William Mapan Finds His Voice
Generative artist William Mapan opens up about upcoming drops, recent experiences with racism, when he first thought of himself as an artist, parenthood, what he tells his students, and much more.
Dear Reader —
William Mapan is an artist who lives in Paris, France. His preferred medium is code. He is best known for his long form generative artwork, and in particular for his series Anticyclone and Dragons. Much of William’s work is highly textural and if you didn’t know any better, you might think you were looking at photographs of actual paintings. In addition to his art career, he is also a teacher and a father.
William and I met up virtually while he was on vacation in the French countryside with his family. It was after dinner his time, and he was in the middle of packing for his return trip to Paris the next day. Nonetheless, he felt totally present and available during our conversation. I was struck by his warmth and easy laughter. William is a thoughtful man, and many times after I asked him a question he would pause and look into space to gather his thoughts before responding.
Just beneath the surface of his kind and warm presence, William buzzes with energy. He has an intensity and emotionality to him that was revealed during our conversation. He stays up much later than most sane people to work on his craft. He dances and climbs regularly in order to release his energy. He enjoys sparring and debating with his partner. He feels things deeply and channels those emotions into his art.
During our time together, the conversation flowed naturally and we covered a diverse range of topics, including:
Details of William’s upcoming drop with Cactoid Labs and LACMA (including the previously unreleased name and never before seen test outputs)
Recent racist encounters, and how William channels his emotions into art
William’s take on racism in web3
The story of how William became an artist
What William teaches his students
The work he has done that William thinks is underrated
His relationship with his partner, Camille
William’s film photography hobby and the camera he uses
Underrated artists that William thinks are worth watching
William’s hip hop dance hobby
…and much, much more!
Please enjoy my conversation with William Mapan.
Monty
p.s. If you enjoy this conversation, please press the ❤ button at the top of this post and share it on social. If you have anything to say/ask, please comment on this post (if you’re reading this in your email, you can view the browser or app version here).
p.p.s. William was generous enough to offer a giveaway to one of my paid community members. Anyone who is a paid community member by Thursday, August 17th can enter the drawing in my Discord for an edition of Recursive Painting #2:
This issue is brought to you by my partners at Wild.xyz.
This Wednesday, August 16th, Wild is launching one of their most exciting projects yet:
The Boys of Summer by Mitchell F. Chan.
For those of you who don’t know Mitchell, you should. He is a pioneering artist who was minting artwork on the blockchain all the way back in 2017.
Last week I sat down with Mitchell to discuss his work and this project, plus advice for artists, the balance between making art and making a living, the strange density of digital artists in Canada, and much more. You may listen to our conversation here.
As you will learn from the recording, The Boys of Summer is not just your regular old PFP collection. This is conceptual fine art meets PFP meets interactive gaming. It’s an exciting and multilayered art installation that is perfectly suited to the medium on which it is crafted.
The Boys of Summer is a collection of 999, with a mint price of 0.12 ETH. You can mint it on Wednesday, August 12th at 1:00 PM ET for the allowlist, and 1:30 PM ET for the public.
Sign up for the allowlist here, exclusively for readers of The Monty Report. I am really excited about this collection and I encourage you to check it out!
A Conversation with William Mapan
Monty: You recently shared a preview of an untitled code painting in deep cherry red, and then you posted later that “the red one emerged out of profound anger” and you “wanted to burn the world to the ground.” Can you tell me more about that?
William: It was a classic case of casual racism. It was very casual, but it hit differently with the current situation in France, and especially in Paris, where there are a lot of riots and stuff right now because a young kid was very tragically killed by a policeman.
I was on the receiving end of racism from three people in a row, so I was very pissed. When I got home, I was like, "Oh my god, I'm going to break something,” but instead I chose to open my current algorithm and try to take that off my chest and make something out of this energy and transform it and put it on a digital canvas. That's how this very deep red emerged.
