In the Artist’s Words: Mark Knol’s Latest PFP, Dropping on Etherlink

Mark Knol is a generative artist who has been dropping amazing art on Tezos since 2021. Now at long last his work is available to the ETH community via his upcoming drop on Etherlink. ‘Mutant Digital Clan of the undead Lunatics’ is a 2K PFP collection, created in collaboration with the Etherlink team. Read on to learn more about the project, and the artist behind it.

Creative coding​​

Mark Knol is a professional developer and generative artist. He describes himself as a “creative coder”, and has been creating generative art projects for well over a decade. 

Coding has been my primary creative outlet for over 15 years. While I also play guitar for enjoyment, programming is where I express myself artistically. The blend of logic and creativity in code has become second nature to me. 

Smolskulls is probably his most well-known work: a generative PFP collection launched on Tezos in 2021. The visually striking collection was a big hit in the Tezos community and is still much-loved today. In Mark’s eyes, the best PFP projects have some kind of personal touch, something that the audience can connect with.

SMOLSKULLS succeeded by its design of a perfect simple balance between pixel and vector art. The art is simple to understand: It is a smol skull. Also being one of the first in this generative PFP category on fxhash gave it a unique position, I am very grateful to be so lucky there.

I think my art resonates with collectors who appreciate algorithmic art, as it ironically shows a human touch in the art.

Onchain zombies

This latest drop is pretty different from Mark’s wider practice, where pattern and abstraction are common. 

This collection is a departure from my previous abstract works. It's illustrative and very direct, yet has a generative approach. Every piece is crafted purely through code - no images created with photoshop or AI - creating subtle variations that make each piece unique. It's great to experiment. Coding zombies was a nice challenge. 

‘Mutant Digital Clan of the undead Lunatics’ is a PFP project steeped in lore. Each character is an undead spirit who has been roaming earth for hundreds of years. These kinds of unique stories are part of what brings this tech to life, opening up creative possibilities for how we think about blockchain.

The concept emerged from the shadows of digital realms, where I envisioned undead entities manifesting through code. The mythology naturally intertwines with the blockchain technology for which it was created—both being eternal, immutable forces.

The zombies are thrilled to be unleashed. They will come in several archetypes, each Etherlink-themed and not always conventionally pretty. They are intentionally broken by design.

A multichain future for artists

Mark is hopeful about the future of NFTs, both on Tezos and Ethereum. The opportunities for creatives in this space will hopefully continue to grow and evolve as the space develops.

Etherlink presents an exciting opportunity to bridge two vibrant ecosystems - Ethereum and Tezos. I'm very curious where it will head as we continue to push the boundaries of creativity in this digital realm.

I hope for creators there will be more expressive tools, a richer environment and it will be more accessible for everyone. I hope (generative) art, NFTs, crypto, and what we now try to call "web3" will be more understood. The technology should serve the art, not define it. 

‘Mutant Digital Clan of the undead Lunatics’ is minting on Rarible from November 8 to 12, and the public mint is priced at 5XTZ. (For info on bridging to Etherlink, check out this article).