About Raphaël Erba
Raphaël Erba (@pipouz01) is a motion designer from Lyon, France, who has always been passionate about illustration and animation.
Erba founded the audio-visual production company Alchimeo in March 2006 with two friends. At the time, he was making short animated films for clients between the two services. He tries through each animation to create something new, technically, visually or in the narration. He likes to tell stories through animated loops.
Erba discovered NFTs in March 2021. He quickly shared with an incredible community of artists and was able to make his first sale. He was also lucky enough to be asked to present a work at an auction of NFTs organized by Sotheby’s in October 2021.
His subjects of predilections are mainly oriented around origami, Japanese aesthetics and the relationship to time, but also childhood, through short animations inspired by his 5 year old daughter.
How would you describe your work?
I am a 3D and 2D animator. I love creating animated loops. My work is mainly inspired by my 5 year old daughter. I like to try to imagine how she sees the world, and transcribe it in my animations. Another part of my work is inspired by philosophy, Japanese culture and anime in which I try to push the limits of cartoon and character animation.
How did you get started with NFTs?
As a motion designer for clients, I’ve always enjoyed watching other artists’ work online, and last year I discovered that some of them were creating NFTs. So I got interested in it. I have since been able to get in touch and work with some of them. I then had the chance to participate in an auction for the Sotheby’s metaverse in October 2021, then in the first sale of NFT in France at Fauve Paris.
How have NFTs helped you as a creator?
It helped me to push my limits in terms of animations. Being in regular contact with other beautiful artists on twitter is very inspiring. Discovering that some collectors might want to invest and believe in my work is also very motivating. I try to try and learn something new with each work, this allows me to never get bored and to always have fun with my work.
What advice would you give to creators who are new to the NFT space?
The creative part is only half the battle. The most important thing I think is to surround yourself with the right people on twitter. If your work is impactful enough, people will want to discover and follow the artist and share their work.
Would you join OIX as an early adopter?
Yes, why not?
Follow Raphaël Erba @pipouz01 on Twitter
