The History of Crypto Art


Artist: Justin Aversano
Collection: Twin Flames
#83
We are big photography fans at MHOUSE and huge fans of Justin Aversano, who is one of the leaders in the burgeoning NFT photography space. Justin quickly became a superstar with his Twin Flames collection. For his seminal work Justin, who himself lost a twin in utero, set about meeting, documenting and photographing the relationship between 100 sets of twins. As well as being auctioned at Christies, they have been collected by Gary Vee, Snoop Dogg and a host of crypto and web3 luminaries. This particular piece is currently for sale for $290 million and is exhibited in the former personal bank vault of the Dutch Queen Beatrix.
Justin continues to innovate with the new Smoke and Mirrors collection, which is reminiscent of Twin Flames in its subject matter exploration, yet very unique.
https://www.justinaversano.com/twinflames


Artist: Yam Karkai
Collection: World of Women
#1545
With so many cartoon animal PFP projects springing up in 2021, World of Women broke the mold by offering a more thoughtful alternative featuring artist Yam Karkai and her diverse depictions of female characters designed to highlight and empower women. WoW states that its vision is to build an inclusive web3 through its collection and community. WoW owners include Reese Witherspoon, Cozomo de Medici, KPMG and have featured in Sothebies auction. The team continue to innovate and have recently launched WoW galaxies.
https://worldofwomen.art
https://opensea.io/assets/0xe785e82358879f061bc3dcac6f0444462d4b5330/1545


Artist: Larvalabs
Collection: Cryptopunks
#8845
What can we say about Cryptopunks? Known affectionately simply as punks, these are possibly the most iconic and recognisable pieces of crypto art in existence. Punks were not the first NFT, but they were one of the first to launch a 10k PFP collection that has now been emulated hundreds if not thousands of times. At first glance, punks may seem like a child’s collection of pixels. However what was groundbreaking when they were first released is that all of the art was created in advance in layers. All the layers were then arranged so that at the exact moment that people went to mint them, random layers were combined and “stitched” together to create a completely new and random image. No two images are the same, resulting in a one of one of 10,000 collection… with each individual punk being totally unique, yet part of a collection of 10,000.
Larvalabs stated that part of the goal of punks was to see if a feeling of identity could be created in 24 x 24 pixels. That has clearly happened. Snoop Dogg has a punk with a blue bandana to match his… er… affiliation and many other people have found punk traits they identify with.
We showed crypto punks in their original resolution as an artistic experiment to address the tiniest 24 x 24 pixel image that sells regularly for close to or above $1 million. Is it the art, the innovation, the history or the culture that makes them so iconic? We think it is all of the above.
https://www.larvalabs.com/cryptopunks


Artist: Takashi Murakami
Collection: Clonex
Takeshi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist. A painter and sculptor of fine arts, he also works in commercial fashion and merchandise. He has collaborated with the largest fashion brands and been exhibited in leading museums and galleries throughout the world. Clonex was a much anticipated project with RTFKT, who were pioneers of virtual streetwear, sneakers, digital avatars and more. They launched CloneX which became wildly successful. RTFKT and CloneX were shortly after fully acquired by Nike.
This piece features hyper-topical art, amazing design and second-to-none execution of an NFT release. We included this piece because it represents a huge milestone for the marriage of art and technology, while also raising important questions about corporate involvement in the space.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takashi_Murakami
https://rtfkt.com/
https://opensea.io/collection/clonex


Artist: Seneca
Collection: Bored Ape Yacht Club / Mutant Ape Yacht Club
#3660, 8904, 27809, 17321
Bored Ape Yacht Club or BAYC is the collection that everybody wishes they had minted! One year old on 29 April 2022, it is fair to say Yuga Labs, the creators of BAYC, took the NFT world by storm in the last year. Bored Apes, Bored Ape Kennel Club, Mutant Apes, Ape Coin and even purchasing the IP of Crypto Punks.
This entry in the exhibition is featured to represent a seminal moment in PFP collections, when the wild success of the historic Crypto Punks was repeated and even surpassed. Love or hate ape NFTs, they are a piece of history.
These four apes consist of two Bored Apes and two corresponding Mutant Apes. Mutants were created when an ape was combined with a serum NFT that was dropped to ape holders.
https://boredapeyachtclub.com/


