I MAKE MEALS INTO MASKS
“I’m a performance artist who photographs food I put onto my face as masks – and then I eat them.”
Antonius Oki Wiriadjaja – better known as Foodmasku – is one of the most popular NFT artists in the world. The New York Times selected his Instagram as one of the five art accounts to follow in November of 2020. From a video call to viral fame to being ranked as one of KnownOrigin’s best-selling artists, Foodmasku represents the creativity, drive, and authenticity that are hallmarks of success in web3.
His journey to the NFT space started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was on a call with some colleagues of mine discussing how sad it was because several of my live performance shows were cancelled, and one of my colleagues that hopped onto the call had a pickle face filter that they couldn’t turn off. She was a little embarrassed. I was having dinner at the time, so I put a piece of kale on my face and said, ‘Hey, I have a filter on as well.’ And I heard laughter for the first time in ages.”
Within a year, Foodmasku was on Instagram with viral videos with millions of views. He then noticed his content appearing on other platforms posted without his consent, so he decided to research digital content ownership and discovered blockchain and the NFT space. He spent months researching the technology before minting his first artwork – and it sold within 48 hours.
“I even created the first generative photography project on Ethereum called ‘Delectables by Foodmasku,’ which sold out within three days. It still has a powerful community. I’m continually amazed by the level of support that people have given me in the NFT and web3 community – and I’m inspired by how much more can be done with this technology moving forward.”
He believes remaining authentic and staying true to your causes and ideals will lead to success. His audience understands he isn’t simply trying to create digital items to be collected. Instead, each one serves as a time capsule of sorts, a piece of memory to hold onto forever.
As a professor of art, Antonius strongly believes in the power of education – and therein lies the potential of web3 and the NFT space for social change. “Education accelerates equity. We in web3 must remember to educate others to provide a long-term influence on them. As artists looking to enter the space, the first thing to do is understand the technology, which will help you become a better artist in web3. Surround yourself with people who can help you and ask for help when you don’t know things.”
