How This Artist Created a World of Imaginary 3D Architecture—And Sold It As NFTs

Alexis Christodoulou had masterminded a collection of ethereal renderings, offering them as non-fungible tokens before the craze for virtual art began

Alexis Christodoulou had already garnered a sizeable following on Instagram for his beautiful digital artwork when he decided he wanted to create a collection of his pieces as non-fungible tokens (NFT) last spring.

“I think I got in just in time, before the first NFT craze [began],” says the Cape Town native, who moved to Amsterdam in early 2021 and launched a design firm, Color C Design Studio, around the same time.

In May 2021, he debuted his first NFT collection for sale via the digital art online auction platform Nifty Gateway. Titled Homesick, it comprises nine moving architectural renderings, depicting ethereal, deserted landscapes that feature home furnishings that should feel out of place, yet somehow don’t. It is a love letter to nature—“the natural part of Cape Town that I really miss,” says Christodoulou—as well as to his home country. It also takes inspiration from life in the pandemic and the pressures of work.

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The South African spent three weeks creating Homesick, working 16-hour days along with animator Christopher Cook, an old friend.

Christodoulou, who taught himself 3D rendering a decade ago and has previously worked in advertising and winemaking, says he has been interested in the digital world from a young age.

“I’ve always had this fascination with video games and all these ideas about building worlds, and I never really had a way to express myself in that way,” he says. And then 3D came along, he says, and he toyed with the idea of working as an artist creating renderings for architects. In the end, he became a full-time 3D artist.

Above 'Weekly Wash' is a response to pandemic fatigue. “I had this funny idea to do something that felt like it was in a natural place—like [a spot] close to Cape Town where I used to go camping a lot,” says Christodoulou. The piece is based on the idea of only bathing once a week.

Above '3am' is inspired by work pressures. “I was working so much and getting super stressed. I would always wake up, every night, at 3am—and I would think about South Africa, and miss home.” This illustration is mirrored after a place on the South African-Namibian border: “I kind of imagined myself being in this desert at 3am.”

I got in just in time, before the first NFT craze began

- Alexis Christodoulou -

Above 'Visiting Friends' is based on Christodoulou’s memories of secretly seeing those outside his household during strict Covid-19 lockdown rules in Cape Town, which was akin to hiding in a cave, he says. “When we [my friends and I] were seeing each other, it felt like we were having these clandestine meetings.”

Above 'Saunders Rock' is a reimagining of a beach of the same name in Cape Town, where Christodoulou spent downtime. “I really miss it, because there aren't many places like that in Amsterdam, where you can jump in the ocean, then get back on your bicycle [afterwards] and get back to work.”

A year after the launch of Homesick, Christodoulou is continuing to work on other NFT projects.

“The [NFT] space changes literally every week and every month,” he says. “It seems to be moving towards a more art-focused idea again—after being about profile pictures for almost a year now.”

Despite the popularity of his work—at the time of writing, he has 237,000 followers on Instagram—Christodoulou says he doesn’t foresee his imaginary architecture being created in the physical world.

Above “This collection has got a lot more to it than just being homesick,” says the artist. 'Sick Bay' is also inspired by the new normal. “I got kind of burnt out during Covid, so this was the idea of me basically having to take a break at some point—this was the place where I was supposed to be taking a rest.”

Above 'West Coast National Park' pays homage to the coastal park located north of Cape Town. “Every year, the flowers come out in spring, and the hills [at the park] are covered in flowers—as far as you can see.”

“I never intended for any of these spaces to be real,” he says. “For me, they’re always 3D explorations and ideas that I wanted people to look at and feel like they could lose themselves in for a few moments.”

Here, Christodoulou takes Tatler through the inspiration behind some of the otherworldly designs in the Homesick collection.

Above 'Deadlines' was inspired by the long hours Christodoulou put in at work. “I was sitting at a desk, working all day and all night—I felt so burnt out,” he says. The artist wanted to put his desk in an imaginary space; meanwhile, the clouds symbolise impending deadlines

I never intended for any of these spaces to be real

- Alexis Christodoulou -

Above 'Backyard' is a “hyperbolic interpretation” of the garden at Christodoulou’s parents’ house, where he grew up—“the place I used to go and sit and think”.

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Credits

Illustration

Alexis Christodoulou

Topics

3d design 3d architecture NFT Alexis Christodoulou

Tatler Asia

How This Artist Created a World of Imaginary 3D Architecture—And Sold It As NFTs