If I had to do it right now, I’d choose another brand for the sweatshirt, but for better or for worse, Balenciaga has been part of our world, and it’s fair to show it.
Open on Superrare.com
Which of your artworks are you most proud of?
DotPigeon: I’m very proud of 99% of my artworks, and I’ll give you a couple of examples of old artworks that embody the meaning of my art. “Killing your ego” is a diptych in which the character points his hand like a gun at “himself” in the mirrored painting. It shows the continuous fight between my mind’s dark and bright sides. The smiling face and the riot one. The other piece is “Burn Hollywood burn”, in which the balaclava guy calmly plays the piano after having set on fire Hollywood hills and having devastated a luxurious apartment. A moment of calm after the rage. Inner conflict between what we show others and what we really think/feel is at the base of my work.
Is there an artist you would like to work with? Like a collaboration?
DotPigeon: There are many! Can you imagine an angry psychedelic balaclava man-made by XCOPY? Or my character raging in a Mad Dog Jones cyber-punk city? Or an ultra-minimal house set on fire together with 0xdgb, or, again, my character hanging out drinking beer or destroying a car with Terrell Jones demons and skeletons? Just to name a few.
We are curious 🙂 Would you be willing to share any plans of upcoming projects?
DotPigeon: Sure, from the physical side, I’m working for ArtDubai. I’ll bring two pieces there. Then I’ll have other two pieces exhibited in a simultaneous exhibition at Dart museum in Milan, Italy and AT CAFA Museum in China. These will be both physicals and NFTs. Then I will be exhibited with other amazing artists on a huge public screen in Hong Kong during Art Basel. Lastly, I’m going to release an Open Edition with Manifold this Wednesday, Feb 22nd, with a burn and redeem mechanism that will allow people to destroy “the bandwagon” (since everyone is jumping on it).
Who or what are your biggest influences or sources of inspiration?
DotPigeon: I don’t have a specific source of inspiration, and I used to scroll an infinite amount of art and design blogs. I love the street, gang-related stuff like Boogie photography or “550” books, and I go to contemporary art museums and galleries. I think the inspiration is the result of all this.
Is there something specific you are trying to express with your art?
DotPigeon: My art is about our continuous inner fight between what we politely show to others – that usually is represented by the beautiful houses decorated with fast, filled with fantastic art and expensive furniture – and what we really think or feel inside, which is represented by the character that is having fun in devastating them, getting drunk or bored. Most of my artworks talk about specific real situations I lived, obviously pushed and exaggerated.
What do you feel when you are creating new art?
DotPigeon: Usually, when I go to sleep, I cannot wait for the new day to begin to start a new artwork or continue to paint one I’ve already started.
Do you remember the first time you heard about NFT Art?
DotPigeon: It was October (or November) 2020. I was watching IG stories, and I ended up in Slimesunday ones. He was advertising his upcoming drop on NiftyGateway, so I went to the platform, and not understanding anything, I decided to write them directly on IG. At that time, they counted something like 10k followers, and the founders ran the account, so it was easy to connect and get involved.
How do you enjoy the NFT Art you have collected? Do you have a way to display it, for example, at home?
DotPigeon: I have no more space on my walls due to physical artworks that are already hung. But soon, probably, I’ll move to a bigger house, and I’ll be able to show my NFTs properly.
What is the most disturbing thing when it comes to NFTs and cryptoart in your opinion?
DotPigeon: Scams and the fact that the space is still so unregulated are the worst parts of the scene. Every day someone is getting scammed, people are losing (sometimes life-changing) money for clicking the wrong link and so on. It isn’t very pleasant and keeps normies out, but we need new faces to grow.
Which tools do you use to create your art?
DotPigeon: I paint everything using my iPad Pro and Clip Studio Paint as software. I use it instead of Procreate because it allows me to work on huge canvases without restrictions since I have to print on large formats for my physicals.
What does a typical day for you look like, and what do you like to do when you’re not busy with NFT Art?
DotPigeon: I struggle to wake up, and I need at least 20 mins of mobile scrolling (checking crypto prices, reading news, Twitter and IG), then breakfast, a cigarette, another coffee, and another cigarette, ok now I can start working. Usually, I paint all day long – I’m slow af – while I catch up with social media and talk with collectors. I try to go often to Plan X (the gallery representing me) and sometimes play tennis. Then I love to go out with friends and/or my wife to have dinner or hang out.
Is there something aside from art or NFTs you collect?
DotPigeon: Wine in my stomach.
- Full Name: DotPigeon
- Date of Birth: December, 30th 1987
- Current hometown: Milan, Italy
- Languages he speaks: Italian, English
- What did you want to be when you were a child: No idea
- Education: Art direction and graphic design degree
- First Job: I worked as an art director in advertising for more than 10 years
