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.