Digital Dreams Vol. 1: All the Freshest Art of Early July ‘22
A six-course feast of digital art for you to enjoy with your Sunday jarrito
Outside of the digital world, there’s a lot going on right now. I can only guess what you might be feeling these days. Something Ed Balloon closed with in his BIPOC Rug Radio space last week resonated with me: “it’s so important…being able to just feel.” Whatever you might be going experiencing, I think just seeing and hearing and feeling art is one of the best things you can do to help you through the moment.
If you were active on Twitter this week you surely watched Joe Pease’s “Open The Floodgates” take minds and hearts by storm. NonFungibleNoah described it as “one of the greatest works of art (minted as an NFT) I’ve ever seen.” If you haven’t checked it out just yet, drop what you’re doing right now and prepare to be mesmerized. I watched the mystifying loop hundreds and hundreds of times by now. If you were at a party and this art was at that party too, you would hear audible gasps of discovery throughout your entire night.
Have a good week and enjoy the six artists and the fresh art I’ve highlighted below:
1. “Mother Nature” by Z4 on Foundation
Pink is a rarely occurring color in nature to the extent that the word “pink” didn’t even exist until the 17th century. Pink can be found naturally in the spongy flesh of salmon, in the warm skin of a domestic pig, in pale fractures of rose quartz — and most commonly, in flowers, from which the word itself is derived. Z4’s most impressive work to date showcases the beautiful natural symbiosis between one of nature’s most unique colors and the verdant greens, lush mahoganies, and deep reds all around our natural world.
2. “When Two Stars Collide” by Angelica Ramirez on OpenSea
When you’re a photographer, you carry around a feeling within you that you must fight to express with your camera. It’s an indescribable rush when you finally catch that magical shot, manifesting the emotion you carry inside. As Angel tells us in her own words, this photo “was inspired by love, created with love and is meant to represent what it feels like to be in love.” Angel is one of the most talented film photographers in the NFT space and it was a sharp decision to sell the timeless “When Two Stars Collide” as a highly affordable edition of 100 (less than half remain for sale). Not many chances to own a legendary photograph like this one for the low price of 0.05ETH.
I am lucky to wake up in love every morning. Seeing this photo always fills me with warm memories of the most special person in my own life — an endless sea of love.
3. “Skeleton Key” by Joey Miller on Nifty Gateway
Joey the Photographer popped onto my radar back in 2021 with a nearly endless catalog of captivating photos, but this recent piece is really doing something different from the rest of his output. “Skeleton Key” is a composite image of over 30 different photos. After Joey gathered all 30 of the layers, he was awake for two and a half days to assemble the final product before your eyes. There’s a mysterious and intense energy channeled through this image and a spellbinding story nested between its layers.
4. “Bound” by EKTZ on Foundation
EKTZ created a series of women surrounded by tigers, huskies, wolves, foxes, and other wild animals. Her paintings take delicate care to balance the snarled fangs of mammalian and reptilians creatures with expressions of calm serenity. The tones of each woman’s hair, lips, and eyes interplay brilliantly with the rich fur, feathers, and scales of the encircling carnivores. For my memory, this illustration evokes those vintage velour blankets from the 90s with wild animal prints as well as the stylistic techniques used by Frida Kahlo paint the human heart: a fierce mixture of natural realism and borderline psychedelia.
5. “black hole” by Avlevytska on Objkt
I haven’t looked into Objkt much, but this piece has me wondering if it’s well past time to dive in. Avlevytska composed “black hole” using white ink on black paper — when’s the last time you saw an NFT in that medium? I can’t overstate how crisp and raw and detailed the textures are in these works. Seriously, click the link and view this work in full resolution. If Objkt isn’t your thing, check out some of their other works on KnownOrigin.
6. “Memories of a Masterpiece” by Amber Vittoria (unreleased)
On July 15th at 10AM EST, poet-artist Amber Vittoria will drop a collection of 999 handmade artworks called “Memories of a Masterpiece.” Collages composed of hand-cut paper to represent her lived experiences, this collection draws upon memory as a “spontaneous” phenomena “never replicated exactly.”
Amber also hinted that traits will convey some storytelling around the provenance of each work, and I’m intrigued to see how she incorporates those elements specifically because that’s one technique in which NFT art can be distinguished from traditional art. Find the purchase link only on her Twitter the day of the drop.
Bonus: Loser Club Mixtape V1 by the Outsider Collective
I couldn’t forget to add the first mixtape to come out of the Loser Club. Yesterday, I wrote a short thread mentioning their hot new drop. Much like Brockhampton met online, this group met together as a part of Loser Club. Is this the first music collective to first meet in web3? At the time of writing, they appear to be nearing sellout, so cop one while they’re still minting.
(Disclaimer: I don’t view digital art as a security and none of this should be construed as financial advice. I’m not selling any of these artworks and have no professional affiliation with any of the artists mentioned. Buy art to appreciate and support artists. I include a range of costs to make sure that there’s art anyone can afford.)
Awesome additions fren!
The Angelica piece hits different tho. After reading, i must said that we share something in common. I am also a very lucky guy who wakes up in love every morning. My wife, kids & frens make me feel like that.
With that piece, “When Two Stars Collide” i like to think is myself & my wife every time i see in my timeline.
Keep doing this good work is so nourishing for the space, thanks.