NFT

An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a type of digital asset that represents ownership or proof of authenticity of a unique item or piece of content in digital form.

Unlike cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, NFTs are non-fungible, meaning each NFT has a distinct value and cannot be exchanged on a one-to-one basis with other tokens. NFTs are typically used to represent digital art, music, virtual real estate, in-game items and other digital or physical assets. They are created using blockchain technology, often adhering to standards like ERC-721 or ERC-1155 which ensure the uniqueness and provenance of the items.

35 results found for "NFT"

essay

How CryptoPunks NFTs changed the face of digital art

Created in 2017 by Matt Hall and John Watkinson, CryptoPunks were one of the first NFTs minted on the Ethereum blockchain. CryptoPunks quickly penetrated the mainstream, captivating not only crypto enthusiasts but also artists, celebrities and the general public. Today the 24x24 avatars are a divisive status symbol living up to their Punk name.

How CryptoPunks NFTs changed the face of digital art
essay

Are NFTs queerer than we think?

When it comes to diversity, NFTs don’t have the best rep. But the good news is that countless underground and established queer artists are embracing this relatively young art history.

Are NFTs queerer than we think?
article

Avant Arte & NFTs

Avant Arte’s core purpose is to make discovering and owning art radically more accessible. In 2022, we’re adding NFTs to the picture.

Avant Arte & NFTs
essay

Bridging the gap: how 50 years of hip-hop has changed the artworld

This is the story all about how hip-hop and art have propelled each other to global domination. From graffiti on the streets of the Bronx to record breaking auction results, hip-hop giants continue to make waves in the artworld.

Bridging the gap: how 50 years of hip-hop has changed the artworld
guide

What is Generative Art?

Humans have been experimenting with generative art for centuries, but Web 3.0 technology such as NFTs and smart contracts has unlocked new possibilities. Here’s what you need to know about the movement that’s shaking up the art world.

What is Generative Art?
guide

What is an edition?

At Avant Arte, limited edition artworks are our bread and butter. As with many good things, they come wrapped in jargon. Read on for a quick fix summary of everything you need to know to start collecting.

What is an edition?
article

The story behind the KIDS SEE GHOSTS album cover

How Takashi Murakami transformed his painting Manji-Fuji into the perfect album cover for Kid Cudi and Kanye West’s joint project, KIDS SEE GHOSTS.

The story behind the KIDS SEE GHOSTS album cover
guide

How to unlock your Super Cool World print

We are collaborating with Nina Chanel Abney to open the opportunity to acquire a print of her Super Cool World NFT collection. On April 28th, the 48 hour printing window opens. Discover everything you need to know below.

How to unlock your Super Cool World print
article

A Record of Time

For Avant Arte's first curated NFT launch, collector Shahin Tabassi considers the ability of digital art to transport us through time.

A Record of Time
interview

In conversation: Tyler Hobbs

"Can I write a program that creates a painting?"

In conversation: Tyler Hobbs
Artist

DeeKay

DeeKay (he/him) is the artist name of DeeKay Kwon who was born in 1989, South Korea, and now lives and works in San Francisco, United States.

DeeKay
Artist

Snowfro

Erick “Snowfro” Calderon (he/him) was born in Mexico City in 1981. He lives and works in Houston, Texas.

Snowfro
Artist

CryptoPunks

The CryptoPunks were released on June 23, 2017 by Larva Labs, founded by John Watkinson and Matt Hall. On March 11, 2022 they were incorporated into Yuga Labs.

CryptoPunks
Artist

Dawnia Darkstone

Dawnia Darkstone (she/they) is an American artist born in 1990 who lives and works in Mississippi.

Dawnia Darkstone
Artist

Emily Xie

Chinese-American artist Emily Xie (she/her) was born in 1989 and is now based in New York City.

Emily Xie
Artist

William Mapan

French artist William Mapan (he/him) was born in 1988 and is currently based in Paris.

William Mapan
Artist

Jake Fried

Jake Fried (he/him) is an American artist born in 1984. Today, he lives and works in Boston.

Jake Fried
Artist

Nina Chanel Abney

Nina Chanel Abney (she/her) was born in Illinois in 1989. She lives and works in New York City.

Nina Chanel Abney
Artist

Sarah Zucker

Sarah Zucker (she/they/he) was born in 1985 in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. She now lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Sarah Zucker
Print

Digital Chemicals

Glitch art pioneer Dawnia Darkstone casts an illusion of mixed media in her debut print edition.The blooms of colour within Digital Chemicals are achieved by a ‘chemical bending’ process. This method entails applying potent chemicals onto layered magazines, leaving the inks to amalgamate into chemical striations. The motifs form a base of an AI model, which Darkstone has trained to build upon the intricate patterns. The print edition showcases the technical prowess of her process, with Digital Chemicals highlighting a synthetic green and yellow output. These colours are translated into a silkscreened glow-in-the-dark ink layer against a polychromatic palette.Each print is paired with an animated NFT of the same artwork. Claiming instructions will be shared with collectors after launch.

