Rare Digital Art and Bitcoin
The relationship between the Rare Digital Art movement and cryptocurrency is complex and ultimately undeniable. Of course, Rare Digital Art was birthed from the introduction of blockchain technology, as were cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but the veins that connect the two run far deeper than the systems they operate on.
Many would argue that it boils down to a culture, a mindset shift, that focuses on decentralized empowerment. There is no central authority keeping players in their places. Most times, you get what you give and everyone has a fair chance. These movements combine aspects of collectivism and individualism, utilizing community strength and tenacity to achieve collective growth resulting in individual empowerment. There is no denying the gargantuan impact that the birth of Bitcoin has had on all aspects of culture, the arts included.
Bitcoin, The Origin
Javier Arrés’ new series, “Bitcoin, The Origin” explores the historical and cultural impact of the conception of Bitcoin through the artist’s award-winning, maniacal GIF animation style. These artworks are a part of a long awaited continuation of Arrés’ highly coveted Crypto Visual Toy series, which debuted on MakersPlace last year, breaking a number of sales records in the process.
The complexity of this moment in history, now immortalized by Arrés’ work, is reflected through a plethora of subtle and overt symbols. While exploring the various components of that lead to the creation of Bitcoin and its social affects on our society, Arrés ties in a number of culturally significant metaphors.
One of the artworks in the series, “It’s Alive!”, tells the story of Bitcoin through the narrative of the literary classic Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley- the Creature, like Bitcoin, is ripe with nothing but good intentions, yet is highly misunderstood and often villainized (usually due to ignorance or close-mindedness) The connections between the two are laid out for us through the artist’s use of rich iconography and symbolism.
The creature in Mary Shelley’s novel has the young scientist Victor Frankenstein, but who does Bitcoin have? The other artwork in Arrés’ series, “Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?” looks deeply into the unsolved mystery behind the creation of Bitcoin. Who created Bitcoin, will we ever know? Its origins remain unknown and highly debated over, BUT, as Arrés’ expresses in this hypnotic Visual Toy — perhaps the mystery and enigma is part of its magic and allure?
GIF Master and Visual Toy Tinker Javier Arrés
Javier Arrés is a world-renowned motion / GIF artist and a 2019 London Art Biennale winner based in Motril, Spain. Arrés is known for his manically detailed illustrations of fantastical scenery highlighting cities, architecture and machines. He brings these worlds to life through what he calls “Visual Toys”. Through these Visual Toys, Arrés invites the viewer into a fantastical world, inspiring the viewer to simply play with their imaginations.
Arrés undeniably distinct artwork style sets him apart in the seemingly saturated world of digital art. It is unlike most have ever seen or imagined, and ignites our inner child, or perhaps engineer. This series stands out not only for it’s ability to freeze a critical moment in history, but also because of its digital format: A first for both Javier Arrés and MakersPlace, “It’s Alive!” will be sold as an OPEN Limited Edition.
Open Limited Editions: What to Expect
An open limited edition is a digital artwork where its editions are available for purchase within a limited time window. This means the number of editions to exist is completely dependent on how many collectors purchase an edition within said time window. With this, the limited time window and price are the two primary factors that determine the scarcity of the artwork, while not alienating collectors who want to own an edition. A common point of contention for popular artworks (such as Arres’ Visual Toys), is that collectors end up missing out on the opportunity to own an artwork due to a fixed limited edition.
This specific artwork, “It’s Alive!” will be available for purchase for 15 minutes only on Thursday, January 28th at 3:30 PM PST. If you miss your chance to purchase an edition during this time window your only option to secure one of these historic artworks will be to buy through the secondary market. We are excited to introduce this new method of purchasing which increases accessibility while still honoring the core principles of scarcity.
Javier Arrés will be joining our team for a special talk on Clubhouse, on Thursday January 28th at 1PM PST to talk CryptoArt and the inspiration behind his new series. Be sure to join us for some insights directly from the artist.
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