Full-time Cryptoartist since 2018
Painter, provocateur, and pioneer of the crypto art movement. A figure who became as important for what he refused as for what he made.
Statement by Avant.Galerie
Max Osiris is a pioneer. He started his Crypto Art journey in August 2018 with the first generation of crypto artists that are commonly referred to as "OGs".
He quickly became one of the natural leaders of this nascent art movement — a strong, uncompromising voice on social networks who understood instinctively what the technology made possible and what the community needed.
He was also one of the first to organise a crypto art group show in Los Angeles in 2019, gathering the crypto art community at a time when it was very underground — before the mainstream had any idea this movement existed.
In 2020 he was one of the artists banned from the then-dominant SuperRare platform, accused of producing art that did not conform to the standards of influential artists and collectors. This triggered an unprecedented show of solidarity from a majority of artists in the space.
That moment can be considered a pivotal event in the construction of the crypto art movement. It also spawned the Trash Art movement — widely seen as a direct reaction to the platform bannings, and one of the most culturally significant micro-movements in crypto art history.
Continued
Since then, Max has constantly remained on the forefront of Crypto Art, fiercely defending artists' independence and refusing compromise with anyone trying to reproduce traditional art patterns in the crypto art realm.
He remains one of the few artists in the space to openly resist the influence of "whale" collectors and social network influencers — by constantly and willingly taking the risk of being ostracised by dominant actors. In doing so, he became the symbol of the edge of Crypto Art and contributes to preserving its ethos.
His digital collage and glitch signature is very recognisable and has largely contributed to defining Crypto Art aesthetics. He is extremely spontaneous in his practice — one of the first artists to fully embrace meme culture, mixing it with Dadaism.
His art is also a strong statement against the rules governing the traditional art market, and against the cohabitation of art with brands, corporations, and finance. He described his own practice simply: "To create art straight from the heart, unbeholden to anyone or any existing power structures."
He has been described variously as a digital shaman, a neo-surrealist, a transdimensional pop artist, and a psychedelic visionary — and dismissed by institutional gatekeepers, which he wears as a badge of honour.
I saw the massive potential and knew that being one of the earliest artists in the space would be a massive advantage. I started tokenising in August 2018 and have since sold thousands of artworks — classical to contemporary, conceptual, psychedelic. There is no purer form of expression for me. No gallery, no compromise, no whale collecting my soul along with my art.
Max Osiris · Interview, Blockchain Art Exchange, 2020
Joins SuperRare — Founding Wave
Begins minting in August 2018 alongside the first generation of crypto artists. Among the first to describe himself openly as a "full-time cryptoartist" — a title he had to invent for himself.
OG · Second WaveFirst Crypto Art Group Show — Los Angeles
Co-organises one of the first physical group exhibitions of crypto art in Los Angeles at Innerspace Gallery — bringing together an underground community that had only existed online. A foundational act of institution-building for the movement.
Community BuilderBanned from SuperRare — Twice
Removed from SuperRare in 2020 for work that challenged the platform's standards. The banning triggered unprecedented solidarity from the artist community and is widely credited as a catalyst for the Trash Art movement — a deliberate, collective reaction against curation gatekeeping. He was subsequently voted back unanimously when SuperRare became a DAO.
Pivotal Moment in Crypto Art HistoryInternational Exhibitions — Paris, Cologne, Prague, Sydney
Cryptoart Revolution, Paris. Nagel Draxler Breadcrumbs, Cologne. Metaphysical Metaverse, Prague. Future Art, Sydney. The work reaches institutional spaces across three continents.
Global Circuit — Dubai, Casablanca, Riyadh, Miami, Barcelona, Lima
Seven cities across five countries in a single year. Art Basel Miami. Icons of Cryptoart. Solo show "MAX AU CARRÉ" at NFT Factory Paris begins.
Sotheby's New York — "Glitch: Beyond Binary"
Included in Sotheby's landmark NFT art auction. One of the most significant institutional validations of the crypto art generation that started in 2018.
Sotheby'sArt Basel Miami — Live Performance: Dirty Beeps (Gonzo)
Expands practice into live performance art at Art Basel Miami, December 6. New paintings Long Vision and Time Dilation available on SuperRare. The practice continues to evolve.
Blockchain Art Exchange
"I Am Going to ART My Way Out of This!" — in-depth interview covering his origin, philosophy, and the first banning
SRQ Magazine
"Max Osiris and the Crypto Art Rabbit Hole" — feature on his practice, the blockchain art market, and permanence vs. the physical
Medium — Collin Dyer, Esq. PhD.
"Max Osiris: Digital Shaman" — collector essay on his style: "neo surrealism, transdimensional pop, and psychedelic / visionary"
Cointelegraph Magazine
Featured in the Non-Fungible Podcast profile — GameStonks, memes, being banned multiple times, and the art behind it all
Redlion NFT Gazette
"Live Interview: 2× Censored and Banned Artist" — the only artist banned from SuperRare twice, voted back unanimously by the DAO
SuperRare Editorial
"Among the Pioneers" — named as one of the defining artists of the second wave of crypto art, 2018 onwards
Medium — Wang Xiang
"Among the Pioneers" — independent essay on the founding wave of crypto artists and Max's position within it
Artnet
Artist profile and biography — exhibition history, original artworks, and auction records on the leading art market database
The Outer Realm NFT Podcast
"Transdimensional Artist, Crypto Art Provocateur, and Time Traveler" — long-form interview on growing up, the pitfalls of success, and pushing the limits of crypto art
CryptoArtNet
Full artist directory listing across all platforms — SuperRare, KnownOrigin, MakersPlace, OpenSea, Rarible, and more
Transdimensional Pop
A style he arrived at through years of proliferation — work that draws from visual transmissions beyond the ordinary, filtered through meme culture, Dadaist appropriation, and psychedelic imagery into something immediately recognisable.
The Banned Artist
Being removed from SuperRare — twice — was not incidental to his practice. It was the practice. Testing the limits of what a platform would tolerate, pushing against curatorial power, and documenting the results in the work itself.
Glitch as Language
His digital signature — collage, glitch, corrupted images, meme logic — isn't a technique. It's a philosophical position. The glitch is where the system breaks, and breaking the system is the point.
Anti-Whale Stance
One of few artists in the space to actively resist the influence of large collectors and influencers — refusing the transactional dynamic that comes with being patronised by wealth. His independence is structural, not rhetorical.
Meme + Dada
Among the first artists to fully embrace meme culture as an artistic medium — treating the internet's visual vernacular with the same seriousness Duchamp brought to found objects. Irreverence with intent.
The physical paintings and the NFTs are the same practice viewed from different angles — one in acrylic, one in code. Both permanent. Both 1-of-1. Neither subordinate to the other.
Canvas = Token