Digital Chemicals
Print

Warothy

Alpha Centauri Kid immerses viewers in a wave of movement in a Warhol-inspired lenticular.Warothy translates the artist’s otherworldly digital creations into a lenticular print edition – a physical manifestation of his renowned glitch art. The edition makes use of recurring motifs from ACK’s practice – bolts, flames, a single abstracted figure or muse. In this instance, that muse is Wizard of Oz protagonist, Dorothy. Elements are layered haphazardly on top of one another, resulting in a graphic portrait reminiscent of a Dada collage, with colours akin to an Andy Warhol design. The viewer is invited to directly engage with the piece, becoming an active participant in the various illusions offered by Warothy.Each print is paired with an animated NFT of the same artwork. Claiming instructions will be shared with collectors after launch.

Warothy
Print

And The Absurd Was Born

Luis Ponce probes how distorted views and misguided perceptions re-shape our reality.And the Absurd was Born utilises intoxicating patterns to trick the eye. The experimental print leans upon tactile techniques that compliment the multi-layered cataclysm of visual motifs. Fluorescent inks channel the raw saturated colour of Ponce's work, becoming electric under UV light. Appearing to escape the surface of the print in trompe-l’oeil style, a pair of serpents wrap themselves around posthumanist characters. With his eclectic blend of imagery, Ponce suggests that in our relentless pursuit of success, we often devour ourselves."I seek to represent those distorted views and often misguided perceptions or beliefs for which we decide to sacrifice ourselves. What are we willing to let burn, and what will we strive to preserve?"Each print is paired with an animated NFT of the same artwork, enabled by augmented reality. Claiming instructions will be shared with collectors after launch.

And The Absurd Was Born
Print

Security

Ripcache goes incognito with an edition of surveillance-inspired prints, each holding its own secret.Tribute to Ripcache's commentary on privacy and binary visual language, Security pushes the boundaries of printmaking as an edition of 32 unique prints. Behind a triangle in the lower left corner lies a private key, granting access to a wallet which contains an accompanying NFT. The private keys are concealed beneath scratchable black ink – only revealed if a collector chooses to deface their artwork. Would you vandalise your print to gain access?Each print is paired with an NFT of the same artwork. Claiming instructions will be shared with collectors after launch.

Security
Print

Open Eyes (Flower)

Animations by Jake Fried find physical form in an edition of monochromatic lenticulars.Traversing digital and physical art, Open Eyes (Flower) transforms the illusory subjects and movements of Fried’s NFTs into an ever-shifting lenticular. The artist’s animations require painstaking repetition – drawn one layer at a time, by hand, before being scanned and combined into digital artworks. Eight individual frames have been used as the basis for the intricate three-part lenticular.Each print is paired with an NFT of the same artwork. Claiming instructions will be shared with collectors after launch.

Open Eyes (Flower)
Print

Fall

In Fall, suburbia seen from above forms a gateway to everyday life.Part of an ongoing series depicting Riven Yun's experiences in North Eastern USA, Fall explores the intersection between matter-of-fact memories and endless imagination. A familiar cluster of houses sit between delicate electrical cables – emphasising the depth and scale of the sweeping composition.“My work has always been to translate emotions and to have people reflect on their own personal lives; In a sense, my art is but a portal to each individual's memories.”Each print is paired with an NFT of the same artwork. Claiming instructions will be shared with collectors after launch.

Fall
Print

Metropolis - prints

Metropolis is a long-form generative art collection by Michael Kozlowski (mpkoz). Avant Arte is partnering with the artist to enable collectors of Metropolis the option to purchase high-quality physical prints of the original NFT artworks.Metropolis explores node-based systems, which are critical to computing, blockchains, logistics, and most apparently, the formation and function of cities. The artworks in Metropolis are built from five primary “city” traits, New York City, Berlin, London, Mexico City, and Los Angeles. These traits determine compositions and backgrounds which stylistically represent their respective city.Every owner of an online edition of Metropolis had the option to journey to the city featured in their edition to mint a second, visually cohesive diptych piece. Avant Arte will be offering prints of the online editions, the diptych editions, or a combination of both. The price listed is for a single artwork. Combined diptych prints can be added at checkout. The title of each print corresponds with the token ID of the NFT, tethered together by an authenticating QR code. Every print is a 1/1 and once purchased, cannot be printed again. See below for the claim status of each edition.

