Stefano Contiero is a generative artist living in Italy and Germany. A significant role in his inspiration is his mixed cultural heritage. His father is Italian, and his mother is Dominican. Stefano believes that his emotions and feelings play a significant role in his artistic expression. They control him, and he has no control or clue about his emotions until the work is done. He is their hand and their brush.
NFT Granny: “Dear Stefano, thank you so much for taking your time. I like your quote on your homepage “I firmly believe that everything is temporary, and change is the only constant until we die.” I agree with you, but wouldn’t you say that art is not temporary?”
Stefano Contiero: Honored to be here, thanks for having me. They always say grannies are the wisest. I can already tell from this first question! 🙂
I believe before answering, we need to define what is art. To me, art is a way to represent reality. Visually, historically, art is permanent. But the feelings, emotions, and what an artwork can mean for one, are constantly shifting. The reality one lives in changes continuously, so their perception of it.
How did you first become interested in art, and how did you get started with it yourself?
Stefano Contiero: All my life, I’ve been curious about art. I don’t think I started creating it intentionally until 2018, but I have been creating some sort of “art” all my life. When I was a kid, I liked to draw a lot. And in my teenage years, I was pretty active in some early internet forums with photoshop competitions.
Could you tell us more about the story of your project “Impeto” and can you share infos about the unlockable content?
Stefano Contiero: Impeto is part of Foga series, a three pieces algorithm I created in 2019. At that time, I was spending most of my time creating generative art, day and night. I could not think of anything else. Impeto aims to represent that: “A feeling of something you can’t contain or dominate, something you must express: whether it’s fury, love, or passion. Pure energy, madness in the order, and precision in the chaos.” I often get obsessed with my pieces, and Foga is always what comes to my mind when it happens.
Regarding the unlockable content, I always try to add a personal message and thank you to my collectors there, with instructions on how to get a high-resolution file ready to print.
Open on OpenSea.io
Which of your artworks are you most proud of?
Stefano Contiero: I have a very close connection to all of my art. All the works are very personal and intimate to me. If I need to name a few, I would probably say: Dolore, which got recently sold at Poly Auction in China; Fermento, a gift for a dear friend of mine; and Essenza, the first algorithm I was working on for Art Blocks. I fell so in love with Essenza that I decided to hold it back for now, but I might set it free in the future.
Is there an artist you would like to work with? Like a collaboration?
Stefano Contiero: There are many! I have a great deal of respect for pretty much everyone in generative art. They have been my heroes and inspiration for many years. I’m still having a hard time believing that they’re considering me a peer now. At the moment, I’m working on a collaboration with a talented musician from the IRL world, it will be something different from my usual style, but I’m much looking forward to it!
We are curious 🙂 Would you be willing to share any plans of upcoming projects?
Stefano Contiero: Here’s a picture of my fridge. I use that to keep track of what’s upcoming. As you can see, there’s quite a lot in the pipeline! The thing I’m most excited about right now is my next playground project on Art Blocks. It will be called “Saturazione”, it is almost ready to launch! It will be an explosion of colours and shades, a joyful representation of a vibrant, too fast to keep up, life.
Who or what are your biggest influences or sources of inspiration?
Stefano Contiero: For sure, one thing that plays a significant role in my art is my mixed cultural heritage. My father is Italian, and my mother is Dominican. Since being a kid, I’ve been exposed to these two realities, which often sit on the opposite side of the spectrum. This duality is reflected constantly in my art through the colourful explosions of emotions coming from Dominican culture and the classical, polished Italian proportions.
Is there something specific you are trying to express with your art?
Stefano Contiero: As I mentioned at the beginning, art is how I found to express my perception of my very personal reality. It is therapeutical, a way to process and cope with the incredible world surrounding me, which can be terrific both ways!
What do you feel when you are creating new art?
Stefano Contiero: Emotions and feelings play a big part in my artistic expression, but I like to believe I have no control and clue about what they want until the work is done. I’m their hand and their brush. They’re the masters behind the work. My only job is to understand them once the piece is complete.
Do you remember the first time you heard about NFT Art?
Stefano Contiero: I don’t remember the exact time, but I remember reading this article about CryptoArt on Artnome a couple of years ago. I found it interesting, but it wasn’t until December 2020 that I was exposed to the NFTs world. And I fully understood its potential at the end of January, when Dmitri Cherniak released Ringers in the wild.
How do you enjoy the NFT Art you have collected? Do you have a way to display it for example at home?
Stefano Contiero: I was recently gifted a Samsung Frame to display my art, and most definitely, I will use it to display NFTs. I also believe that some pieces need to get printed to be fully appreciated. Now I have only one challenge: Finding a home with enough walls to fill with the artists I admire!
What would be your biggest wish for the NFT Art scene? What is currently missing / not fully developed to reach full potential out of it?
Stefano Contiero: One thing that is important to me is to see more diversity in the NFT/Crypto space. I believe we have a unique opportunity to foster a great, inclusive and diverse environment, which is truly equal and democratic to its participants. Historically, the art world has been hard to access, especially to those underrepresented. It is our duty to now give a voice to those groups who, historically, have been victims of oppression.
We would really like to know, where do you see the NFT Art scene in the future?
Stefano Contiero: I believe NFTs will become the new standard for collecting art. They will complement traditional art, especially for things like proof of provenance and authenticity, while also providing a new home to digital art. I also think that nowadays, NFTs are still quite a niece. I’m curious to see what will happen when collecting NFTs will be as easy as pressing a button for the general population.
Which tools do you use to create your art?
Stefano Contiero: Digitally, mainly Processing and p5.js, or three.js occasionally. In real life, I love to paint abstracts or create with whatever I have available when inspiration strikes.
What does a typical day for you look like, and what do you like to do when you’re not busy with NFT Art?
Stefano Contiero: I’m currently still working 9to5 in my day job. Lately, my life has been quite hectic, squeezing art in any free moment I have. But soon, I’ll dedicate my full-time to my art, and most probably, I’ll use my free time to experience more of the reality, to learn feedback to my art.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Stefano Contiero: Play your own game and just go with the flow.
Is there something aside from art or NFTs you collect?
Stefano Contiero: I wouldn’t probably use the word “collect”, but I enjoy picking up rocks and stones that catch my attention when I’m travelling the world.
What do you feel the moment a project you’ve created dropped?
Stefano Contiero: I feel empty from all the tension and stress that lead to that instant. It’s a cathartic moment, where I let go of a piece of me, donating it to the world, and accepting that I no longer have control over it.
Where do you like to travel?
Stefano Contiero: I love the ocean and anywhere that is warmer more than 25° C.
- Full Name: Stefano Contiero
- Date of Birth: 1st September 1991
- Current hometown: Bassano del Grappa (IT), and Berlin (DE)
- Languages he speaks: Italian, Spanish, English
- What did you want to be when you were a child: Either an astronaut or a pharaoh (I guess the latter wasn’t really an option!)
- Education: Let’s say mainly software development and self-learning interesting stuff
- First Job: Fixing websites bugs