I was looking for these kinds of blood colors. I also made a couple of fire ones that I didn't show. It was much more violent, I would say, so I didn't show those because I didn't want to spread more anger and hate on Twitter, since the algorithm is already good enough at that. So, I just posted this red one, which is a middle ground between what I was feeling and a beautiful artwork. It was good enough to talk to me, and at the same time, it could talk to people as well. So, I posted it.
After that, I was much more chilled. I said, "Okay, it's fine. People are stupid. It's all good. You have a family to take care of. A lot of stuff is happening in your life, most of it is good." So I took a step back. And that's when I made the pink one, La Vie en Rose, and it was a better day.
That was almost a week ago. So, how are you feeling today? What is your mood?
Today's okay. I'm out of Paris. So, it helps to get some fresh air from the city and all the riots and all the debates and all that stuff.
Taking a step back and going to the countryside is a good thing to do when you're suffocating in the city. Maybe tomorrow I will be in another mood.
The casual racist interactions you mentioned, what happened?
It was cabs that didn't want to take me because I was alone and black. They would just look at me from top to bottom and ask, "Do you have any money?" I'm like, "Yes." And they're like, "No, we don't take credit cards," which is bullshit because any cab must take card as a payment method. And it wasn't just one cab, it was three in a row. And there was a guy in the same station as me but he was white and the cab just picked him up, so that pissed me off .
So, that's what was happening. All my life I have been facing this kind of stuff. But with the current context in France and Paris, I was even more pissed than usual.
I will proclaim some willful ignorance right now. I'm not super informed about what's going on in France and Paris right now. You mentioned the police shooting. Can you tell me a little more?
Basically, a 17-year-old got shot by a policeman because he didn't want to stop the car and the police just shot him, which is illegal.
And the next night, a lot of riots started to surface in Paris and all around in France. It is the same story again and again. It’s not a good one, but that's what it is.
France is messed up sometimes and this happens. People need to stand up and it’s good that there are riots I think. There are a lot of debates because the riots are not only targeting the legit stuff, they are also destroying some little shops, which is very bad. But there's just a lot of anger in the country. Often it's very subtle and sometimes it just explodes with one shot.
I would say that compared to America, it's different, because in America racism is a thing that is talked about. It's an open discussion. But in France, it's much more hidden and much more vicious, I would say.
Sometimes, the fire kicks up and then it blows up everywhere. And every time it does, it's just terrible and nothing changes. This is something that really pissed me off.
When I was child-free, I was going to riots and stuff like that, but since I'm a father now, I don't. It can get very terrible and dangerous and violent. So, now that I have someone to take care of, I don't just go on riots anymore.
I know your son is only two years old. Have you started talking to him about race?
Not yet. He's too young to understand, but I will. It's very important to be aware of, and the young generation has to do better than mine. We just need to try to spread as much love as we can and not hate. That's how we're going to survive, I think.
Well, I'm glad you have your art to channel some of your feelings into.
Yes, I think all my life I always did that. I didn't consider myself an artist all my life, but I always find something to channel my emotions — it could be sports, or art.
What sports do you do?
I do hip hop dancing, climbing, and football. Sometimes there's so much energy in me, I just need to make something out of it, and sports are a very good thing to channel your energy towards.
Do you do hip hop dancing on your own or do you go to classes?
I go to classes every Monday. It is very fun. It has a very good vibe as well, especially towards all these racial and class differences. If there's anything very bad, we just try to have a good vibe about it and find a good solution through dancing, through education, and through communication. Dancing is a very good school. I wish everyone could dance because I'm sure we would have way less conflict in the world if everyone would dance.
I'm curious, when it comes to racism, how have you found the web3 space? Do you experience racism in the web3 community, either virtually or IRL?
Actually, no. I'm aware that there is some racism, especially in the PFP communities, sometimes I see bad stuff. But on my part, I've never experienced any racism in web3, which is very good. The web3 that I know is very open, and anyone is free to talk, to express themselves, and I feel like everyone can be represented. One very good thing about web3 is that it’s not only about the big countries — anyone anywhere in the world can create, be seen, and be heard.
