Today, the metaverse caught a glance of itself in the mirror and understood, a little better, the nature of reality. Spanish artist Antonio García Villarán has translated that glimpse of insight into three unique art world mashups. These metaversical pieces embody this confrontation between physical reality and digital art in the third of a series of three drops dedicated to exploring the concept.
Metaversical III exhibits two identical originals from two different realities. It’s normal for a physical artwork to precede its digitization. In the Metaversical series, the digital artwork precedes its physical artwork re-creation just as Platonic metaphysics describes the form as preceding the object.
So, which do you believe holds the most value? Which do you prefer? Which is the “true artwork?” Antonio Garcia Villarán aims to empower the collector to make this decision and inform us all as we move toward a Metaversical world.
Antonio García Villarán (b. 1976) is an artist based in Seville, Spain, whose artistic career stretches back to when, at age 13, he entered Reina´s adult-level Academy of Arts. As a student at the University of Seville, he was allowed to participate in graduate-level exhibitions, where his artworks always sold out.
After his early graduation in two majors (painting and sculpture), Villarán officially joined the faculty at the University of Seville and went on to earn his cum laude Ph.D.
After leaving the University of Seville, he founded his own academy and has since become a prominent figure in the art world and as an art-focused influencer and teacher.
Apart from teaching at his academy (CREA 13, since 2000), Villarán has taught art to inmates of Penitentiary Center Sevilla II and to children at high risk of social exclusion. Much of his current work has taken inspiration from Villarán’s long trips to India, and his earlier sculptural work can be found prominently standing in public plazas across Andalusia.
As one of the most recognizable Spanish-speaking art influencers, Villarán has collaborated with a wide range of institutions. His term “Hamparte” is already taught in many schools, art institutes, and academies that embrace it as a game-changing concept.
Banks, Movistar+, Google, online and paper press, radio stations, events, and of course, popular YouTubers have had him in their shows or hired him by now.
With a highly engaged community, He was invited into the YouTube Creator Program shortly after launching his first channel. For Villarán, it’s not about numbers; it’s about the love and community he’s gained with his audience — fans, followers, and fellow artists.
The Drop — October 13, 2022
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Two Styles, One Body: Sexual Identity
The Victory of Samothrace and Michelangelo’s David.
We are in a historical moment in which gender identity is evolving. In this work, a male body and a female body merge. Created in different periods of art history but in a common style, the resulting work is a symbol of power for the LGBTIQ+ community. Sexual identities have been around throughout all historical time periods, but now they are gaining visibility and acceptance.
- Editions: 1/1
- Pricing: 1 ETH reserve; 24-hour auction
Jesus Christ Shit Can
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi and Piero Manzoni’s “Artist Shit.”
To date, this image of Christ is the most expensive painting sold at auction. The original image is a portrait of Christ carrying a transparent ball symbolizing the world. In this work, he holds one of the “Artist Shit” cans that Piero Manzoni sold for its price in gold. Art today accepts both Renaissance and conceptual works that fetch very high prices in the market. This work is a reflection of the different ways to think about art in a world where almost anything goes.
- Editions: 1/1
- Pricing: 1 ETH reserve; 24-hour auction
The Menina’s Bandaged Ear
Diego Velázquez’s Menina without an ear (Van Gogh).
The Infanta Margarita, painted by Diego Velázquez in 1659, is transfigured into an icon of the 20th century through a simple handkerchief. This work speaks of the importance of symbols as well as icons, including the self-portraits of Vincent Van Gogh from 1889, in which he appears with a headscarf for having cut off his earlobe. Here, the menina appears with her ear bandaged. Two simultaneous portraits. A simple handkerchief changes the meaning of both images that merge here to make us reflect on artistic creation.
The following video has been compressed for faster load times.
- Editions: 1/1
- Pricing: 1 ETH reserve; 24-hour auction