Metropolis - prints
Print

Super Cool World print

Nina Chanel Abney brings her NFT universe, Super Cool World, into the physical realm with a 48 hour printing window.It is vital to Abney that everybody can feel represented in her body of work. Super Cool World spans 5080 unique digital artworks created with collage and vector methods, riffing on the strong graphic motifs which characterise her paintings.For 48 hours only, NFT holders will have the opportunity order unique prints based on the NFTs they own. The reverse of each print is finished with a bespoke stamp and the title of its corresponding NFT. The two artworks are tethered together by a QR code."All Super Cool World holders will have the unique opportunity to live with my work outside the NFT that's in their wallet, with the chance to acquire something tactile and carefully created."The metadata for printed artworks will also be updated after launch with a new ‘signed’ property, and Nina’s signature will be added to the NFT as a permanent record of its leap from digital to physical.Please refer to the registry to view which of the 5080 NFTs have already been printed. Each NFT can be printed just once, making every print unique.For more information on how to unlock your print, read our journal page.

Super Cool World print
Print

Punk On-Chain

For 48 hours only, print your CryptoPunk.From experimental beginnings at blockchain genesis to immeasurable influence, vaulting prices and a slew of referential successors, CryptoPunks have come a long way since their debut in 2017.We’re collaborating with Yuga Labs to offer Punk owners worldwide the chance to bring their NFTs into the physical world as 1-of-1, multi-layered UV pigment prints.On Thursday 26 October, connect your wallet and print your punk.In tandem, discover 10,000 On-Chain – a companion print edition, accessible to all, featuring each and every Punk in perfect grid formation.Please refer to the registry to view which of the CryptoPunks NFTs have already been printed. Each NFT can be printed just once, making every print unique.

Punk On-Chain
Sculpture

TOUCHED//

With his first edition of sculptures, Fvckrender finds physical form for an abstract self.Canadian artist Fvckrender combines a surreal, symbol-laden mode of autobiography and a fascination with the behaviour of light to create hyperreal digital artworks. Fittingly, TOUCHED// envelops the composition of SELF_HELP// – an earlier NFT work which documented the artist tackling a personal crisis with methodical perseverance – in a glistening chameleon finish. A trio of outstretched hands impart a soothing influence on the face they reach towards.“Art is a way to clear my mind. It's a way to celebrate the wins and leave behind the losses.”

After launch, collectors of TOUCHED// will be invited to claim a corresponding NFT.

TOUCHED//
Sculpture

FEEL//

With his first edition of sculptures, Fvckrender finds physical form for an abstract self.Canadian artist Fvckrender combines a surreal, symbol-laden mode of autobiography and a fascination with the behaviour of light to create hyperreal digital artworks. Fittingly, FEEL// envelops the composition of SELF_HELP// – an earlier NFT work which documented the artist tackling a personal crisis with methodical perseverance – in a lustrous opal finish. A trio of outstretched hands impart a soothing influence on the face they reach towards.“Art is a way to clear my mind. It's a way to celebrate the wins and leave behind the losses.”

FEEL//
Print

Too Darn Hot

To benefit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, silkscreen print Too Darn Hot combines a landmark moment for Tom Sachs’ practice with his continued investigations of the past, present and future of authentication.“The thing about faith is that it's for the faithful. It only works if you believe in it.”The acquisition of Too Darn Hot – a ‘frankenrocket’ from Sachs’ trailblazing Rocket Factory project – by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) underscored the museum’s position as one of the most progressive in the world with regard to the intersections of art and technology. To support the future of this position, 40% of proceeds from the Sachs’ first Avant Arte edition will be donated to LACMA.Each 13-colour silkscreen print includes a group of mechanisms conceived by the artist to establish its authenticity, and as integral parts of the artwork. A debossed design includes information from the launch of Sachs’ physical Too Darn Hot rocket at LACMA in 2021. A rubber stamp in its centre denotes the print’s specific number within the overall edition. A QR code printed in UV ink connects each print with the original Too Darn Hot NFT metadata on the blockchain. On the print’s reverse is a tamper-proof holographic sticker, placed alongside a QR code sticker that links to a unique token on the blockchain – an NFT – which serves as a certificate of authenticity for the print it connects with. A second, printed certificate of authenticity shipped with each print also links directly to this NFT. The exact edition size will be determined by the number of prints ordered in the 24 hour release window. When this window ends, artworks will be printed, authenticated and shipped worldwide free of charge.

Too Darn Hot

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Parra's studio, with Parra at the centre, his back to the camera as he works on the large painting takes centre stage, showing a faceless blue woman in a striped dress, painted in red, purple, blue and teal. The studio is full of brightly coloured paints, with a large window on the right and a patterned rug across the floor under the painting.