Let's pivot and talk about your career a bit. Nearly two years ago, you quit your job to become a full-time artist. For people who aren't full-time artists, I feel like they often wonder what does a full-time artist do? How do you spend your day? How would you describe your job at this point?
I work much more than before, it's crazy. I wasn't expecting that, but it makes sense because as a full-time artist, you don't just create and make art, you have a lot of hats to wear.
You have to meet people, you have to code, you have to buy stuff, you have to go to this exhibition, you have to do communication on all the socials - Twitter, Discord, Instagram. So, I wasn't expecting that. And it is very exhausting.
That's the unexpected part of being a full-time artist. It's not only about making stuff and living the life and being happy about making art, it's also a lot of admin stuff and things on the side, which is interesting.
Sometimes it can be boring if I’m being honest. But I think it's good to have another view of everything. Because ultimately, you have to become a brand and you have to do all this kind of stuff in order to make a living. I'm mostly bad at everything besides the art, so I have to improve in those areas.
I think a lot of people don't appreciate that artists are entrepreneurs -- they're running their own little businesses. You’re the CEO and you’re also the product developer, the marketer, and the accountant. You’re doing all these jobs.
Definitely. I mean you can be an artist and not sell much and be happy. But if you want to be visible so that you can sell you work, you have to put extra work into the mix, which can be exhausting.
As you have become more successful and started to make more money, have you thought about hiring anyone to help you with any of this stuff?
Yeah, I have started to think about hiring one person, especially for social. I'm very bad at social. I don't like to spend time on social — between email, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Blue Sky, whatever…there are so many things.
It could be cool to hire someone. But at the same time, it's very difficult for me to open up. I feel like if hire someone, I will need to give a lot of information about myself, about how I think, and what is my vision. So I would have to structure my life even more, which can be some work, too.
I'm very afraid of this extra work before the work starts to be less intense. I see it as an investment. So, at the very beginning, you have to put in extra work to hire someone and to guide the person to do the right stuff before the person helps you.
I think because I’m not ready yet to do that, I haven’t hired anyone. But that's something I'm keeping an eye on.
I also got some helpful advice from a friend, Tyler Hobbs, who has a team. He told me that the first year, you're under water. And you should make sure to have some space before hiring people. So, I'm not ready yet to make that space. Maybe later.
Well the first step is setting the intention.
You’re a full-time artist, you have a family, you have a kid, and on top of that, you also do some teaching, is that right?
Yes, I teach my former school called Gobelins. It's an animation and art school. I went there in 2011. I think it's good to keep the ball rolling and transmit the knowledge to the next generation and tell young people, "You can do this, don't be afraid of it.”
The classroom is divided in two, it's the developers and the art directors. When I teach art directors, I always try to tell them to see in a visual way, and not in tools. Don't be bound to tools, be bound to your vision, which is much wider. Then from there, you can figure out the tools you need to achieve your vision.
And to the developers, I tell them, don't be bound to your title of “developer.” You're human, and you're creative as well. You can discuss creativity or art or design with your little friends. Don't be limited!
I also teach technical stuff, like WebGL and how to draw with code and stuff like that.
As you were talking about being flexible and not being bound by these constraints, I was reminded of a quote you shared in a recent talk from Bruce Lee, "Be water, my friend." Why did you share that quote in that talk? What does that quote mean to you? How do you manifest that in your own life?
All of my life I have tried to adapt to any environment I was in. I think it helps to try to understand the people you’re with, to navigate your environment, your world, and just make the best out of it. I think “be water” is the perfect sentence to highlight this way of feeling.
[Editor’s Note: I recommend the entire 22 minute talk referenced in this question]
Love that. In my home gym I have a big huge Bruce Lee poster. It keeps me motivated.
So, you do all these things—your art, your career, your family, your teaching, admin, social media. It seems like there must be some things that are slipping through the cracks. What are you not spending as much time on as you would like?
