Though most of CryptoArtNet’s posts on cryptoart as an asset focuses on art NFTs, Ethereum blockchain-based tokens are also worth considering. CryptoArtNet’s Uniswap cryptoart token list is one effort to support those entering that realm. Of course, $WHALE and $RARI are both worth learning more about. Cryptoart investors and speculators can also learn a few things from NFT traders and blockchain research.

CryptoArtNet’s Uniswap Token List

Currently in queue to be considered as an addition to Uniswap’s Token Lists, CryptoArtNet’s cryptoart token list features cryptoart-related tokens listed on Uniswap. You can add it to the Uniswap app using the url of the json list on Github. This list will be maintained and updated regardless of Uniswap’s decision to add or reject the list.

$RARI and Rarible Governance

After successfully launching its $RARI governance token, Rarible follows with an explanation of how governance will work. The ultimate goal is to create a DAO, a Decentralized Autonomous Organization. This goal has received a major cosign with the decision of CoinFund to invest in Rarible. It’s pretty clear the scrappy marketplace that has attempted to serve the community as a whole is leveling up.

Brukhman on CoinFund’s NFT Thesis

Ok, it’s clear I’m going to disagree with Brukhman’s take on the NFT space on a regular basis but he’s an important voice and his leadership of CoinFund will have enormous impact beyond its recent investment in Rarible.

So here’s Brukhman’s most recent analysis of the bigger picture, “All digital content is going on-chain,” which addresses “CoinFund’s NFT thesis and…investment in Rarible.”

$WHALE NFT Mining

Though recently blocked by @WhaleShark_Pro, I continue to follow news of $WHALE, an innovative token with a deeply committed community. Mason Nystrom recently shared an introduction to the token in the Messari newsletter with a deeper dive for subscribers.

Also worth noting is WhaleShark’s recent explanation of the $WHALE NFT Mining program in which “NFT meets DeFi” and very recent coverage by CoinTelegraph:
“Whale vault gobbles up virtual real estate for development in The Sandbox”

CV VC Global Report – Blockchain in Art

I previously mentioned the CV VC Global Report on “Blockchain in Art” which was released as a “Sneak Peak.” This week they organized the above panel to discuss topics considered in the report.

Blockchain, Creativity and Arts Intertwine

In an extensive post on Medium, “Blockchain, Creativity and Arts Intertwine,” Sasha Shilina shares “Use Cases and Notable Projects” that should be of great interest to cryptoart collectors in the larger context of blockchain-related art activities.

Reference: UBS Art Basel Art Market Report 2019/2020

CryptoArt/NFT Collecting and Trading

Art is Becoming the Next Billion Dollar Blockchain Use Case & You Don’t Need Millions to Get Started – DCL Blogger

How Ethereum fuelled the NFT boom – Robert Stevens

An ROI Collector’s Guide to Cryptoart – matthew

Exploring On-Chain Data To Find The Best NFT Traders – Andrew Steinwold

The Complacency of Crypto Art

For a deep counterpart to most of the above perspectives, DADA.art’s Beatriz Helena Ramos shared her thoughts earlier this summer on “The Complacency of Crypto Art.”

 

Did you know you can Subscribe to CryptoArt News?

SuperRare Sales Volume Increases 365%

It’s speeding up!

“The marketplace started the year with $344,000 in platform sales volume, but has seen that figure almost quadruple in seven months…”

“Research analyst at Messari Crypto, Mason Nystrom, has plotted the growth charts, for SuperRare, and notes that collectors from 178 countries have earned over $350,000 in secondary sales, demonstrating a vibrant post-auction market.”

iMore picked up on the Cointelegraph article and this nice looking piece resulted:
Collecting digital artwork is growing even as the pandemic continues

One of the 5 Routes to Mainstreaming CryptoArt I previously discussed.

New to the Game?

I recently ran across Ryan Sean Adams piece from the beginning of the year:
How to make money on digital art

Reasonable place to start if you’re trying to sort out what’s happening with cryptoart as an asset.

Picasso’s Bull Nets $55,555.55

Media coverage of the sale of Picasso’s Bull by Trevor Jones for $55,555.55 on Nifty Gateway:

Gemini
Nifty Gateway Sets New Record for Digital Art Sale

Bitcoin.com
Non-fungible Digital Artwork Sale Shatters Records, ‘Picasso’s Bull’ NFT Sells for $55K

Cointelegraph
Interview with Trevor Jones and the Museum of Crypto Art’s Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile

Intellectual Property as a CryptoArt Asset

Speaking of high prices, people got upset with a dude naming Boxmining who questioned the idea of a $30k price tag for an NFT.

Jake Brukhman responded with some stimulating thoughts about the potential for using NFTs to license artistic product. Worth a read but Brukhman’s comments don’t respond to Boxmining’s take nor do they consider the actual reality of licensing and intellectual property in the arts.

More of a reminder that cryptoart assets go beyond the buying and selling of cryptoart as discreet pieces and that there is more to come!

Wash Trading = Bad

Wash trading is not a good thing in any market but it probably exists in all markets including the cryptoart market.

We recently discussed the issue and, since then, NonFungible dropped more knowledge on the topic.

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Cryptoart going mainstream may not be as enjoyable as some hope. But it’s going to happen one way or another. So let’s say we want to encourage the process. Here are 5 intersecting routes to do so, all of which are already in motion.

