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- Kaws releases first blockchain-backed art series
Kaws releases first blockchain-backed art series
Beeple Studios emerges, Frank Stellaās abstract art in the metaverse, plus more top stories
šØ Metaproof Art
Hey friends, this is Sophia from šØ Metaproof Art, the weekly newsletter where we keep you informed on how the metaverse and web3 are changing the art industry.
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š² By the numbers
Experts note the global digital twin market was valued at $6.3B in 2021 and is projected the market size to reach $143.2B by 2030. (Source)
The future of metaverse art galleries is looking bright. Korea-based Gallery Stanās CEO expects that a gallery will be able to trade about 5B won ($4.1M) worth of art pieces through the virtual reality space annually. (Source)
The First 5000 Days is one of Beeple's highest-grossing NFT projects. A collage of 5,000 individual NFTs created for his Everydayās series, it sold for an astonishing $69M (42.329 ETH) in 2021 at Christieās. (Source)
š« News & trends
For the first time, contemporary artist Brian Donnelly - known as Kaws - is releasing a set of blockchain-authenticated works. Done in partnership with Hong Kong-based creative studio AllRightsReserved (ARR), KAWS BRONZE EDITIONS comprises 12 bronze sculpture editions (each with an edition of 250, plus 50 artist-proof editions), celebrating 12 years of collaborations with the artist and the studioās 20th anniversary.
The works pay homage to their past global exhibitions, including the first-ever large-scale outdoor COMPANION sculpture unveiled by ARR in Hong Kong in 2010. Others include works from KAWS: HOLIDAY exhibitions that have taken place worldwide, such as Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei, Mount Fuji, and Singapore. The figures represented include PASSING THROUGH, CLEAN SLATE, BFF, SEEING, and WATCHING, each with varying dimensions; the tallest figure, SEEING, stands at 175 mm or nearly 7 inches. The works are each priced at HK$21,980 (US$2,826), with drawings open on the AARās DDT store until December 19.
KAWS BRONZE EDITIONS use blockchain technology for asset authentication, with each utilizing ātap-to-ownā technology through a chip that is unique to each work. Collectors can verify and claim an accompanying on-chain asset that both proves ownership as a certificate of authenticity (COA) and acts as a digital collectible on its own.
Digital artist Mike Winklemann, known by most as Beeple, has announced the launch of Beeple Studios in Charleston, South Carolina, partnering with auction house Christieās to inaugurate the space. Beeple Studios will feature the digital works of Winklemann and other noted creators such as Fvckrender, Blake Kathyrn, Smearballs, Deekay Motion, Raw and Rendered, Smeccea, Raoulmarks, XCOPY, Ash Thorp, Gmunk, Joshuadavis, and Revillo Stuff.
It will open on March 11, starting at 8 PM EST, where users must hold at least one Beeple NFT at the time of entry and make a reservation. Tickets must be claimed by February 1.
Beeple Studios also offers international digital artists the chance to exhibit their artworks during the launch, particularly via one-minute videos that will be shown on all screens of the experimental space, creating immersive compositions. The upcoming studio is poised to be the first permanent, brick-and-mortar gallery dedicated to digital art.
American artist Frank Stella, known to create abstract works that do not bear any semblance to influences found in nature or society, has achieved much acclaim in paintings and sculptures. Born in Massachusetts in 1936, the practitioner of minimalist forms has received recognition and accolades that include being invited to give the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures at Harvard University in 1984, calling for a rejuvenation of abstract forms in art. Now 86, Stella is keeping with the times, with his āGeometriesā all set to be released in the metaverse to feature 22 unique 3D models based off of the artistās works. The virtual exhibition has been made by metaverse building platform Arheadās team, in partnership with ARSNL, with their version of āGeometriesā as āa new round in the work of the iconic artistā - āthe quintessence of exploration of painting, physical space, and technologies of the future, which makes this series eternal.ā
Azuki is partnering with Bilibili International to explore web3 innovations in anime and media content, the web3 anime universe has announced on Twitter. Azuki, BEANZ and CheersUP NFT collectors will receive an exclusive certified diamond label for verifying their PFP on Bilibili International - a feature powered by web3-native platform Crypto Natty. A new āBilibili cheers!ā badge has also been added to Azuki's Collector's Profile, and Azuki and BEANZ collectors can receive the badge by using their NFT as their PFP. Bilibili is the leading video community among the young generation in China. Nicknamed B Site, the Shanghai-based video sharing website enables users to submit, view, and add overlaid commentary on videos.
Celebrities like Bruno Mars, Ninja, LeBron James, Harry Kane, Ali-A, Travis Scott, Bugha, and many other celebrities have been added to the Fortnite game as skins. A concept artist took the idea and ran with it, creating a skin concept for the infamous Andrew Tate, currently accused of rape and other sexual crimes and constantly under fire for his misogynistic comments. Tate has developed a huge fan base despite the controversies, and while his Fortnite skin might be popular (if it were ever added) experts believe Epic Games is unlikely to promote the personality amid deeply divided opinions about him.
