An exclusive interview with the Maestro Cesare Catania

In the ever-evolving world of contemporary art, few artists are making as significant an impact as Cesare Catania. 

The Italian painter, sculptor, and digital artist has captured the attention of both critics and the general public with his thought-provoking and innovative works. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Cesare to discuss his journey, the inspiration behind his groundbreaking “Embrace Project,” his role as the global ambassador for National Hugging Day 2023, and his foray into the NFT realm. Join us as we delve into the mind of this extraordinary artist and explore the world he has created through his art.

1) Who are you (short presentation) and how did you enter the NFT’s World

My name is Cesare Catania, I’m an Italian Artist and I usually like to define myself as a “worker of emotions”. And it doesn’t matter in which way I work with them… I can work with emotions with my traditional and physical art, with paintings, with sculptures, with oil on canvas… but I can do that even with digital art, with blender, with NFTs.

And in fact… let’s say that I started doing digital art few years ago, and let’s say mostly for a a double purpose:

– The first one was to better explain my cubism and my informal art. My canvas was a bit cryptic for people and I decided to use animations and digital art to explain them.

– The second purpose was…. I used a 3D scanner for the first time to scan my sculptures in 2017: that’s because some of my collectors would have loved to have one of my sculptures at a much more affordable price. Then I created a copy of one of my sculptures and over there I have an intuition: I thought…. ok… I’m here scanning one of my sculptures….

I could scan my whole collection! Why not? Now I don’t know why I’m doing that … but…. who knows… probably in the future I will need them…

And in fact.. a couple of years later, when NFTs boomed up, I was ready with my all collection in OBJ or 3DS format to be remeshed and remodelled with blender!

And this was the path that I walked before coming into the NFTs World and Metaverse…

Then I started doing NFTs in a much more professional way… With blockchain and so on…

2) Why are NFTs and Metaverse so important to you?

But now….let’s say? Why are NFTs and Metaverse so important?

Let’s say that the concept of Metaverse right now is just at the beginning…. Devices are not ready anymore to give us the possibility to live a 100% augmented reality but that is the future.

And why are NFTs so important? NFTs are the only content to allow people to live the future Metaverse in a full way.

And what is “the future Metaverse”? It will be a real life, the life we are living all together everydays, the life where we are living right now…. but….  augmented with digital concepts, with digital ideas and of course with digital art! Because digital art allows us to dream! right?

But don’t forget…. everything done in an Ethic way.

3) On which projects are you working right now?

And… What am I working on right now?

Well… at the moment I’m working on many many artistic projects, one of them is called “Embrace Project”, which is an artistic and socio-cultural project linked to my art and which has as main goal to support art, science, institutions, literature, obviously…. doing charity…. and we are doing that in an Etic Way!

For that, in January 2023, a few months ago, I was nominated the only Ambassador for the National Hugging Day and I’m trying to spread this message all around the World. The main message I wanna spread is easy and simple: after a long period of a forced social distance my appeal to you is “Let’s-start-embracing-one-each-other-again”!

but… who hugs? People are embraced…. but ideas are also embraced and … what else… visions are also embraced!

and NFTs are visions right now… visions which are becoming reality!

And why am I telling you that? Because right now the “Embrace Project” is entering the Metaverse and NFTs World….

But I don’t want to reveal too much right now… :-)

About NFT.NYC and Cesare Catania

NFT.NYC is a leading annual conference focused on the rapidly expanding world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Bringing together artists, technologists, and enthusiasts, the event explores the latest innovations and trends in the NFT space. This year, the renowned Italian artist Cesare Catania joined the forum to present his groundbreaking “Embrace Project,” which combines traditional art with the digital realm of NFTs. By participating in NFT.NYC, Catania highlights the growing intersection between art, technology, and social impact in the contemporary art scene.

Final take

In conclusion, our illuminating discussion with Cesare Catania has provided a profound understanding of the multifaceted artist’s creative process and his steadfast dedication to both traditional and digital art forms. By combining these diverse mediums, Catania masterfully generates captivating works that challenge conventional boundaries and redefine contemporary artistic expression. His relentless pursuit of inclusivity and social change is evident through his groundbreaking “Embrace Project,” which seeks to unite people worldwide under a collective embrace and promote a message of empathy and understanding.

As Catania’s career continues to evolve, his artistic endeavors are poised to leave a lasting impact on both the art world and society at large. His innovative techniques and visionary approach serve as a powerful catalyst for progress and inclusivity, transcending cultural barriers and fostering a sense of interconnectedness among diverse communities. As we look forward to witnessing the continued growth of Cesare Catania’s artistic journey, it is clear that his influence will resonate far beyond the confines of galleries and museums. Ultimately, Catania’s work serves as an inspiring reminder of the transformative power of art, its capacity to instigate change, and its potential to bring people together in a shared experience of unity and human connection.