Artist: Slime Sunday
Title: Last Stand of the Nation State
Although it dates from 2020, this piece has an older feel to it. A true OG crypto story, it seemed to belong more to the old-school anarchist Bitcoin culture than the Ethereum NFT hype ascendant in the era in which it was released. Typical Slime Sunday bizarre erotica is mixed with historic fantasy, as incumbent institutions are overwhelmed by the new wave of Bitcoin and crypto freedom fighters. This piece symbolises the new overtaking the old and reminds us of the web3 revolution destroying web2, the core belief on which MHOUSE was built.
https://slimesunday.com/pages/slimefriday-69


Artist: Drift
Title: The Final Climb
Collection: Where My Vans Go
We met Drift with the Superchiefs gallery crew on Times Square in New York at NFT NYC when MHOUSE just launched in November 2021, so he has a special place in our hearts. But the real magic is in Drift’s story. An army veteran, he struggled with PTSD and began urban climbing as a form of therapy. He was arrested and charged with multiple crimes in multiple cities and faced a lengthy prison term. That was around a year ago. Drift has since fought the law, Drift won and he has risen to superstar status, climbing to impossible heights figuratively and literally as he takes photographs from the most impossible building tops. His Where My Vans Go collection proves beyond any doubt that NFT art is anything but just a JPEG. Owners of his NFT pieces around the world get to own a moment in time and create a long lasting connection with Drift.
https://twitter.com/driftershoots?lang=en
https://opensea.io/assets/0x509a050f573be0d5e01a73c3726e17161729558b/26


Artist: Decentralized, nameless artist
Collection: Hashmasks
#10
Hashmasks is one of the earliest releases to combine a large collection with interesting and diverse art. Created by over 70 artists globally, it is a collection of 16,384 unique digital portraits. Hashmasks crowdsourced the artwork and created what they called a decentralised, nameless group of artists. Only in crypto art could this happen! For some reason, Hashmasks have not yet enjoyed the insane popularity and success of some of their early contemporary collections, nevertheless we believe they are part of crypto art history as one of the first large collections.
https://opensea.io/collection/hashmasks


Artist: PAK
Collection: The Fungible
Title: Ten Cubes
Pak, formerly known as Murat Pak, is an OG creator in the NFT space. In true crypto fashion, the identity of PAK remains a mystery and some people speculate it may not be a person but instead a collective. Pak’s highest selling piece, the Merge, generated around $92 million in sales. Pak has sold on OG NFT platform Async art as well as Sotheby’s. Pak began creating “artistic bots” as early as 2014 before moving to NFTs. Pak has released numerous projects and has raised money for the Ukrainian government as well as for the legal defense of Julian Assange. We chose this piece because we love Pak and this is part of their Sotheby’s The Fungible release which raised $16.8 million in 2 days.
https://twitter.com/muratpak
https://niftygateway.com/marketplace/collection/0xc0cf5b82ae2352303b2ea02c3be88e23f2594171/6


Artist: XCOPY
Title: Afterburn
#63
XCOPY is a crypto art legend, simple as that. He has been minting on Super rare since 2018 and on other now defunct platforms since much earlier. To an extent, the story of XCOPY is the story of crypto art and NFTs. They rose and fell together and then absolutely exploded with the sale of Death Dip on March 2021 for 1,000 ETH or what was at the time around $4 million. It was a huge validation for XCOPY but also for crypto art as a movement.
XCOPY frequently releases with OG platform Async Art and his work has been collected by Snoop Dogg.
This piece is typical of the XCOPY style, with bright clashing colours and jarring yet oddly attractive animations.
https://async.art/u/xcopy/collection
https://xcopy.art/
https://opensea.io/assets/0x42df42a471e1db2d4e4a1545b2f4b951f2da06e4/168000100063


Artist: Hackatao
Title: /Un/Covered – Hypno#174
Digital artists S & N together form Hackatao and are considered true OGs. ‘Hack’ for the pleasure of going under the skin and discovering what’s hidden inside; ‘Tao’ for Yin and Yang, their creative dynamic balance. They have been making art for many years and went all-in on crypto art in 2018. Hackatao launched Queens and Kings with Sotheby’s in December 2021. We included this piece because no historic exhibition would be complete without Hackatao… and because this is a beautifully evocative piece of early crypto art – abstract, dreamy, low budget yet chic gif animation and so much detail to explore and enjoy in the text. It says a new dream is loading, perhaps the dream of the web3 revolution? What do you think?
https://hackatao.com
https://niftygateway.com/marketplace/collection/0x079d9e54e6ac1912e13eb894d6f29ad2edcf0e59/1?page=1