Sleeping! [laughs]
I don't sleep enough. I usually go to bed around 2 or 3 AM, and my kid wakes me up at 6 AM or 7 AM. So, it's not a lot of sleep. It's very little sleep. I need to sleep more definitely.
And besides sleep, social media is definitely the thing I put the least energy into.
Why do you stay up so late?
Because I'm frustrated. I have so many things to do during the day, but then it's nighttime and I did nothing. And I'm like, "Oh, shit, I need to do something."
It’s a bad habit. This is a habit I developed while I had a full-time job. By day I would work for a company, and then it would be night and I would have dinner and watch a movie with my girlfriend, and then be like, "Oh, shit, I did no art today." And so I would spend some time, just for me, just to be happy. So, that's how I started to develop these kinds of bad habits.
And even now that I'm full-time doing art, I still kept this bad habit. I am trying to stop doing this and be like, "Okay, you did nothing today. It's okay. You have tomorrow."
But it's hard, it's in my DNA now. I need to do stuff. And if I do nothing during the day, I feel bad, which is bad, I know, but it's a hard habit to break.
The thing is, once you break the habit and you sleep more, you might get more done during the day.
[Laughs] It’s true.
I think many of us have been there where we know we should go to bed, but for whatever reason, we stay up and we're on our computer doing whatever we're doing. It's like this pull that we can't get away from for some reason.
Yes. And also at night, you don't have any distractions. That time alone, nothing can interrupt you. No calls or emails happen. No kids. I know that I will have two hours straight doing what I want to do.
How did you first get started in code-based art and what drew you to this medium as a form of artistic expression?
After high school, I did a two-year degree, which was very broad. There was mathematics, design, art history, coding, and animation. I just wanted to explore a lot of stuff, and I started coding and animating a lot by night. When I entered Gobelins, the art school, it opened this whole world I didn't know about. I was learning all these different things, and I thought “maybe I can connect all of these things through code” and that's when I started making things on the side without really showing anyone.
Then I got job as a full-time creative developer. I was doing a bunch of stuff, like 3D coding, designing, and animating, but it was all for clients. So, at night, I was like, "Oh, I learned this new technique during my job, why not use it to do something personal and try to do have fun with it?"
In 2015 or 2016 I stumbled upon a generative art exhibition. I didn't even know that term at that point. That's when I was like, "Oh, there is a term for this?!” There is a saying in programming that “the most powerful thing is knowing what you're looking for.” So, learning the term for generative art was a turning point for me. Once I knew what it was, I could do research and I learn more about it, and I also realized it was understood as a real art form.
At that point, I knew I wanted to make generative art, so I started to study composition, texture, and color theory. I'm very obsessive when I start learning stuff — I can spend nights and nights on YouTube, or books or anything I can learn from.
That’s how I started to make art with code. But I still wasn't telling anyone because my full-time job was taking up all my energy, and I didn't want to post on Instagram or wherever, as it would require even more energy for me. So, I didn't.
Matt DesLauriers was very inspiring for me at that point because I didn't know anything about crypto or blockchain stuff. Matt is very good at knowing all about the little niches everywhere. He showed me a bunch of stuff like how to set up a wallet so that I could sell pieces.
At that point, I was making little doodles and selling them for 10 dollars on Tezos. And at some point, people started to support me and push me even more. That’s when I felt like, “okay, people see this as an art, which means maybe I'm an artist.” I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to find out.
That's when I started to call myself an artist, and at that point I committed myself to making art.
You mentioned being obsessive about techniques. Can you tell me about a technique or function or command or something that you've recently added to your code repertoire that you think is useful or fun or interesting?
A lot of my techniques are not very recent. I think people see my progression as very fast, but it's just because I had been building all of the foundations for years, but I didn't have time to commit to art. But now that I do art full time, I can finally execute the old ideas I have had for so many years.