Malaysian public institution University of Malaya has kicked off an NFT art gallery jointly organized by BitByte and OKX and its College of Creative Arts. Open until January 23, the gallery features hundreds of NFT artworks series such as BAYC, MAYC, Azuki, BEANZ, Cyptopunks, Meebits, CloneX, Doodles, WeirdoGhostGang, Mimic Shhans, Origamasks, and ALPACADABRAZ. Among these works, CryptoPunk #3362, BoredApeYC #5032, #5478, #2906, #2331, and Azuki #3768, #7989, #8147, #9459 attracted a lot of attention as blockbuster NFT works of this exhibition. At the exhibition forum, representatives of the organizers believed that NFT is one of the communication certificates in the future digital world, functioning as social chips, asset confirmation, and identity authentication. A University of Malaya professor also harped on the ālong-term development valueā of web3 and NFTs.
The Orlando Museum of Art has announced the opening of the new exhibition āTwentysomethings: Works and NFTs from the Fabio Sandoval Collection,ā said to be a first of its kind featuring a range of mediums that include digital NFT works. Twentysomethings will present works by established and promising international emerging artists, which according to the press release are āprimarily figurative and span various mediums: oil on canvas, spray paint on steel, cement, textile, wood, found objects, and digital NFT works.ā The show will also feature the private collection of Fabio Sandoval, a 25-year-old who has been collecting for the past six years. Artists in the collection emerge from diverse ethnic backgrounds and include the work of several rising stars in the NFT community, including former baseball player-turned-NFT artist Micah Johnson.
š Davosās crypto-powered metaverse museum isnāt the digital art gallery weāve been waiting for
At the Crypto Valley Partners-sponsored networking lounge in the annual Davos meeting, attendees can strap on virtual reality goggles to visit the Octopus Contemporary Art Museum (OCAM) designed by ArtMeta, a metaverse and digital display company. The museum, according to ArtMeta, exists on a āmetaverse islandā named Tchan-ZĆ¢ca, which in ArtMeta lore is the āprobable result of several underwater volcanic eruptions.ā
For the curious mind who isnāt in Davos, a browser version is available. Upon picking an avatar, the user arrives in an atrium with a glowing billboard of Crypto Valley events, and the central hall shows walls decorated with illustrations of monsteras, palm trees, kites, and lanterns - the look of a childrenās museum. Off the main hall are adjoining rooms designed by Crypto Valleyās partners, including TrustSawp, a crypto trading app, and Tezos, a blockchain known for its artistic community.
The metaverse museum, according to ARTnews, is not an idea without its merits. Yet: ā[W]hen these digital experiences are ruled by advertisements and poor design, itās no wonder that the public isnāt all that excited for the future of digital art and digital immersion.ā
South Korean telecom giant KT Corp., in its bid to harness advanced cloud streaming technology, has created a virtual art gallery in the metaverse to allow art lovers to explore various artworks regardless of time and place. KT teamed up with local startup TCAG to create the cloud-based streaming digital twin gallery, which made 12 contemporary artists' works displayed at Gallery Stan's exhibition during the Miami Art Week last year accessible in a hyper-realistic space. Without traveling to Miami, some 20,000 local visitors were able to enjoy the artwork for three days starting November 29. Visitors explored the virtual gallery by entering a website on their phones, thanks to TCAG's Unreal Engine 5's 3D-based hyper-realism technology and KT's high-end graphics processing unit on the cloud. Besides art, KT is planning to use its self-developed cloud streaming technology in areas such as construction, architecture, and heavy industry.
Metaverse blockchain company Coinllectibles is collaborating with Apollo Arts Auctions in presenting five fine ancient art pieces together with digital ownership tokens (DOTs). The live bidding for the five lots will begin on Jan 29, 2023 at 12 PM GMT and can be accessed here. Founded by Dr. Ivan Bonchev in 2010, Apollo Art Auctions offers a wide range of art and collectibles for sale including ancient, Asian and Islamic art, as well as ancient and medieval coins. Based in central London, it regularly offers new catalogs to a large international audience of collectors. Lots 1 to Lot 5 in this catalog have been selected for their ābeauty and fantastic provenance to be partnered with DOTs,ā with the buyer of each lot receiving both the physical and digital assets.
The former head of digital at the globally renowned Gagosian Gallery is bringing her formidable art world experience to web3. Susannah Maybank is building Tonic.xyz, an NFT gallery focused on curating generative art collections by providing artists the infrastructure to mint their code on-chain. Maybank co-founded Tonic with Mariam Naficy, founder of online design marketplace Minted; their first collection will launch January 31 to feature a generative art collection from Jaime Derringer, artist and founder of publication Design Milk. In addition to helping artists mint their collections, Tonic will help onboard non-crypto native buyers and other individuals who come from the fine art world, fueled by a commitment to merge the physical and digital through web3 and offer real-world derivatives of the NFT pieces that buyers can display in their homes.