Artist: Rich Lord
Collection: Octo Garden
#20
Art Blocks Curated
Rich Lord is a generative artist. His work has been recognised as some of the most groundbreaking in the genre. Rich is best known for Octo Garden and for Geometry Runners. Octo Garden is designed to generate fractal-like spirals, resembling clumps of moss and lichen. Depending on the mint, the algorithm will produce curled up structure or occasionally unfurl to reveal an octopus.
This particular piece reminds us of hard coral on a reef. The colours are exquisite and it is nice to just take a break from the world and imagine the algorithm recreating the undersea realm at the point of minting.
It is also interesting to compare this piece of generative art from Art Blocks curated on a screen with the Fidenzas ad Ringers that are printed and hanging upstairs.
Which do you prefer and why?
https://www.richlord.com/octo-garden


Artist: Tyler Hobbs
Collection: Fidenza
#54
Art Blocks Curated
Tyler Hobbs is an artist that works primarily with algorithms, plotters, and paint. He has been involved in generative art, using code to create cutting edge art for many, many years. His own website says that he focuses on computational aesthetics, how they are shaped by the biases of modern computer hardware and software, and how they relate to and interact with the natural world around us.
One of Tyler’s most stunning pieces is the Fidenza. He describes it as his most versatile generative algorithm to date. Released on Art Blocks curated, it is considered by many to be a defining piece of the fine art movement on the blockchain.
We are delighted to feature two Fidenzas, #54 and #889 kindly provided by private collectors Plutonium F and Studio 54, along with the artist team’s permission and input on printing, mounting and framing.
We are huge Art Blocks fans at MHOUSE and were lucky enough to experience Fidenza and Ringers displayed beautifully at The Digital in Miami at Art Basel 2021, which inspired us to create this part of the exhibition.
The two distinct pieces from the same collection provide a beautiful talking point. Explore and imagine how the same algorithm created both. How the variations between them were decided based on the unique time and block data that was generated at the moment the first person minted them.
https://tylerxhobbs.com/fidenza
#889:
https://opensea.io/assets/0xa7d8d9ef8d8ce8992df33d8b8cf4aebabd5bd270/78000889


Artist: Tyler Hobbs
Collection: Fidenza
#889
Art Blocks Curated
Tyler Hobbs is an artist that works primarily with algorithms, plotters, and paint. He has been involved in generative art, using code to create cutting edge art for many, many years. His own website says that he focuses on computational aesthetics, how they are shaped by the biases of modern computer hardware and software, and how they relate to and interact with the natural world around us.
One of Tyler’s most stunning pieces is the Fidenza. He describes it as his most versatile generative algorithm to date. Released on Art Blocks curated, it is considered by many to be a defining piece of the fine art movement on the blockchain.
We are delighted to feature two Fidenzas, #54 and #889 kindly provided by private collectors Plutonium F and Studio 54, along with the artist team’s permission and input on printing, mounting and framing.
We are huge Art Blocks fans at MHOUSE and were lucky enough to experience Fidenza and Ringers displayed beautifully at The Digital in Miami at Art Basel 2021, which inspired us to create this part of the exhibition.
The two distinct pieces from the same collection provide a beautiful talking point. Explore and imagine how the same algorithm created both. How the variations between them were decided based on the unique time and block data that was generated at the moment the first person minted them.
https://tylerxhobbs.com/fidenza
#889:
https://opensea.io/assets/0xa7d8d9ef8d8ce8992df33d8b8cf4aebabd5bd270/78000889


Artist: Dmitri Cherniak
Collection: Ringers
#427
Art Blocks Curated
Dmitri Cherniak is a generative artist that considers automation as his primary artistic medium. Dmitri has been involved in crypto since 2014, minted his first NFT in 2019 and has risen to what could be described as stardom within the world of blockchain art. Dmitri is perhaps best known for his Ringers series released on Art Blocks curated. A simple idea of a set of strings wrapped around pegs, the physic and geometry of how they interact controlled completely by an algorithm. The time and blockchain data from the moment of mint determined how the algorithm arranged the pegs and string. We love Ringers and their iconic look. The belong in history for the impact they had on early blockchain art and the Art Blocks platform. As with all Art Blocks pieces, Ringers code is stored entirely on the blockchain and ownership of the NFT gives ownership of the very code used to generate them.
We are huge Art Blocks fans at MHOUSE and were lucky enough to experience Fidenza and Ringers displayed beautifully at The Digital in Miami at Art Basel 2021, which in part inspired us to create this part of the exhibition.
https://twitter.com/dmitricherniak
#427: https://opensea.io/assets/0xa7d8d9ef8d8ce8992df33d8b8cf4aebabd5bd270/13000427
#495: https://opensea.io/assets/0xa7d8d9ef8d8ce8992df33d8b8cf4aebabd5bd270/13000495


