Ankur Singh Patar has carved a niche in the competitive world of digital art, after migrating to Australia from India. When income from commercial clients slowed during lockdown, Ankur found a new revenue stream.
And his unique, non-repeatable digital images are selling worldwide.
“Non-fungible tokens or NFTs are basically like cryptocurrency. So we put that artwork on a website and people bid on it, and whoever gets that token can resell it, for whatever amount they can get.”
It's a new and rapidly growing area in the global art world. An NFT relies on the same digital ledger as blockchain and is nearly impossible to alter. This provides security to buyers because NFTs can be traded but not recreated.
“So it goes from one creator to an owner, and another. It is like a traditional painting being sold by an artist to an owner.”
Ankur originally made a name recreating a most traditional artwork, by European painter Rembrandt van Rijn.
Ankur's recreated Rembrandt seascape. Source: Supplied Ankur Singh Patar
In collaboration with Adobe, Ankur used stock imagery to recreate The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, a masterpiece painted in 1633. Rembrandt’s only seascape was stolen from a museum decades ago.
Ankur’s recreation gained worldwide attention.
“That project helped me get a lot more clients,” he says at his Brisbane studio. “It took me up to 25 days using 200 plus stock images.”
It also earned him a prestigious Cannes Silver Lion Award. Cannes Lions are recognised as a global benchmark for creative excellence.
Ankur was born in India’s Punjab, and his father is a renowned poet, Surjit Patar.
Ankur aged 4 in India. Source: Supplied Ankur Singh Patar
“Growing up in a very creative household, we had a lot of books and my father liked to sketch, so that’s how I started by copying his sketches,” he says.
He also grew up ‘fascinated’ by Bollywood movies and dreamed of one day creating movie posters.
So it comes as no surprise that he has done several for major Bollywood productions.
“That was probably the most fun I have had, because I could go on set and take photos and conceptualise the posters.
“I also got to meet celebrity actors and actresses,” he says.
Migrating to Australia in 2013, Ankur faced a challenge familiar to many migrants. Despite qualifications in computer applications, Ankur struggled to get hired.
“Finding a job was a lot of trouble, and that is basically how I started my own small business."
Using his digital skills, Ankur creates commercials for major global companies, but has never strayed far from his Punjabi origins.
He is now working on a Punjabi alphabet for children.
“Creating [this alphabet] helps young children understand the Punjabi language,” he says.
“It is always part of me, and I try to put it into my personal artwork.”
He remains confident about the future, despite an influx of younger digital artists.
Ankur's digital depiction of a Sikh warrior. Source: Supplied Ankur Singh Patar
“There are a lot of youngsters who are probably 15,16 doing much better work than I did at that age,” he says.
“But I am constantly upgrading my skills, to stay relevant.
“And I put in as much hard work as I can, so I think the future looks really bright.”
