Cult&Rain Presents #makecultrain Interview Series, with Artist Javier Arres.

Cult&Rain is in full swing and we’re moving fast, so fast sometimes I can barely keep up. But we’re doing this and we’re P S Y C H E D.

Artists collaboration announcement ? — check. Big announcement coming today— check. Hex-box shoe packaging reveal — check. Discord server growing — check. Twitter growing — check…..NFT reveal — wait, hang on, coming very soon…. !

Remember to follow us on discord — discord.gg/cultandrain, twitter — twitter.com/cultandrain, IG — instagram.com/cultandrain & cultandrain.com.

On so to the main event.

This week, I sat down with Javier Arres, a very cool cat, a talented artist and all round super nice guy. Javier was the first artist to sign on with Cult&Rain and as George, our founder, will tell you, it was instant chemistry between the two artists. George has been a fan of Javier’s for quite some time and, honestly, it was one of the few times I’ve seen him that excited. Apparently, as soon as George told Javier of the concept, he was in, much like me actually.

Javier is a world renowned #cryptoartist and Contemporary Artist 2019 London Art Biennale Winner. He is the real deal. He is authentic, true to the craft and passionate about his work. His process is also incredibly detailed and the phenomenal story that lies in each piece is thoughtful, intelligent, purposeful and, down-right fun.

And so, let’s dive into a wonderful mind of a true gent and an incredible artist. Please meet Javier Arres.

Andy —

It’s awesome to connect again. We’re so psyched to be working together. So to start with, I’d like going back to your childhood, was there a defining moment at some point that shaped your love for art ?

Javier —

To be honest, I was always drawing and painting as a child. My mother always encouraged me to draw and paint. In fact, my Grandmother’s brother was also an artist and he inspired me to create and draw, they thought maybe I could be an Art teacher or professor. I remember at the time, being an artist wasn’t a real job and art wasn’t really understood by so many people but I was encouraged to draw and sketch everyday. They really helped me to believe I can be an artist from a young age. I also didn’t like or fit into the art system at University, it just wasn’t for me, and so I stepped away from art and partied a lot. I think I got it all out of my system back then because when I was working as a graphic designer, and in between jobs, I pushed myself to create on huge canvases. I was struggling to get my work into galleries until I switched to large formats, and when I saw it’s scale, I realized — this is my life. Now I feel 100% free to create, I needed space, literally, and I was probably 26 or 27 at the time. It’s a dream to live and be an artist creating what I love and believe in. I have my Grandmother and her brother to thank.

Andy —

How does how does your Spanish heritage influence your work?

Javier —

I like to think my work is like more global than Spanish but there are some strong local influencers that come through. I grew up in Andalucía, in the south of Spain, and I was influenced by the Baroque style and movement. You know, in the south we are Catholic and there are many beautiful cathedrals, which continue to inspire me as well as so many incredible Spanish artists. When you visit these cathedrals the scale of art on the walls and on ceilings is incredible. Seeing the art at scale really helped me to believe I can be an artist and that it’s possible to live my dream. Inside my house growing up, we had a lot of Spanish art on the walls, mostly traditional from Andalucía — landscapes, buildings, cathedrals. I’m also heavily influenced by amazing films and characters from all around the world and you see this is in my art.

Andy —

How did you learn about Cult&Rain and what was your reaction?

Javier —

I was contacted by George, the founder, because he was a big fan of my work personally. George was scouting artists to launch Cult&Rain with, and when George explained the idea to me, I loved it and was immediately in. For me, the idea of playing with sneakers in real life and in the metaverse is incredible. From a young age, I’ve always collected sneakers, because the coolest teenagers growing up had the coolest sneakers. To think my design can be this incredible 4K 3D NFT and a physical sneaker just blows my mind, but this is our new world. It’s a reality.

Andy —

Tell me more about your art for Cult&Rain? What was the thinking behind it?

Javier —

I really liked this space/universe idea and creating a universe of aliens. I loved X-files as a kid and was inspired by weird and wonderful extraterrestrial characters. I also wanted it to be fun, and I was excited to create a panel where there are alien sightings from all over the world, which are connected by red alarm buttons. The aliens all have characters some good, some bad (with warning signs underneath) similar in character to what you might find in Men in Black films. I also love the green color. I love this alien green color and so, with each alien character you can play with funny colors, and ironic expressions. There is humor in the art too, which brings out each aliens character and so, you really have to pay attention to the panel because there are stories for each of the aliens. Every time you look at it, you see something new or you notice something new for the first time, and so, you get taken on this journey as you go through the panel. I like to think it’s very thoughtful and purposeful.

Andy —

Thats so cool. Tell me, how does your creative process work?

Javier —

I usually think in a similar way to making movies or plays. I think in characters first and build the art around a series of main characters. For example, I usually think of a main character, an action or a movement because there is so much animation in my art. From the main character, I love to add many lines (or wires) or buttons to connect one character with a place to another character. We humans love to follow a trail, connect dots or press buttons to see what happens next. We always want to know “if I press this button, what happens next?”, “if I go here, what do I win?” or “Where do I go next ?”. My art is a game, I want you to use your imagination and escape to somewhere new. I like to live free, think imaginatively and open the story where ever it may take you.

Andy —

What are you most excited for in web3, the metaverse or the artistic community in the next 12 months?

Javier —

I’m excited for the decentralization and how empowering this is for artists. I think the metaverse is going to explode in a very positive way this year. I mean it already has. I’m really excited because we are thinking in two universes rather than one and we will see some amazing projects like Cult&Rain come from merging the fashion, tech and art worlds. We have to thank the film industry for opening our minds to the metaverse as many films have paved the way with meta -future type environments. I’m also excited to expand the reach of doing a gallery opening to 1000 people, 5000 people, 10,000 people who are visiting from all around the world at the same time. This is so cool to me and so amazing.

Andy —

Javier, thank you so much. That was a real pleasure. You’re a true gent.