Mural by: Tristan Eaton
Although artworks hung within the plastered white walls of prestigious galleries might hold tremendous monetary value, sometimes it’s the artworks that display themselves in alleys on cement walls that speak to the heart the most. I'm no social scientist, but if I had to guess, I would assume that more people in Los Angeles appreciate, enjoy, reflect, and connect with a Mural of Kobe Bryant on the side of a coffee shop, over a Monet hanging in the MOCA. I’d also make the potentially treasonous assumption that the humanoid-cigarette-vacuums known as Parisians come to admire a Banksy painted on a crude cement slab over the Mona Lisa, which hangs perfectly level within the Louvre.
Street Artist’s might not have the same reputation as those whose names are printed crisply on gallery pamphlets, however, they have always and will continue to play a tremendous role in capturing the zeitgeist of popular culture, curating a conversation for the everyday city dweller to think upon. Within the past two years, coinciding with the explosion of the NFT market, Street Artists from around the globe have started to create digital artworks, minting them on the blockchain, and selling them through various marketplaces.
By adopting this new technology, unconventional artists can use digital and social platforms to push out their work to the world, without having to rely on the big gallery names that so often dictate the terms of the art world's contractual landscape. Creating NFTs also gives these artists a new way of interacting with their admirers, whether that be gifting specialty physical prints or adding community perks to token holders. NFTs give fans the ability to purchase and own the artworks from their favorite street artist that otherwise wouldn't be for sale, at least not at reasonable prices. Along with the art, this new form of purchasing power through the medium of digital art truly can revolutionize the way artists can make their living.
Street Artists Who’ve Turned the Corner into the World of NFTS
Tristan Eaton has been a professional designer since he was 18, making a name for himself as a cofounder of the legendary brand Kid Robot. Motivated to create public art due to its inherent ability to inspire and transform communities, Eaton has formed a distinct style to his Murals which brilliantly blends illustrative and photorealistic imagery, exploding his compositions onto the surfaces in which they are painted on. His NFT project, G.E.M.M.A, is composed of 5000 portraits which all have uniquely varying details within the ubiquitous shape of their Gemma.
Matt Gondek, the deconstructive Pop artist has taken his talents to the digital world. Displaying bleak, messy, and doomed realities for the lovable characters we all know, Godnek’s works bring an edgy twist to the happy-go-lucky world of Saturday morning cartoons. A painter by trade, Gondek has taken the leap, now selling some of his works as NFTs.
Murals to the Metaverse is a project consisting of the works of 8 Bay Area based artists who “transformed the entire fifth story of the iconic Tribune Tower in Oakland into a menagerie of art and technological innovation.” After painting these murals, they had them animated and transformed into 3-Dimensional Renderings, solidifying their previously ephemeral paintings into indelible digital artworks. The results are amazing, and truly make you think about what the future of public art will be.
Kevin Maloof has a natural talent for bringing visually spectacular and historically significant moments to life with the use of some paint cans, brushes, ripped pants and torn up vans. Not only a muralist whose photorealistic works will make any passerby gawk, Maloofs abstract expressionist works are notably contemplative, drawing the viewer inward toward self reflection. He has turned the corner, using his technical painting skills to create a generative collection of Rocketheadz, which act as keys in playing their play-to-earn game.
Street Art acts as a magic mirror, reflecting upon the best and the worst of the cities in which they are overlaid. Without a doubt, these artists will and should continue to craft introspective works within the real world, displaying all their glory on a larger than life scale. But now, NFT technology will give these artists a new avenue to reach audiences in ways they never did before.
Stay Curious!
Article by Nate Galper
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