Meet MEK.txt, the artist behind Etherlink’s latest drop on Rarible

MEK.txt is the creative alias of Indonesian artist Michael Alexander — a designer and typographer with a life-long passion for art-making. ‘Chapter00.txt’ is a collection of 512 unique artworks, each created using a library of fonts and characters created entirely by the artists. The artworks are priced at 7.5 TXZ plus platform fee, and the mint runs from November 21 to 25. Read on to learn more about MEK.txt and this exciting collection.

A creative life

MEK.txt studied fine art for many years and became pretty handy at everything from etching to drawing, painting and lithography. While being a full-time artist was always his dream, life kind of got in the way and making a living became a higher priority than making art (a tale as old as time, eh?).

Fortunately MEK was able to put his creative skills to work and he founded SANROK Studio with his friends, where he is the principal designer. Most of MEK’s adult life has been spent running his own design studio, honing his skills as a first-class designer and typographer. 

Text-mode art

It was in 2022 that he found his way into the NFT space, and decided to make a go of being an artist. Since then, he has been a key player in the vibrant Tezos art scene.

‘Chapter00.txt’ is his latest collection, which weaves together images and stories, all executed in text-mode art, which is a kind of subgenre of pixel art. 

On old computers, text-mode displays used a limited set of predefined character tiles to create graphics and text, rather than processing each individual pixel. By combining these tiles, computers could display images more efficiently and use less memory than handling every single pixel on the screen. No surprise that artists have found a way to use this technique for their creative endeavors! Part of the appeal for MEK.txt is the similarity with video-game aesthetics:

“I love textmode since it reminds me of the classic roguelike/roguesim videogame genre that I played like Dwarf Fortress, Angband, ToME, and others. And it’s also nicely aligned too on what I do IRL as a typographer.”

‘Chapter00.txt’ on Etherlink

For this collection, the artist developed his own library of text and image characters, which he used to craft each hyper-detailed image.

The result is an intricate world of fantasy and myth, full of castles, damsels, and epic journeys, all rendered in a style that recalls old-school video games. There is something comforting in the retro computer aesthetic, it feels like we’re temporarily transported to a simpler time. MEK.txt says that the snippets of narrative that appear throughout the collection are designed to encourage the viewer to insert ourselves into the work: 

“I'm not authoritative in determining the story, I love when the audience chips in their own story and experience in interpreting the work, effectively sharing the co-authorship of a piece. 

I have a clear narration and intent for each piece, but I will not share it all with the public.”

A bright future for NFTs

Breaking into the NFT space has been a huge net positive for MEK.txt. It has allowed him to connect with his peers in new ways, and find a global community of art and tech lovers.

“Being someone who is pretty much isolated from the cultural and technological hubs of the world, web3 has been nothing but a blessing. 

The biggest highlight for me is meeting new people, partnering up, and making cool things together, which I’ve done in this space with partners from around the world, from North America to East Asia, from South America to Europe.

And right now I'm partnering up with a good friend from Spain to make DOGGODOG — an indie lab for making digital tools, games, and products.”

MEK.txt will continue to build and grow in web3, making art and growing community. ‘Chapter00.txt’ is live on Etherlink on November 21, minting at 7.5 TXZ plus platform fee. 

For more info on how to bridge funds to Etherlink, check out this article.