One very important technique that I learned for doing art with code was to consider color not as RGB but as HSV – hue, saturation value – and then you have much more control of the colors. I may have gotten that tip from Matt, I can’t remember.
Basically, that means converting your red, green and blue values into a color wheel and then you can adjust your color wheel in brightness and hue. Sometimes I paint with my real hands, and that was a key point for me to be able to translate what I was doing while mixing colors with paint and bring this knowledge to code with this color wheel that I could move.
I heard you talking about the color wheel on the Proof Podcast. You were discussing the Anticyclone palettes, and when you were layering them over the nighttime background, how you would turn the color wheel a bit to make it work.
Yeah, it's just a magical tool—this color wheel. A lot of stuff on this color wheel can be found in nature. There's a good correspondence and link between nature and the colors that we made up as humans.
You're best known for your long-form generative series, such as Anticyclone and Dragons, but you've also produced a number of one-of-ones. How do you approach the process of creating a one-on-one, which will just be a single output differently than when you're doing a long-form generative set, which will have hundreds of outputs? How do you think about those two differently?
With a long-form, I am thinking much more about a general idea. And within this idea, I try to represent it in different ways. All the outputs in a long form set have to be good. So, the parameter space is much smaller and way more controlled. It has to be well-balanced.
But with one-of-ones, it's just one shot. So, I can just come up with a direction and a feeling and then let the algorithm go crazy, and maybe have one good outputs out of 100. You just need to find the one great one. So I can be much more crazy about the algorithm.
There are so many images in the world, so many NFTs, so many artists creating things. How do you think about making work that stands out that's uniquely your own? How do you bring your soul into your art in a way that makes it really unique to you? I know that's a very broad question. So, feel free to approach it in any way that you want.
For a long time while I was learning to code, I was in discovery mode. I would take a tutorial and reproduce it, and maybe tweak it a little so it was more mine. But now that I have a technical foundation to explore, I no longer take as many tutorials.
I don't know everything there is to know, but I have enough information to explore myself. And If I need to find function on how to convert RGB into HSV, for example, I can look for that on the internet.
But now I try not to look too much at tutorials about how to create certain types of aesthetics. Instead, I try to find my own aesthetics by experimenting a lot. And at some point, the code becomes a part of you.
“Anyone can learn to code…but at some point, once you know the basics, you must shut down everything and find your own voice through the code.”
At some point, your art becomes very personal because only you code like that. It's not coming from tutorials or from a company or from a team. It's coming from you. Only you can do it, it's your voice. You need to find your own voice through the code.
And once I had this breakthrough, I could think in terms of ideas or emotions or whatever inspires me. Maybe my kid does something and I'm like, "Okay, maybe there's an idea here" that I can translate into code. I always try to observe the world a lot and try to interpret it with my own foundation of code. And that's why it's my unique voice because it's through my own experience.
Coding is a very open-source thing. Anyone can learn to code, there are a lot of resources, but at some point, once you know the basics, you must shut down everything and find your voice through the code.
That makes sense. I think there's a corollary in writing as well. You can read all the books you want from authors you love but the only way to find your own voice in writing is to just put away the books and start writing. It takes a while.
Yeah, it takes a while. It took me a lot of time. I've been coding for 12 years, and I only started to learn how to express myself through code maybe five years ago, or something like that. During the first seven years I was building the foundation before I could put together all of the pieces in a way that was unique to me.
What would you say are some of your underrated works?
Maybe the series 1935 that I did with Bright Moments and my early stuff on Tezos.
I feel like things become underrated as soon as people are holding, and volume goes down. So, it can only be overrated if a lot of people are talking about it and there are a lot of transactions. When an edition is low or when it's very early, not a lot of people see it. So, it can be harder to discover. It's not less good, it's just less seen.
Probably your most famous series Anticyclone, each palette is named after an inspiring woman who changed the world or your world. One of the palettes is named after your partner Camille. You wrote, "She continues to inspire me day after day, like a very bright sun." How does Camille inspire you?
