web3 / 509 posts found
Nine Projects Lifting Web3 Beyond the ‘Crypto Bro’ Norm
Unfortunately, the gender imbalance as it was known in Web2 discourse will still be with us in Web3. For the last ten years, the space has largely been pioneered and dominated by individuals who gravitated toward it from the tech and finance sectors, two areas ripe for criticism on gender inequality. However, while NFT critics and Web3 natives often slam the space for its “crypto bro” reputation, the reality is that there are several women and non-binary individual-led NFT communities that are actively working to upend that image. These NFT projects and Web3 collectives are educating women and members of […]
How Roope Rainisto’s AI Photography Redraws Artistic Boundaries
On April 5, Web3 photography platform Fellowship dropped Post Photographic Perspectives, its inaugural group show headlined and curated by designer and AI-collaborative artist Roope Rainisto. Featuring 500 new pieces from Reworld, Rainisto’s latest collection, and a further 1,000 works from 10 AI artists hand-picked by Rainisto and Fellowship, Post Photographic Perspectives is one of the most highly-anticipated NFT drops of the year. The show sits at the center of several exciting technological and cultural developments that have sparked intense debate both within and outside of Web3’s walls in recent months. We sat down with Rainisto and Fellowship’s Co-founder, Alejandro Cartagena, […]
Sotheby’s All-Male Auction Shouldn’t Surprise Web3
Last week, legacy auction house Sotheby’s shut down the latest auction from its NFT initiative just two days after its March 24 opening. The show, entitled Natively Digital: Glitch-ism, featured 17 artists from the glitch art world, an aesthetic known for its distorted visuals, flashing lights, and erratic compositions. However, the show quickly courted controversy, coming under fire for not featuring a single woman artist in the auction’s roster. “Sotheby’s is pausing Natively Digital: Glitch-ism to redress the imbalance in representation within the sale, and will relaunch with a more equitable and diverse group of artists at a later date,” […]
Exclusive: Bugatti and Asprey Unveil The Most Expensive NFT Inscribed on the Bitcoin Blockchain
The Bugatti family was known for producing luxury goods long before they entered the automobile industry. Rembrandt Bugatti gained fame as a talented sculptor in the late 1800s and early 1900s, while Carlo Bugatti specialized in designing and manufacturing Art Nouveau furniture during the same era. Carlo, father of Ettore Bugatti — who eventually founded the car manufacturing company — once said: “The purest perfect shape of nature is the egg.” This statement has stayed with the family for generations and served as the impetus for the collaboration between Bugatti and Asprey Studio in early 2022. Now, the two iconic […]
Next Up: Five Ones to Watch in April 2023
In 2021, a new creator economy was born on the blockchain. Since NFTs took center stage, artists have achieved NFT superstardom, billion-dollar brands have been forged in just a few months, and lives have been utterly transformed time and again. Yet, the most inspiring thing about the NFT space is the number of artists of all creeds and mediums who have found community and support by embracing this technology. In keeping with our mission to empower creators, we present Next Up — our monthly franchise dedicated to showcasing rising artists. Although the NFT space has changed significantly over the last […]
AI Lawsuits Are Here, and They Could Change Everything
In 2021, OpenAI released the first version of DALL-E, forever altering how we think about images, art, and the ways in which we collaborate with machines. Using deep learning models, the AI system output images based on text prompts — users could create anything from a romantic shark wedding to a puffer fish who swallowed an atomic bomb. DALL-E 2 followed in mid-2022, using a diffusion model that allowed it to render far more realistic images than its predecessor. The tool soon went viral, but this was just the beginning for AI art generators. Midjourney, an independent research lab in the […]
Web3 Touches Grass: DAOs and NFT Projects That Incentivize Getting Active
Consider the anatomy of a common degen: Hunched shoulders, disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes, and a complexion as if the sun had ceased to exist. We jest, of course, because this is simply a caricature that even those within Web3 have no choice but to laugh at. Yet, it is still a prominent stereotype of the NFT space — and one that consumers outside of the blockchain surely believe to a degree. The fact of the matter is that both collectors and creators in the NFT space spend a significant amount of time bathing in the pale blue light of a […]
From Rap to Web3: Heno’s Journey to Ignite Social Change
Ethiopian-Eritrean rapper Heno grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland, at the nexus of multiple worlds. As an honor roll student with street smarts, Heno experienced both the privileges and injustices of his environment. His family’s apartment was located next to his elementary and middle schools, a library, and a police station — a combination of places that would shape his perspective on life. As a child, Heno explains that one of his earliest memories involved a traumatic encounter with the police when they unlawfully entered his home, shining a flashlight and pointing a gun at him. He says he was […]
Uncovering Nakamigos: The Origins, Rumors, and What We Know So Far
The Nakamigos NFT project is raising eyebrows in the Web3 community. After coming onto the scene with a March 23 public mint, the collection took only four days to surpass NFT giant Bored Ape Yacht Club in lifetime trades and has done 5,423 ETH (nearly $6 million) in trading volume on the secondary market at the time of writing. The collection’s success arguably rests on two things, neither of which fail to spark interest in Web3 spheres: the proven track record of its founder and the wildly-speculative intrigue of the project’s origin and associations. Here, we take a look at […]
Do BAYC Holders Really Want Gucci in Their Metaverse?
Luxury fashion house Gucci is doubling down on its Web3 ventures. Although the brand has maintained an elusive presence on the blockchain thus far, the recent announcement of a partnership with Yuga Labs’ coveted Otherside metaverse project has set the NFT space abuzz with speculation. While the companies had previously indirectly collaborated on offerings, this latest team-up is set to be a more robust and ongoing initiative centered within the broad-scale Yuga and Bored Ape Yacht Club metaverse. But, given Gucci’s past in Web3, is this something that will actually be of desire and benefit to those who hold Yuga […]