Sarira Merikhi is a talented visual artist from Tehran, Iran. Her love of lithography has also inspired her NFT works, which are a modern interpretation of this ancient art form.
Can you tell us a bit about your artistic career and how you came to create NFT art?
I have been ready for the art world since I was a child in an artistic family, my father (Ali Merikhi) was a cartoonist and a professor at Tehran University of Art. Since childhood, he introduced me to different art styles and made me interested in authentic Iranian art. I got a bachelor's degree in graphic design at the university and I consider myself a visual artist. Regarding entering NFT, one of my friends, who was an NFT trader, suggested to me that because I work in a certain style and it does not exist in NFTs, he can help me to enter the world of NFT. I want to display my works in that space and get to know the culture there, and I entered the NFT space from almost the end of 2021, and it has been a very enjoyable experience so far.
When did you decide to establish yourself as an artist and what type of artwork do you most enjoy creating?
It is true that I entered in NFTs from the end of 2021 and even very soon my works were collected by collectors, but until a few months ago that I did not resign from my main job in the real space and put all my focus on NFTs, I did not recognize myself as an NFT artist. I am very interested in pop art, and one of my idols is Warhol, and I am very interested in the old Iranian lithography style, and my father had a great influence on this interest. That's why I do digital lithography and often combine it with pop art. Each of my pieces has a great story behind it. 3. Have you also gained experience in the classical art market? If yes, which ones? Winner of Kharazmi Festival Award, first person in Tehran and second place in the country – 2015 Winner of Fajr Festival in the selected section of judges – 2017 Winner of the Visual Arts Festival – 2015 Selling some works to Mr. Reza Olia’s gallery owner in Florida Sell some works to galleries in Sweden
Can you give us some insight into your creative process when creating NFT art?
What tools and technologies do you use? In fact, I am influenced and inspired by the events around me, and also by mythological stories and mythical characters. I often create my works with iPad and Procreate software.
What is the story behind your artwork Arash?
Arash the Archer is a heroic archer-figure of Iranian mythology. As a warrior of King Manuchehr (the legendary king of Ancient Persia) who was referred to as the last king of the Age of Gods in West Asia. he brought an end to the war between Persia and Turan that had spanned for 60 years. The brave warrior of salvation, who bestowed peace and tranquility to the people of both countries. He accomplished the great feat of saving thousands of people during the battle.
According to Persian folklore, the boundary between Iran and Turan was set by an arrow launched by Arash, after he put his own life in the arrow's launch. The arrow was traveling for days before finally landing on the other side of the Oxus on the bark of a walnut tree hundreds of miles away from the original launch site atop a mountain.
In this piece, I have placed the mouse pointer instead of the arrow, this story means that now the borders can be moved by a mouse pointer.
When did you decide to establish yourself as an artistand what type of artwork do you most enjoy creating?
I have been able to introduce the art and style and even the culture of the place where I live to people all over the world who look at art as a utility and worship it and from They enjoy reading stories.
What challenges have you experienced so far as an NFT artist and how have you overcome them?
As an artist, the process from creating work to minting and selling it is always a bit stressful, because you might compare yourself to others and your expectations will not be met, but I've learned that I have to focus on myself and that's the most important thing. There is a point that can save you in this market. Once my main wallet was hacked and all my assets were stolen and I had to burn all the works I sold and re-mint and transfer, this process took more than a month and I suffered a lot mentally but Because I have good relationships and a good community in this space, I was able to save myself and keep moving forward.
How did you sell your first NFT artwork and how did you establish yourself in the NFT market?
I sold my first work to a famous collector, I shared my work and his story with him on Twitter and he immediately bought it. Consistency in this market can only be achieved through consistency and daily activity, which I think I did very well.
How important is it to you to connect with the crypto community and how do you use that connection to spread the word about your art?
In fact, crypto and NFT people cannot be separated from each other.
Which NFT platforms have you used so far?
Foundation, OpenSea, SuperRare OpenSea is most common platform for sale NFTs but most for projects SuperRare is a platform that their curators should invite you to able mint there and whem you become a SR artist some how makes you special and collectors got more interest to collect your works and make connections with you Foundation in my opinion is the best platform for artists, because of user friendly website to mint and list or explor around and make profile and collections and the market place fee is much lower than SR.
How do you see the future of NFT art and what do you think will change in the future?
In my opinion, whether we like it or not, Web 3 is the future, and an artist who enters this space sooner has better benefits for both the art itself and the artist.
What is your goal or vision as an artist?
I definitely see my future more than the next 10 years in the NFT space and I hope that wherever they see one of my works without seeing my name on the piece, they will realize that it is my work.
What advice would you give to newcomers to Space or new NFT artists?
Have a hardware Wallet, have your own smart contract, be active every day and your activity is not related to your sales.
Website: sariramerikhi.com
Twitter: @sariramerikhi