#3.0: NFTs, art and the reimagination of human connection
How NFTs are re-imagining emotional connection with art.
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Van Gogh, the GOAT.
Sifting through history, you will struggle to find someone who does not hold Vincent Van Gogh as one of the GOATs in art.
Vincent Van Gogh was one of the most beloved painters, one who channelled the pain of his life to elucidate incredible beauty he sought to pursue in his life. The way his paint strokes elicits intense emotions to all observers has been the source of profound admiration since his death in 1890.
Through his paintings, we travel through time.
I want to make drawings that move some people… whether in figures or in landscapes, I would like to express not something sentimentally melancholic, but deep sorrow. In short, I want to reach the point where people say of my work: “that man feels deeply…”
- Vincent Van Gogh, the Hague, 1882
Today, we see Art NFTs re-imagining how art is being produced, how people connect to art, and most importantly, how collectors are able organise behind artists themselves.
Art Blocks: Blockchain emboldening next-gen art
Art Blocks is one of those projects sitting on this cultural paradigm: a new platform for artists to launch their art collections, described here via their ELI5:
Art Blocks is a first of its kind platform focused on genuinely programmable on demand generative content that is stored immutably on the Ethereum Blockchain.
You pick a style that you like, pay for the work, and a randomly generated version of the content is created by an algorithm and sent to your Ethereum account. The resulting piece might be a static image, 3D model, or an interactive experience. Each output is different and there are endless possibilities for the types of content that can be created on the platform.
Basically, Art Blocks is a platform where generative artists (artists who use code to create their pieces) can launch projects and where collectors can jump on and mint any of the pieces.
Take a look, it feels incredibly futuristic.
And so we are introduced to “Computational Art”, a new type of art that is created with the leverage of technology, but expressed through the aesthetic framework of the artist.
Playing out in front of our eyes is a new artistic paradigm, whereby artists are able to systematically generate pieces of art, and individuals are able to participate and assign value as they see fit.
Zooming out, it’s important to take stock of why this matters.
Much like Van Gogh’s pieces, art has a unique role in capturing the social zeitgeist in their particular period of time.
In Art Blocks, we begin to understand how technology has started to empower artists, and how engagement from collectors is beginning to shift at the same time.
In that way, art actually serves as historians, recording and reflecting a specific moment in time, capturing and projecting cultural sentiment into future generations, playing a role in ensuring that the next generation understands the context of the past.
Art Blocks and the collections that are going live are, in that examination, much like Van Gogh — capturing a moment in time.
Of course, the popularity of these collections are reflecting the cultural importance, with transacting over US$372mm across the platform over the last 30 days.
Starry Night Capital: Institutional interest in NFT Art
Last month, Three Arrows Capital, one of the most prominent crypto hedge fund/venture investors and Vincent Van Dough (“VVD”), a prominent NFT art-collector, announced “Starry Night Capital” focusing on acquiring NFT artworks.
VVD shares the following about his investment philosophy:
It is a lot about aesthetics. If I think something is pleasing to look at, something is fun, or it is evoking some emotion, then all these are signs to me that something is good work and that I would like in my collection.
There is an interesting network effect identified by VVD:
The more people believe in a project, the more value the project actually accrues.
It reminds me of a similar thought by Vitalik:
Institutional participation here should not be overlooked; it may be a byproduct of financial incentivize, but digging deeper, new paradigm for art uncovering in front of our eyes.
World of Women: A conduit for community organisation
Another project that has fascinated me is the World of Women Series (“WoW”), which was launched by Yam as a 10,000 piece collection of “unique, cool and diverse Women, ready to leave a mark in the NFT space!”
Here are some example pieces from the drop:
Above being absolutely rad, the collection was the first to stand for a social cause.
Alongside the actual drop, Yam also set up a WoW NFT Fund, which allocated 15% of all primary sales to be “reinvested in cryptoart”, which is being used to support other female artists to launch their work.
You can see the current collection from the NFT Fund here.
They also have a discord that is absolutely popping.
Beyond monetary speculation, I think these projects unveil something innately human about our desire & ability to stand for something; to organise behind common beliefs and values.
WoW has channelled their popularity beyond just an NFT drop, organising collectors towards a single minded mission for inclusion,
That’s special.
Final Thoughts
In a world that is becoming more automated, those that can elicit emotion and connection will be rewarded.
With crypto art, there seems to be a convergence of “crypto” and “culture” that is paving the way for blockchain technology to stand on itself in broader society.
Resist the temptation to oversimplify what is happening as “just JPEGs”.
If you dig a little deeper, you will see a generation of people proud that they hold these items.
It is honestly more exciting to own a happy penguin vs. calculating the daily yield of another farm.
Overall, we should be proud that more people are being excited, and incentivized, to create and express themselves.
To me, the cultural exchange happening in Crypto Art will be written in history.
NFT Art is telling a story of a better digital future, one that was promised but has been lost in some way during dot-com and web 2.0 eras.
All I know is that what is happening right now is making people feel something: whether for artistic connection, monetary incentives, communal pride or an amalgamation of all of those things.
The truth is that this makes people more active, and that should be celebrated.
I hope we continue doing more to empower others to express themselves.
Here’s to more moments of:
“Woah, someone made that?!”
“It requires a certain dose of inspiration, a ray on high which does not belong to us, to do beautiful things”
- Van Gogh, Saint-remy-de-provence, 1890
Thank you 💕
Long one today, but I hope you enjoyed it ☺️ NFT art has been a big passion of mine, and I think I only got out about 25% of thoughts I have… maybe for another time?
I hope you enjoyed this round-up, feel free to connect with me by replying directly to this thread, follow me on twitter @infinityhai.