We're very different. Sometimes I see things in one way, and she sees it in a totally different way. So that helps me see a much broader spectrum of life. I see more things, thanks to her, because we are very different. When I look left, she looks right.
She’s also very supportive. Because my practice is very personal, it’s very good to have this kind of support. She's really interested in what I'm creating. She always asks me what it means, what's the deeper meaning of my work. She questions me a lot. When she asked, "But why did you do that?" I question myself, and then I will say "I don't know, but I'm going to find out now because you asked."
It’s very good to have someone like her — she’s the best person that I know.
It's an amazing advantage to have somebody by your side who is both supportive and interested in what you do.
Yes. And sometimes we don't agree. I’ll say, "Yeah, it's going to be this sort of blue." And she's like, "No, that’s not a good blue." It’s good because she is as picky as I am. She's very obsessive. She has strong opinions. It’s very good to be with someone like that with strong opinions.
And when it comes to co-parenting, are you similar or different in your parenting styles?
On some subjects, we are different. And on some subjects, we are similar.
I'm much more strict, I would say, and she's a bit more relaxed.
She's like, "It's okay. It's not that bad." And I'm like, "It's very bad. It's not a simple mistake."
But sometimes it's the opposite. She like, "Oh my god, it's very dangerous." And I'm like, "No, it's okay. He's not going to die." So, it's a good balance, I would say.
I think it's good to not always agree with someone. It elevates the debate. And she loves debating with me about anything, which is very good for our souls. We are feeding ourselves.
I agree. It keeps things interesting and lively.
Is it true that French children are not picky and they eat everything?
It's true but I didn't know people said that.
A lot of people say American kids are picky and French kids aren't picky.
Oh, that's interesting. Well, I don't know about the other French kids, but mine is very not picky. He eats everything, except red stuff, like tomatoes. Other than that, he's like, "Yeah, I'm going to eat anything you throw at me."
You’ve been posting a lot of previews of these code paintings recently all in a similar style. I was wondering if those are part of your upcoming drop with Cactoid Labs and LACMA or are you just posting work from your personal playground?
Both. Now I am much closer with the Cactoid/LACMA release collaboration. Two or three months ago I think the code painting was just playground stuff. I was just exploring. I code every day and I try not to be bound to any release on a drop. I'm going to code even if I have nothing. It's actually the best to do that.
But at some point, when I have a release coming, I try to shape them toward a specific goal or specific idea. That's when I tried to make a series. It's no more playgrounds, it's becoming a series, and those are some of the outputs I have been posting more recently.
I have an idea in mind and I need make my code match this idea, which can be difficult sometimes, because you don't have the right tools or right techniques. So usually, I discover a lot of techniques on the go while creating a series.
Can you tell me more about the Cactoid Labs/LACMA drop? When will it be coming out? How big will the collection be? Does it have a name or anything like that?
The name is Distance.
[Editor’s Note: This is the first time the name of this collection has been publicly announced. Additionally, William shared two previously unreleased test outputs from the collection, below]
I almost never think about edition size until the last minute because once I finish the algorithm, then the algorithm will tell me, "Oh, I can support 100 or 500 outputs." So, I try not to listen to the market or to other people.
I just try to listen to the algorithm that I created. It depends on the outputs and the diversity in it. If people tell me they want a low edition, but I see that the algorithm can handle way more, I'm going to go for way more, because I don't want to be bound to the market in terms of creativity. I think it's very bad to do that.
Being a generative artist is very different from contemporary artists where they use their hands like with sculpture or painting, you are much more limited in terms of production. You can make way less stuff in a year than generative artists. Generative artists can make an algorithm for a year, and then have a thousand of outputs at the same time. For painters, that's not possible.
It seems like you're doing a bunch of other stuff. You have a Christie's release coming up. You have an upcoming release with Avant Arte and Cozomo de’ Medici, and that one will include a physical component, right?