The most active route currently seems to be the moves by big brands to create cryptocollectibles using their intellectual property and big names adding their own work to the mix.

1) Big Brands and Big Names

Big brands are coming to NFT Land and that will eventually crossover to the world of CryptoArt. While I’ve made the argument that NFT Land is actually part of Crypto Art and Design World, we can all see there’s a distinction between game NFTs, in particular, and art on cryptoart platforms.

But the big brands aren’t always coming into gaming. They’re also tokenizing pieces of popular art as NFT collectibles.

For example, Dr. Seuss:
Dr. Seuss Digital Collectibles
Can these Dr. Seuss decals help digital collectibles catch on?

And Doctor Who:
Doctor Who Digital Trading Cards
Doctor Who to Enter the Cryptoverse as BBC Plans Trading Card Game on Ethereum Blockchain

Plus William Shatner memorabilia:
William Shatner on the WAX Blockchain
William Shatner Makes History on the WAX Blockchain!

More directly relevant to cryptoart is the appearance of José Delbo on MakersPlace. José Delbo is a renowned comics artist and MakersPlace is a leading cryptoart platform.

Given the crossover between fine art and popular culture in the 60s and 70s, as well as the blurred boundaries within the cryptoart scene, this is a big step in the mainstreaming of cryptoart.

Baseball star Tommy Wilson’s appearance on SuperRare may not be in the same league as Delbo but is certainly another move in the big game.

Also of note is the Cryptograph project “one-of-a-kind digital collectibles from your favourite icons and artists that raise money for charity forever, all secured by blockchain technology.” The fact that they began with Vitalik Buterin and are raising money for good causes has probably spared them some ridicule now that both Ashton Kutcher and Paris Hilton have joined in.

On a side note, the nicest art I’ve seen related to this project to date was the response by luluxXX to Paris Hilton’s cat painting:
Crypto Kitty. luluxXX

2) High Prices

Staggeringly high prices for cryptoart, like the $55,555.55 for Picasso’s Bull by Trevor Jones make the news and excite speculators about a new asset class. In the traditional art world, that’s what gets the most attention and the same is happening for cryptoart at a smaller scale.

If some of these sales are being manipulated by speculators, that also happens offline. In any case, high prices will contribute in their own way to mainstreaming cryptoart.

But “who’s gonna tell the yield farming bros?”

3) Media Outreach

Cryptoart needs to be more visible beyond crypto media. While big brands and high prices do get us some attention outside of our scene, focused media outreach is required for cryptoart to become a more normal part of the art world.

Platforms and people getting attention in the above two categories are best positioned to break through beyond crypto media. In particular, cryptoart platforms could be doing more targeted outreach to business media, regarding new forms of assets, and art media, regarding new opportunities for artists.

If, for example, MakersPlace, SuperRare and Nifty Gateway built on their numerous wins with professional publicists, they could do a lot to introduce cryptoart to the mainstream.

Investments and acquisitions also provide publicity opportunities as we’ve seen with the acquisition of Nifty Gateway and, over in NFT Land, the recent raise by Dapper Labs. Further publicity would not only help these platforms and related companies but help bring NFTs and cryptoart to the mainstream.

4) Virtual Worlds

Cryptoart has been a big part of the growth of Decentraland and Cryptovoxels. Obvously, the biggest driver is the ability to buy parcels of virtual land as NFTs. But the life of these spaces is greatly enriched by the involvement of cryptoartists.

Decentraland is a strong example of a virtual world connecting with the mainstream. Developments include José Delbo’s exhibition and Samsung’s support via its Blockchain Wallet App.

Tokens launched by virtual worlds also bring cryptocurrency traders into the space, even if at a distance. Decentraland’s $MANA is one such token and now $SAND from The Sandbox has joined the fray.

As virtual spaces grow in popularity, cryptoart will benefit by being part of the scene.

5) CryptoArt Displays

Events have been a big part of the cryptoart scene in virtual worlds but displays of cryptoart in various forms are probably the most accessible aspect for outsiders. The issue of displaying cryptoart may not readily come to mind when considering mainstreaming but it’s very important especially when one considers display in the home or office.

While some will remain baffled by high prices for NFTs and others just can’t afford to play at that level, being able to enjoy and share one’s art purchases in a form that’s easily accessible by others should not be underrated.

The partnership of pixEOS, an EOS-based cryptoart platform, and Canvia, a creator of digital art frames, is a promising sign. Canvia seems particularly well-designed for those who want a display form that looks most like traditional art.

Mark Date of Rendar, a site that is onboarding street artists, recently wrote about TokenCast, an “open source application enabling users to directly display their tokenized NFT artworks on an independent television or monitor.”

As Mark points out, TokenCast “may help attract mainstream artists and collectors into this space.”

However, at the moment, this DIY display by @secondrealm is my favorite.

Other Possible Routes to the Mainstream

These are the possibilities that strike me most strongly but I’ve seen other ideas floated. Some people feel we shouldn’t call it cryptoart, an idea with which I strongly disagree.

If you have some opinions on the topic, please share them on Twitter in response to this post and I’ll do a follow-up at a later date. I’ll also include relevant comments from this Twitter thread in response to @aishacarif’s tweet on “barriers to entry in the #cryptoart world.”