Nfts
New CryptoPunks NFT Collection Reveals After Backlash Against “Woke” Artwork
CryptoPunks is arguably the most iconic and influential profile photo (PFP) collection in the NFT world, and after bring the project to museumsYuga Labs attempted to broaden its entry into the art world by allowing notable artists to riff on intellectual property with the official Punks stamp.
But the first effort, revealed Monday with the launch of a new Punks-branded NFT collection, faced immediate backlash from collectors and crypto observers, including claims of “woke” artwork, sometimes accompanied by personal attacks against the artist. Now, Yuga is pivoting and seemingly abandoning his future plans.
Artist Nina Chanel Abney was previously named the inaugural selection of the Punk in Residence program and this weekend unveiled her new collection, “Super Punk World.” Following a grand opening event at The School at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York, Yuga Labs and Abney revealed the planned NFTs on Monday.
The Punk in Residence program was designed to generate on-chain collaborations that promote creative experimentation around the project and NFTs in general. Abney’s limited-edition digital collectibles incorporate his bold style and perspective, reimagining the iconic traits of CryptoPunk through his own vision.
Nina Chanel Abney (center) with original CryptoPunks creators John Watkinson (left) and Matt Hall (right) of Larva Labs. Photo: Yuga Labs
“CryptoPunks is an iconic and pioneering project that played a crucial role in creating the digital collectible space,” Abney said. Decrypt before the exhibition. “In collaborating with them, I saw an opportunity to be at the center of a unique intersection between art, technology and culture.”
Having previously released a digital art collection titled “Super Cool World” via the Digital Asset Gallery supported by Pharrell Williams (GODA), Abney is no stranger to expanding her work in this medium. For “Super Punk World,” a 500-piece avatar collection, she hand-selected each of the avatars from more than 10,000 releases.
This collection, randomly generated and then hand-curated by Abney, is inspired by the iconic traits of CryptoPunks and the attributes of Super Cool World. Each feature was hand-cut by Abney and digitized to create 195 unique 3D sculpted attributes, based on 25 characters. These characters, set against colorful backgrounds inspired by his earlier works and printmaking techniques, embody Abney’s aesthetic and pay homage to the CryptoPunks project’s irreverent early Web3 roots.
“What we wanted to do was kind of introduce wallets and generative art, and Web3 and NFTs, to this more traditional art crowd and collector group,” Nathalie Stone said. , Managing Director and Head of the CryptoPunks Brand. Decrypt last week.
A photo from the “Super Punks World” exhibition. Photo: Yuga Labs
“We’re trying to bring CryptoPunks to the masses here, in a way,” Stone added, “but also make them understand why digital ownership is important.”
Abney’s digital worldview reflects virtual and real identities, addressing price disparities between digital avatars based on gender and skin color. White male avatars tend to command higher secondary sales prices than their darker-skinned or female counterparts in major NFT collections.
His hybridized figures fuse racial components and aim to blur the lines between masculine and feminine, challenging societal notions of inherent value and pushing viewers to confront their implicit biases.
However, after Abney’s riff on CryptoPunks was revealed earlier on Monday, the project received significant backlash on social media.
Some commenters took aim at the art style itself or even the idea of trying to reinvent an iconic project, while others made “woke” accusations due to the focus on race and gender, sparking debates about the intersection of art, identity and gender. digital culture.
It also received negative attention for diluting Punks’ original collection, with some collectors upset that Yuga Labs was attempting to expand on a project considered a valuable “Blue Chip”. Ethereum NFT set.
Yuga Labs initially declined to comment Decrypt once the backlash began, but early Monday evening, the company’s CEO, Greg “Garga” Solano tweeted a statement. The NFTs were initially going to be sold at auction, but will now be distributed to Super Cool World NFT holders in some way, potentially via a “randomized airdrop.” And it looks like there won’t be a follow-up artist residency initiative, at least not in the same way.
“Yuga won’t touch Punks anymore,” he wrote. “They will simply be decentralized and kept on the blockchain. The only thing we intend to do is support a few museums and institutions in their quest to acquire a Punk and help raise awareness about them.
Abney confirmed Solano’s statement in a tweet and thanked Yuga Labs for supporting his art and helping the coins get into the hands of its holders, but then denounced the hateful attacks sent to him on social media following the reveal of the project.
“I am completely disgusted by certain racist, sexist, homophobic comments, [and] the transphobic comments that the controversy surrounding this project has brought to light,” she wrote.
“What is really at the heart of this space? » Abney continued. “Now more than ever, I will continue my mission toward an inclusive community where everyone is accepted and ideas that spark productive dialogue are welcome. No hatred tolerated.