Nfts
The Stormtrooper Scandal TV review – the dark side of NFT art on display
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Remember NFTs? Crypto assets known as non-fungible tokens were all the rage at the start of the decade, but now they seem like relics from a strange, distant time. A new BBC documentary takes us back to the NFT gold rush of late 2021 to tell the story of an apparent scam that took the fun out of the non-fungible and exposed the fragility of fashion.
The Stormtrooper scandal revolves around an online NFT auction based on Star Wars stormtrooper headgear designed by artists such as Damien Hirst and Anish Kapoor. The sale, organized by Ben Moore – a curator who originally ordered the custom helmets for a 2013 charity project – generated millions in seconds. However, it quickly became clear that Moore had not sought consent from all artists, nor in some cases did he hold the copyright to allow him to do so.
The artists interviewed in this compelling but conventional narrative format film describe their outrage at seeing their reputations exploited by Moore and their work reduced to a gimmick. But many of those who invested in these unlicensed NFTs lost life-changing sums of money when the entire “Art Wars” collection was removed from crypto trading site OpenSea after threats of lawsuits legal action on the part of artists. And while buyers recognize the obvious risks of engaging in a virtual, unregulated marketplace, they say they feel misled by Moore.
This impression is partly informed by Moore’s own frankness and the documentary’s striking lack of contrition. While he readily admits that the prospect of making quick money led him to take shortcuts and collaborate with shady characters, he insists here that “it was not my intention to run a scam “. Maybe it’s not the mea culpa he thinks it is.
At times, the film doesn’t do enough to challenge Moore’s blasé attitude and too much to indulge his bad boy schtick (there are bizarre shots of him dancing between interviews in his stormtrooper helmet). But it ends on a more sober and satisfying note: As disputes continue with the artists and Star Wars rights holder Lucasfilm, we see Moore sell his Bentley to help cover mounting legal costs. As for the remaining auction proceeds, Moore says he lost most of it in a crypto crash. He may find that sympathy is rare.
★★★☆☆
BBC2 June 20 at 9 p.m.