Yeah. I also specialize in making amazing physicals. So, it's going to be a lot of exploration, a lot of experimentation, which I love. I love to experiment and discover new ways to create. I can't wait to do that. It's possibly like code painting stuff. I see code painting as a way of painting, but its not just one series, it is a way of drawing, so I can use it for a different bunch of stuff.
The code paintings are very lifelike. They're very textured, and they really do look like oil on canvas.
When you zoom out 5, 10, or even 20 years, what is your dream career look like?
At that point, I want to be part of the discussion in history. I want to do my best for my son. If in his art book, there is a little picture of me with my artwork among a lot of other artists, I'd be proud. I think we are making history right now. We are standing on the shoulders of our elders, and we are continuing the conversation.
I think there's a lot to talk about here and I hope my work will be part of the discussion. I hope I will have had an impact on the future generation, who will look at my work and realize they can express themselves in code. It's not about coding. It's about your humanness and expressing yourself with code. I hope I will be remembered in that way.
Well, I think you're on your way William!
Besides code, I know you play around with other mediums for fun. Do you ever think you'll release or sell work in other mediums?
Yeah, for sure. I think physical painting is on the way. I am making a lot of progress on my painting right now.
And you also dabble in photography.
I see photography as a hobby. I haven’t committed yet to photography. Maybe I never will, I don't know.
But I consider making art with a medium when I start to commit a lot to it and making stuff with the purpose of making art. I'm not at that point yet with photography.
Let's end with some rapid-fire questions for fun.
What's your favorite museum in Paris?
Centre Pompidou, definitely. Pompidou is very big. When you’re there, the air is art. It's crazy. Even the building is a piece of art. There's also a lot of technology stuff in there. They're very interested in computer art and video art. It's a very good museum.
What type of camera do you like to use for your photography hobby?
I do film photograph, obviously [laughs].
I like tactile stuff. I have a new Olympus XA I just bought. It's my favorite thing ever. It just goes in my pocket. There is a flash. I can take it to any party or whatever. With film, I just like the feeling of not knowing. It's like a snapshot of your memory, of your life, and you're going to discover it way later.
In Paris, what's an underrated neighborhood to walk around?
That's tough because it's all interesting. Maybe the twentieth [arrondissement]. It's not super touristy and has much more of a village mood. So, you can just work there and enjoy your life. Sit at a cafe, have a crepe, whatever, just enjoy being there. It's not about shopping. It's not about tourist monuments. I enjoy visiting.
What are some digital art grails that you haven't had a chance to collect yet that are on your list?
So many. Probably a piece from Matt [Deslauriers]. Probably a Meridian. It's very cliché to say that but this is the one I feel most connected to. I didn't have time to collect one yet but I'm going to at some points.
Are there any underrated artists you'd like to shout out to help bring some eyeballs to their work?
There was an exhibition recently called N=12 from Feral File. They are doing a group show with 12 artists. A lot of them are not super known yet but they're very talented. So, check all of them out.
[Editor's Note: The artists included in this exhibition are Elsif, Dan Catt, Nadieh Bremer, ippsketch, Piter Pasma, Lia Coleman, RalenArc, Anna Lucia, Bart Simons, Melissa Wiederrecht, Reva Fan, and Nicole Vella)
What is the music that you're listening to right now and enjoying?
Usually I like to listen to hip hop and classical music. They're very different. When I'm in an inspired mood, I listen to hip hop. I like 90s hip-hop until 2000 or maybe 2010, and that’s when it started to change too much for me.
I listen to classical music when I need to focus a lot or crack a formula or figure out something very specific.
Finally, what's the best French TV show or movie that you've seen recently?
Emily in Paris — but we have a love hate relationship with the show. You can still watch it and enjoy it because it takes place in Paris and it is funny. But you can also see how the people who made it see Paris, which is totally unrealistic.
Well, William, I know it's late and you need to pack. Thank you so much for taking the time to hang out with me.
Thank you for having me. I really enjoyed this conversation because it was not the usual questions that I get.
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