Channeling Urban Neo-Expressionism in XPSR-24
Embracing Art & Evolving a Movement
It has been said time and time again that art is not a monolith. Art is a constantly evolving reflection of its creators and consumers, an eternally fluid amalgam of its time, place, and emotion.
For the team here at Confiction, when it came time to design a premier collection of art that can be representative of the vast unknowable nature of the RIFTSTORM’s universe – Occultical universe, the decision was based on narrative intent and creative expression. Of its creation, Chief Creative Igor Tanzil had this to say: “Imagine if you lived in a world where everything you do, everything you are, and everything you know is shrouded in secrecy. Imagine a world where monsters exist in the shadows and trust exists in a vacuum. Imagine this secretive world where the lines between heroes, villains, monsters, and men are so blurred as to render their very labels moot. How would you condense all that into one single static piece of artistic expression?”
The XPSR-24 concept was born from that single challenge and is positioned within the Occultical IP to be emblematic of the thematic nuance that the universe seeks to explore. Beyond the pomp and flash of “secret agents shooting monsters,” the Occultical universe is one hidden truths and monolithic organizations who ultimately control the fate of humanity from the shadows. In this world, myths are codified, heroes are anonymized, and all who fall through the cracks simply disappear.
As a concept, the XPSR-24 asset will provide exclusive access to the world for its holders. As a piece of art, XPSR-24 must communicate the humanity behind these secretive organizations, and the dehumanization its operatives undergo to face the challenges of an unrelenting cosmos. To convey this, the team turned to the neo-expressionism movement of the 70’s and 80’s and gave it an urban twist to create: Urban Neo-Expressionism.
What Is Urban Neo-Expressionism?
To better understand Urban Neo-Expressionism as a genre of art, we have to break it down into its core influences. Its origins can be traced back to the early 20th century when the Expressionist movement gained popularity as a counterpoint to Impressionism, the prevailing mode of art of the period. Expressionism marked a departure as artists wanted to bring the emotional human experience to the forefront. One of the most popular Expressionist pieces is “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. Expressionism focuses more on the distorted subjective view of the world, diving deep into the emotional and spiritual experience.
In the 1980s, Neo-Expressionism became an international movement. It was a more brutish style that opposed famous minimalist artworks of the time, popularized by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose enduring paintings were considered wildly expressive and emotional.
Expanding on the Neo-Expressionist movement, the Confiction Labs art team adopted a more urban style for the XPSR-24 collection, drawing on the aesthetic of graffiti and street art that has become an emblem for the post-millennial art of self-expression. Urban art has often been created to challenge the standard for art institutions, historically preventing many marginalized groups from participating in schools and exhibits. As the team imagined the Occultical universe, urban art and Neo-Expressionism’s combined visual approaches naturally aligned with its dark, complex world, dominated by powerful entities and riddled with secrets.
This deliberate aesthetic also mirrors how art and creativity can be subdued or restricted by monolithic entities seeking to divide and label. As people begin living in their own digital bubbles and echo chambers, an art revolution can spur them to think beyond what they have been accustomed to in entertainment. Each XPSR-24 can be enjoyed as the piece of artistic expression it is, and can be appreciated as the first artistic expression of Collaborative Entertainment that it also serves.
Sign up to the FICT ONE: Occultical Portal and learn more about XPSR-24.
Get more insight into Collaborative Entertainment in this interview with Confiction Labs CCO Igor Tanzil.
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