We had a chance to speak with Brazilian digital artist, Leandro Machado, a.k.a. MACHADOXLEAO. His vibrant digital collages combine energic explosions of color with surrealist subject matter to create dynamic and surprising works. In 2020, his artistic career began to take off as he gained a following on Instagram. During our interview, we learn about his passion for music and b-sides and how his journey with NFTs has led him to collaborate with some of his favorite musicians.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you describe your artwork.
My real name is Leandro. I'm 31 years old and I'm Brazilian. I live in a state known as the land of coffee and cheese bread. My art is part of my soul.
Some are dreams, thoughts and inspirations from music I like. I describe myself as someone who has always been an artist. Leandro means lion man ("leão" in Portuguese) and Machado is my surname.
What are some of your biggest artistic influences?
I wouldn't say I still have big influences today, but when I started I was inspired by collage artists like @mr.babies, @emmaginethat.co, and @diviinedesigns. I spent hours admiring their work and dreaming of one day being like them. In the end I followed my own style.
Name something you love, and why.
I love B SIDES. I must have a million B SIDES playlists of my favorite bands. Maybe I feel a little blessed that I can have access to all sides of something I like. It's nice to imagine the whole process. I think I like rarities.
How did you get into NFTs?
I heard about crypto art in July last year. I didn't give it much importance at first. But in October last year, I started looking for platforms where I could sell digital art (I was tired of prints and mugs). Then I found SuperRare. In December I applied and in January I was accepted. Right after that I joined OpenSea and soon after I was accepted to KnownOrigin.
What is the biggest challenge you faced when you were getting started with NFTs?
The crypto art market is a wild market that has eluded me at times. When I was just a spectator, I saw meteoric things happening and I dreamed it could happen to me too. Unfortunately, my reality has been different. The market remains wild and is now super crowded, so don't go into this without professional support and a marketing strategy.
Is there any advice you would give to artists wanting to enter the NFT world right now?
NFT opened some doors for me. I made a lot of money and met people I now work with. I have musicians Anjulie and Angel Haze's phone numbers. Sometimes I feel like I've leveled up, and I’m trying to do something good with it.
I believe that when you receive a blessing you cannot keep it to yourself. You have to help other people. That's the real faith.
What are you working on now, and do you have any drops scheduled?
I'm currently working on a pretty big project with some music artists, and I'm giving out some invites to new artists. I still can't say much about it because my agent might get mad, but I hope to release new works soon on KnownOrigin.
Where to find MACHADOXLEAO online.
Website: machadoxleao.com
Instagram: @machadoxleao
Twitter: @machadoxleao
Foundation: @machadoxleao
KnownOrigin: @machadoxleao
OpenSea: @machadoxleao
Hic et nunc: @machadoxleao
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