OG crypto artist Rare Designer has announced his retirement from the blockchain space, citing a lack of creativity and motivation following a series of harrowing experiences in his native Venezuela.
These experiences, which included allegations of targeted stalking and run-ins with corrupt police officers, have led Rare Designer to flee the country, stating that he “just want[s] to spend time with my family and daughter”.
His obligations to the Rare Apepes project will be fulfilled. An external studio is set to be hired to complete the artwork for the long-awaited Apepe Rebirth project, and the development of the upcoming RAK3022 game will be unaffected.
Who is Rare Designer?
Rare Designer is a pseudonymous Venezuelan digital artist, who now resides in an unknown jurisdiction.
He began exploring blockchain technology in 2016, after a French client offered to purchase three of his pre-blockchain artworks, but only if the transaction was in Bitcoin.
Rare Designer minted his first NFTs in May 2017, becoming one of the leading figures of the first wave of NFT art. He made a name for himself through his Pepe-inspired pieces, such as PEPALISA, and through the Rare Pepe Wallet – a tool that allowed users to collect Pepe-based pieces and mint new Pepes on Bitcoin.
Why has Rare Designer decided to retire?
In short, Rare Designer has expressed that he “[doesn’t] have any motivation for this space or for creating art”, adding that he feels “no desire to draw,” and that “it’s not about the money.”
In a statement published on X, Rare Designer explained that Rare Labs – a company set up to build on his products and brand – was created to allow him to “stop creating art and start directing.”
However, he soon felt that “everything started to boil down to corporate meetings, failed decisions, a loss of focus” and more. This led to him feeling “dragged down by the responsibility and pressure of addressing people’s expectations and complaints overriding my principles.”
Though both Rare Apepes and RAK3022 showed incredible promise, a series of distressing situations in his native Venezuela – including an alleged stalking by numerous figures and a run-in with corrupt police officers – led him to flee the country for the safety of himself and his family.
These situations – which he connects directly to his high-profile nature in the NFT art space – “killed my creativity and artistic motivation”, resolving to “throw in the towel” so “I will get my peace”.
Rare Designer closed off his statement by expressing that he is “incredibly grateful to every collector, buyer of my art, those who trusted me, those who supported me, and the Rare Apepes community for being loyal to this community.”
He will hire a studio to take over the Apepe Rebirth designs, and has called the community to rally around Rare Labs CEO @ceotim and support the upcoming RAK3022 game – which he describes as “literally a gem” that “cna attract new investors and believers to the project.”
Bullish on web3. Competitive soul.