There’s an artist named Xanthrax whose work is pretty wild—identity switching, image mutation, blending internet subcultures with art history. Basically, he puts digital images through the wringer across all kinds of platforms and technologies.

His style? There’s no fixed style at all. At first glance, it’s a riot of visuals that almost overwhelms you, but that chaos is exactly what he’s aiming for. Recently, he and Parker Ito launched a new project called “Profile Pictures,” creating on a major NFT platform and the Shape chain.

When it comes to pen names, Xanthrax is pretty straightforward: “I’ve used so many aliases over the years, and I’ve never wanted to make art online under my real name.” He thinks a pen name is as important to online artists as a tag is to graffiti artists: “The name keeps changing. Lately, I’ve been using @id_xanthrax, but I’ll probably switch again.”

Why is he drawn to the Web3 community? And how does that mix of humor and gloom in his work come about? Behind these questions lie his reflections on contemporary image-making, and the threads of art history that influence him.

From internet subcultures to traditional art history, Xanthrax is building a vast image universe. By refusing to stick to any set form, he lets images grow and mutate freely in different contexts—which might just be the essence of digital-native artistic creation.

For people encountering his work for the first time, don’t expect to find a “unified style.” The dazzling overload is, in fact, the entry point.