GM

Yesterday's story about the feud between artist Refik Anadol and critic Jerry Saltz is now taking a weird turn (NSFW).

I think at this point we all just need to step away for the weekend.

Links for the Top 25 drops are HERE.

People aren’t happy (NFT drama)

One of the biggest mints of the month happened on Wednesday.

The drop was called Warothy (launched on Avante Arte), and it included 25 NFTs and physical prints from popular crypto artist Alpha Centauri Kid (ACK). 

When we first covered this here, we were led to believe that this would be a numbered edition, which is already pretty hype given the popularity of ACK. 

But SURPRISE, they revealed at the last minute that this was going to be a series of 1/1s instead of an edition – a big upgrade. 

Warothy minted out instantly and is now getting 11 ETH offers (after a mint price of ~2.5 ETH). 

So it basically turned into a ~5x overnight. High fives, Ws in the chat, etc. 

Except…not everyone was happy

You see it turns out there were some shenanigans with the way NFTs were given out. 

Avant Arte was supposed to use a raffle to distribute the 1/1s randomly to collectors. But instead, it looks like some (maybe even most) were given to handpicked influencers and collectors. 

The team confirmed this and said bots were to blame.

I’m not defending the way this all went down – platforms should always be honest and upfront about the way they’re giving out NFTs. 

But I also recognize the underlying issue here. How do you give people access to hyped mints while also avoiding bots and other bad actors? 

Well here are four possible solutions, ranked by how much they might piss collectors off (a cope meter, if you will). 

1. NFTs allocated based on influence 😒😤😡🤬

Look, you could argue that many influencers gain followers because they make positive contributions to the space (although many would say it’s the opposite), and these accounts bring more attention to the artist/platform which makes it a win-win for all parties. 

But handing out art based on follower count or podcast downloads is still pretty gross innit? 

2. NFTs allocated based on tx history 😒😤😡

This is more or less how the real art world works. 

People known for collecting valuable art (and never selling or undercutting) get first dibs on more valuable art. 

We’ve seen this method used often in NFTs too. For example, a new PFP giving WL spots to BAYC holders. 

And IMO, this is inevitably where the space is heading. There’s endless rich data onchain, and we’re still in the stone age in terms of how we leverage it. 

Soon it’ll just be assumed that holding a Fidenza or a Cryptopunk for a while also means getting continuous WL spots and airdrops from people who want to attract “Smart Money”. 

Of course, this is just another way of saying the rich will get richer, hence the three cope emojis. 

3. NFTs sold via transparent raffle 😒😤

This is the way Warothy was supposed to work in the first place. 

And on paper it sounds great: everyone gets the same shot, even the little guy! 

The problem is your collector base ends up looking like this: 

There’s simply no way around bots without combining one of the two other approaches mentioned above, which was why Avant Arte felt stuck.

4. NFTs sold via auction 😒

All of this begs the question: Why did we need a raffle in the first place? 

It’s not like trad artists are raffling out their work to passersby on a street corner outside their galleries. This isn’t really a thing anywhere else. 

The reason Avant Arte used a raffle here was because they knew they were significantly underpricing the NFTs to begin with, hence the quick 5x on secondary. This was also the only reason bots were attracted to this drop.

That’s a lot of money left on the table that could’ve gone to the artist. 

And the truth is we already have a solution to bots: it’s called an auction. 

Let the market decide who gets these NFTs in the most unrestricted way possible. And if you want to reward prior collectors, then simply limit the auction to those wallets. 

NOTE: These drops are lightly curated. Our only requirement is that they have recognizable founders. As usual, DYOR. To learn more go here.

Ghosts in the Machine by Nicole Vella

As we approach the frontier of machine sentience (🫡 Mr. Altman), now we must ponder whether our generative art is alive.

That’s the focal point for this upcoming FingerprintsDAO drop by Nicole Vella, an artist who recently sold out her Art Blocks Curated collection.

Each of the 300 pieces is generated from a single hash and showcase the actual source code in the art’s background, rendering one frame per minute. Put all these frames together and you get an animated gust of code.

An interesting take on the dynamic art genre.

Art Blocks has once again unveiled its next three Curated drops all at once.

So take a seat in your limited-edition generative designer chair and let's delve into the biggest drops the art market senpai has for the next quarter…

Blind Spots by Shaderism

Blind Spots will be the first AB Curated drop to follow the platform’s recent sellouts, Naïve and Trichro-matic.

It’ll also be both an AB and Ethereum debut for the artist, Arttu Koskela (a.k.a. Shaderism), although he does have a track record of sales on Tezos spanning back to early 2022.

The work shows an evolution for the artist, with some sleek and glossy animation work that might pass your wall test, especially if you’re a fan of the minimalist tech aesthetic.

Växt by Tengil

With a name like that, you’d think this was a Pfizer ad.

Alas, Växt is Swedish for “plant”, and it’s a compellingly colorful abstract-flavored release from pseudonymous artist Tengil, his first Curated drop on the platform.

In it, he attempts to bottle the feeling of walking across a verdant garden, and I think he nailed it.

The textures are rich, the colors are vibrant and the patterns are fun. Mint details are scant, but I could see many AB enjoooyers liking this one.

Cytographia by Golan Levin

What better way for a university professor to make his Art Blocks debut than with a collection themed around cellular organisms?

Cytographia caters to sci-fi lovers, showcasing interactive diagrams of imaginary organisms from imaginary books - Aliens. Its theme reminds me of Sterling Crispin’s Flourish.

Details are very limited on this one, but given the artist’s 30-year track record in software art (including work at major museums and research institutes around the world), my interest is definitely piqued.