When you see a Zhuk painting, there\u2019s no mistaking it as anyone else\u2019s work. The Azerbaijani artist\u2019s style has become a staple of Web3 over the last year, injecting a digital-heavy NFT space with some refreshingly ancient aesthetics. A third-generation family artist, Zhuk brings a uniquely modern lens to classical figurative painting, often depicting the human body as if suspended in water or viewed in a dreamy, flow-like state. This approach allows her to play with shape, contrast, and color in fascinating ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zhuk\u2019s work has been featured in Time\u2019s<\/em> NFT initiative Slices of Time<\/a>, collected by some of the biggest names in the space (including Cozomo de Medici<\/a>), and featured at legacy auction house Sotheby\u2019s<\/a>, a notable achievement for any artist. A deserving honoree of 2023\u2019s NFT100<\/a>, nft now caught up with Zhuk to talk about her work, how she got into the NFT space, and how she\u2019s building a Web3 brand to reach beyond the walls of her canvas painting.\u00a0<\/p>\n In April 2021, Zhuk entered the world of NFTs when she minted Dualism<\/em> \u2014 a piece<\/a> depicting a man seated in a watery environment and evoking Rodin\u2019s The Thinker<\/em> \u2014\u00a0on Foundation. Shortly after, the piece was bought by NorCal Guy, a collector known for helping shine a spotlight on up-and-coming artists in Web3 by collecting their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI learned about the NFT space from the news, and it instantly got my attention,\u201d Zhuk explained while speaking to nft now. \u201cI loved the idea of a space where you can present your work to a wide creative audience. My first step was the Foundation platform, where I was lucky enough to meet a collector who appreciated my work. Everybody knows Norcal Guy! I am very happy to be a part of this space.\u201d<\/p>\n Since that sale, Zhuk has consistently engaged with the community, putting out one mesmerizing piece after another. Amid a bear market, Zhuk\u2019s 1\/1s regularly sell for 15-20 ETH, numbers that seem to defy the gravity of current trends.<\/p>\n As Zhuk comes from a long line of classically-trained artists, she has a natural interest in combining those traditions with her contemporary vision, a style she describes as \u201cmodern with a classical approach.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny viewer can try [my characters] on themselves in order to feel the atmosphere and emotions that I want to convey through the canvas.\u201d<\/p>\n Zhuk<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cMy art is not focused on the human body in particular, regardless of whether it\u2019s female or male,\u201d Zhuk said of her work. \u201cThe image of a character in my works is only a human form, which any viewer can try on themselves in order to feel the atmosphere and emotions that I want to convey through the canvas. I depict naked bodies because this is how we come into this world, naked and in the water, which I also use in my works. Thus, I try to remove the entire material and everyday layer of our life, leaving nothing else but pure feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n Zhuk\u2019s NFT drops often revolve around ancient themes, a conceptual lean perhaps most evident in The Seven Virtues<\/a> and The Three Graces<\/a> collections, which deal in the principles and ethics of ancient Greek mythology.<\/p>\n \u201cVirtue promotes the enhancement of the human person beyond what has been imposed upon us by societal standards, dominant ideologies, and our own wounds,\u201d Zhuk said of the thematic grounding of these projects. \u201cVirtue teaches us that we must think, act, and speak based on moral principles, not based on how society or the media tells us to.\u201d<\/p>\n Zhuk\u2019s plans for the next year are as ambitious as anyone\u2019s and include aspirations to collaborate with artists in the space, sell her work at Christie\u2019s, and build a personal brand in which her art will \u201cextend far beyond the canvas.\u201d And after that? \u201cHave just a little rest,\u201d Zhuk says. It\u2019s not a bad plan; after all, she\u2019s earned it.<\/p>\n Want more NFT100 honoree interviews? Get the\u00a0full list of everyone we spoke with here<\/a><\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nA slow and steady rise<\/h2>\n
A modern lens on tradition<\/h2>\n
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