Artist: Dmitri Cherniak
Collection: Ringers
#495
Art Blocks Curated
Dmitri Cherniak is a generative artist that considers automation as his primary artistic medium. Dmitri has been involved in crypto since 2014, minted his first NFT in 2019 and has risen to what could be described as stardom within the world of blockchain art. Dmitri is perhaps best known for his Ringers series released on Art Blocks curated. A simple idea of a set of strings wrapped around pegs, the physic and geometry of how they interact controlled completely by an algorithm. The time and blockchain data from the moment of mint determined how the algorithm arranged the pegs and string. We love Ringers and their iconic look. The belong in history for the impact they had on early blockchain art and the Art Blocks platform. As with all Art Blocks pieces, Ringers code is stored entirely on the blockchain and ownership of the NFT gives ownership of the very code used to generate them.
We are huge Art Blocks fans at MHOUSE and were lucky enough to experience Fidenza and Ringers displayed beautifully at The Digital in Miami at Art Basel 2021, which in part inspired us to create this part of the exhibition.
https://twitter.com/dmitricherniak
#427: https://opensea.io/assets/0xa7d8d9ef8d8ce8992df33d8b8cf4aebabd5bd270/13000427
#495: https://opensea.io/assets/0xa7d8d9ef8d8ce8992df33d8b8cf4aebabd5bd270/13000495
Community Art
The following art is by members of the MHOUSE and Dutch Web3 Communities.


Artist: Vadim Epstein (eps696)
Title: Self
Vadim Epstein Has worked in various fields such as http://net.art, science art and avant-garde club events since 1996, eventually focusing on visual media.
As a VJ for decades, a former IT consultant and casual theoretical physicist, he combines serious technical background with a vivid creative mind. His current focus is on AI, generative graphics, new media art, and creative coding in general.
This piece is an observation on the affinity of mammal species, and the variety of inner self. Made with an image-to-image transforming neural network, trained on the animals and human faces, and put in a feedback loop for endless identity rotation.
Vadim is one of the rising stars in the MHOUSE community and we are delighted to show his work in this exhibition.
1200×1200, 28 sec


Artist: Julien van Dorland
Title: Ancestry & Exploration
Ancestry: Our adventure begins right here. We’re returning to our roots. Let us leave a lasting impression on the future. Don’t miss out on it.
Exploration: What’s ahead of us is to discover, and we won’t know where it will take us until we’ve completed our exploration.
Julien is a digital artist from the Netherlands who uses vivid abstraction to express his thoughts and ideas.


Artist: Rik Oostenbroek
Title: arcus
arcus is a project started in 2015 and focused on self development and the ups and downs of being a kid in their mid 20’s. A series that’s full of personal stories, trying to find a balance in his life and career. The collection contains 40 custom made forms that all have their own identity. It launched in October 2021.Rik Oostenbroek is a digital artist from the Netherlands. Ever since stumbling upon Photoshop 18 years ago, he’s been active in the digital art field – Starting out as a hobbyist to being hired by some of the biggest companies in the world.


Title: Mentor Calls NFT
1:1 Video call with your mentor. Improve your skills by learning from the best and unlock your hidden potential. Stake your MentorCalls NFT to earn from the daily earnings made from all 1:1 video calls.


Title: 0N1 Force
0N1 Force sees the future of NFT ownership as cross-platform. We envision a digital social network with no boundaries. The Ethereal Enclave, within the 0N1VERSE, is an endless city, and it is the place where the 0N1 call home. For what was eternity the 0N1 lived peacefully until abruptly The Shift, a cataclysmic event, thrust the Enclave into chaos. Now the 7,777 0N1, with a new found Strength, Style, and Spirit, must reclaim their protective Nano Suits, and restore balance to the Ethereal Enclave.