Features / 303 posts found
Exclusive: ‘For The Culture’ Solidifies the Rise of NFTs in Paris
When it comes to the many classical established locales of the traditional art industry, Paris, France, has long been the undisputed epicenter. Home to a variety of the most influential creators to ever have lived, the “City of Light” is the place to go when you’re seeking the center stage of the art world. So when NFTs verge anywhere near this historic city, Web3 is understandably raucous with exhilaration. Yet, from conferences to exhibits, few endeavors have captured the unique and budding culture of the metaverse art movement, quite like a forthcoming venture from Artpoint, NFT Factory, and Punk6529. With […]
Why Are People Burning CryptoPunks for Ordinals NFTs?
On June 17, CryptoPunk #8611 was permanently removed from circulation. The NFT, which had recently sold for 54.49 ETH (just over $94,000 at the time), was soon after transferred to an Ethereum burn address, meaning it can never be recovered. From there, the asset was inscribed on the Bitcoin blockchain as an Ordinal, that ecosystem’s equivalent of an NFT, and then sent to a Satoshi wallet. Moreover, anyone who burns a Punk will receive an allowlist spot for a new Bitcoin Ordinals collection: Ordinal Maxi Biz. The event has raised Web3’s collective eyebrow, and for good reason. Punk #8611 isn’t […]
From Liquidation to “Celebration:” Inside Sotheby’s $17M Grails Sales
For one night earlier this month, the bear market felt a world away. On June 15, digital art enthusiasts packed the Sotheby’s New York showroom for its highly-anticipated Grails Part II live auction, featuring a notable trove of generative art NFTs headlined by Dmitri Cherniak’s Ringers #879 — affectionately nicknamed “The Goose.“ The collection being put to hammer came with a checkered past. Curated by pseudonymous collector Vincent Van Dough on behalf of now-defunct hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC), the artwork became ensnared in liquidation proceedings after 3AC imploded following the Terra Luna collapse. Where many saw a potential fire […]
How Fellowship’s Second Exhibition Shines a Light on AI Video
If the prominent rise of AI art tools in the last year can be described as an uncharted ocean of creative possibility, then the Web3 photography platform Fellowship is one of the boldest and most capable ships navigating its waves. In April, the platform launched Post-Photographic Perspectives, its inaugural AI-focused art show featuring the mind-expanding and socially introspective works of artists like Roope Rainisto, Katie Morris, Jess Mac, Charlie Engman, and more. The follow-up to that show, entitled Acceptable Realities, arrives on July 10 and is divided into two parts, one dedicated to the growing genre of AI video experimentation […]
Exclusive: Adidas Shares Web3 Journey, Teases Season Two of ALTs
Innovation is often the result of audacity and imagination. It was in this spirit that Adidas made its first jump into Web3 in 2021 with Into the Metaverse NFT drop— a collaboration between Bored Ape Yacht Club founders Gordon Goner and Gargamel, Pixel Vault founder GFunk and influential collector gmoney — to welcome Adidas Originals to the virtual world. Since then, the brand has continued to grow and adapt, showcasing that a traditional web2 company can indeed compete effectively with Web3 natives. Formed in late 2022, adidas /// Studio also known as Three Stripes Studio is a unique unit within the iconic sportswear brand focused on […]
Bored Apes Are Dropping in Value. Here’s Why.
After an explosive start to 2023, with open editions, Bitcoin Ordinals, and memecoins abound, we’re now experiencing (another) downturn in the NFT market. While this phenomenon is nothing new for those within the metaverse, the ups and downs seem to be hitting everyone a bit differently this time around. Although crypto and NFTs surely haven’t entered into a new cycle, change has already begun affecting some facets of the market at an alarming rate. More specifically, floor prices of the Bored Ape Yacht Club, a robust and long-time staple of the NFT space, have started to wane. Yet, BAYC NFTs […]
18 Queer Artists Spreading Pride Throughout Web3
If we were to trace a line back through history, stopping to admire the works of influential queer creators of the many eras, we would undoubtedly find that LGBTQIA+ artists are, and always have been, a quintessential facet of the traditional art world. From Haring to Warhol to Basquiat, or even Michelangelo and da Vinci, the impact that queer artists have had throughout the ages is undeniable. While we hold the works of such queer “greats” in unspeakably high regard, it remains paramount to also recognize the contemporaries aiming to carve their name into the annals of art history. Especially […]
Grant Yun on Surviving the Bear Market: “People Who Aren’t Here Are Going to Miss Out”
Grant Yun is a man of many hats. Despite being a medical student by day and a break dancer by night, the Milwaukee resident has managed to make his mark on the digital art market with six-figure sales and auctions at Christie’s and Sotheby’s. His Neo-Precisionist artwork frequently explores landscapes and scenery native to the Midwest and has become instantly recognizable in the NFT space. In a thoughtful interview, Yun explains how he manages time between his art career and studies, shares tips for building a strong collector base, and opens up on staying grounded despite the challenges of the […]
How ClownVamp Is Bringing Queer Visibility to Web3
Artists who use AI tools like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney often catch flack for producing work that is somehow cold, unfeeling, or lacking a distinctly “human” touch. The great irony buried just beneath the surface of this critique is twofold; first in that it glosses over the necessarily collaborative nature of such tools. But the second rebuttal to that kind of decontextualized condemnation contains an almost poetic paradox: after all, the machine learning processes that form the foundations of these programs are part of a field of study that is specifically geared toward replicating human intelligence. In other words, reproducing […]
Now Trending: Established Projects Debuting Bitcoin Ordinals Collections
When Ordinals made their debut in January 2023, they were viewed as a novel but largely passing trend. Just a few months later, it has become apparent that Bitcoin NFTs are here to stay and that their contributions to the Web3 ecosystem are far from just a fleeting phenomenon. More than 11 million Ordinals Inscriptions have been minted, including record-breaking blocks, Punks derivatives, and Cursed Ordinals. Even highly noteworthy projects from other blockchains — like the inimitable DeGods — have started expanding to Ordinals, with other collections soon following suit. The sphere of Bitcoin NFTs has welcomed (and continues to welcome) a slew of newcomers from both […]