The goal of OnChain Human of Metaverse (HOM) is to become a leading player in the field of NFT standards by creating the first vector 24x24 quality pixel art that is stored directly on the blockchain. Onchain images are pulled directly from the blockchain, composed via smart contract, and then rendered out to a 3rd-party marketplace. Via smart contract, OnChain also allows other people or artists to build on top of the image nd remix it, which fits the principles of community contribution opportunity (CC0) and web3. OnChain HOM is a 5,555-piece generative PFP art project, a CC0 digital collectible and the first record of 24x24 high-quality pixel art to be fully OnChain.
The worldās second biggest cryptocurrency exchange had just filed for bankruptcy, its boy genius CEO had resigned, and millions of dollars were disappearing (or already had) from his companyās wallets in real time with no explanation. Yet back in November 11, 2022, in an old cattle feed mill in the West Texas desert, dozens of crypto culture makers partied and celebrated Chromie Squiggles, the second explosively successful generative NFT art project from Art Blocks. In sync with the tunes of English DJ Jamie xx, some 500 admirers had descended on the tiny town of Marfa, Texas, for Art Blocksā second annual Open House, which gathered collectors, artists, investors, and schmoozers involved in the companyās growing ecosystem. Art Blocks is a 40-person company and growing, boasting a full curatorial team that carefully selects and admits digital artists to debut their collections on its massively popular platform. It never offered a token or exclusive perks but instead provided art and publicly accessible community spaces (both digital and physical) focused on art.
Muartive Yldrm, better known as Muartive, is a visual director and artist who makes digital art largely influenced by industry trends. He creates his art using cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and computer-generated imagination methods to bring themes to life, and he frequently explores the geographical features of the northern and southern hemispheres. Muartive is recognized for using the principles of "cold, stillness, and simplicity" in his work. He is regarded as a rising star in the realm of modern digital art, and his original and inventive works are closely watched by worldwide art organizers and curators.
šŗļø Meet the Map metaverse
Get to know the web3 platform Map, which enables users to organize and showcase the art they own within a virtual environment. It gives them the freedom to decide which art to display and who to connect with, without any limitations. It comprises 1,024 spaces each of which can hold up to 65 artworks of the user's preference. The Map serves as a metaverse that connects collectors in a way that is controlled by the users themselves. Users can add art, film, shows, and any other items they have collected to their space, and the Map adapts and evolves according to their choices and connections.
aMazed Collective invites the public to art exhibitions simultaneously showing in New York City, Seoul, and the metaverse on January 25, 2023. It will feature 27 digital artists and creators, collaborating with two young talented artists on the autism spectrum - Jinli and Lee Kyo Jae - to share the love and passion and make a positive impact through art and culture together. The physical component of the phygital exhibition will take place at 208 Bowery in NYC, with gallery hours from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.
STEM Metaverse, an edtech firm providing learning solutions to students, is celebrating Indian Republic Day through an art competition for school students, where shortlisted entries will be showcased in a virtual reality art gallery. These entries will be open for sale and the proceeds for each sale will go to scholarships. The gallery will feature a 360-degree experience and provide students with an opportunity to showcase their artwork on the topic āMy Vision for India in the 2030s.ā The entries will be judged by contemporary artist Pratap Morey, and schools nationwide are invited to participate in the competition by submitting drawings, paintings, pictures of murals and sculptures, or digital art, to name a few.
šø Finance buzz
Plai Labs, a company that specializes in building social platforms for web3, raised $32M in a seed funding round led by investment firm a16z. Led by former executives from gaming studio Jam City and social platform Myspace, Plai Labs plans to use the funding to expand its team and hire developers, and to reimagine the āuse [of] your AI-based profile and putting it in any situation, like a piece of art,ā with implications for games and the metaverse. (Source)
š£ļø Quote of the week
āWhen you are buying vintage vinyl, or rare sneakers, or Marilyn Monroeās shoes, or a Salvador DalĆ print, or whatever it is, youāre getting something that has no tangible physical value, but cultural value. Thereās like a deep cultural base that thinks Jordan sneakers are worth something, early Sex Pistols vinyl is worth something. And the challenge with all of these NFTs was you didnāt really know that there was that broad, deep cultural base. It was just: āOh, my gosh, somebody just bought one for 200 grand.āā
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All content on this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not aim to serve as or replace expert investment advice.
If you are a startup building in the metaverse / web3 ecosystem and are raising capital, please reach out to Sfermion. Sfermion is an investment firm focused on accelerating the emergence of the metaverse.
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