CryptoArt Assets: Uniswap Token List, Blockchain In Art, Crypto Art Collecting

picture of "List Tokens" headline and CryptoArtNet colorful C logo

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.”

 

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CryptoArt Assets: Up and to the Right

chart of sales volume with rapidly rising sales in 2020

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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5 Routes to Mainstreaming CryptoArt

dr seuss digital collectibles website screengrab with cat in the hat

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.”

CryptoArt Wash Trading: Let the Buyer Beware

Twitter screenshot

When you’re trying to figure out the potential long-term value of an artist’s work by considering various data points, you can as easily be led astray with cryptoart as with any other asset. Wash trading is a particular concern whether it’s done to directly manipulate prices or to create the appearance of widespread interest and hype. Does it bother artists? Probably not as much as collectors.

What is Wash Trading?

Wash trading has a long history particularly in the stock market. According to Investopedia:

“Wash trading is a process whereby a trader buys and sells a security for the express purpose of feeding misleading information to the market. In some situations, wash trades are executed by a trader and a broker who are colluding with each other, and other times wash trades are executed by investors acting as both the buyer and the seller of the security.”

Though cryptoart is not a security it is increasingly an asset in which individuals and organizations can invest. As the work of particular artists is identified as strong investments, prices will rise accordingly which can make a huge difference in an artist’s life. So wash trading can affect artists both short and long-term even when such activity seems remote and out of one’s hands.

Wash Trading in Cryptoart Markets

In cryptoart wash trading is often used to create the appearance of high sales volume. Sales volume affects ranking on leaderboards which can be a really strong form of marketing to buyers looking for promising cryptoart investments and speculative opportunities. In addition, the space is getting noisier and it will be increasingly difficult to make a big splash so leaderboard ranking can help with that.

Some people also use the term wash trading to refer to buying one’s art back or through a third party to raise the price. This seems likely to attract more scrutiny if leading to newsworthy sales.

With the launch of Rarible’s cryptocurrency $RARI, which is distributed based on “participating on the platform… [aka] Marketplace Liquidity Mining,” an even more direct incentive for wash trading has emerged.

So cryptoart wash trading can create an appearance of higher interest for an artist’s work than actually exists in the marketplace, create increased visibility for an artist’s work, be used to directly manipulate pricing and lead to larger stashes of $RARI.

Do Artists Care?

CryptoArt Twitter has a wide range of responses and I gathered some of those through a Twitter poll which received numerous responses in the comments. The poll results are posted above.

There was also a lively conversation that emerged based on a tweet from @SatsMoonSoon:

Twitter screenshot

The response focused on artists listed as high volume sellers, artists who are seeking to raise prices and artists seeking $RARI. Some cryptoartists feel these practices don’t affect them. @Reviiser maintains wash trading is not an issue for artists but does affect speculators:

Twitter screenshot

However, as @cechk_art pointed out:

Twitter screenshot

Discussion of all these issues often indicated that the popular platform Rarible is considered to be an epicenter for wash trading. And one of its biggest critics has been NFT data firm NonFungible.

NonFungible’s Stance on Wash Trading

As the leading source of cryptoart and NFT sales data, NonFungible has high stakes in the game. At the beginning of the year, NonFungible included wash trading in a list of “Behaviors in the NFT ecosystem that we hope will decrease in 2020“:

“Most data and analytics platforms propose rankings of the top volume-generating projects. To make a place in these rankings, some projects do not hesitate to set up bots which exchange assets all day long to inflate their volume.”

“Tracking, data and analytical tools such as NonFungible have become, for some projects, a kind of free showcase, offering high visibility to projects generating high volumes. Some smaller projects have understood the importance of these platforms in the ecosystem and have believed that we would not notice these strategies.”

This article is well worth a closer look for those buying cryptoart with plans to sell it later at a higher price. Both investors and speculators should be aware of the tactics described that are not limited to wash trading.

All Eyes On Rarible

Though wash trading is unlikely to be limited to a single platform, Rarible has come under close scrutiny from both cryptoartists and NonFungible. The release of $RARI seems to have only increased such activity and Rarible is clearly aware of the situation:

Twitter screenshot

NonFungible recently called out Rarible and discontinued its visible data listing on the site:

https://twitter.com/nonfungibles/status/1288604823038898177

The comments in response to this exchange are well worth a look for more nuanced positions, for example:

Twitter screenshot

In turn, @xCryptochild called out NonFungible for lack of disclosure to which NonFungible responded:

Twitter screenshot

And @Jay_Delay pointed out that NonFungible’s approach does not have to be all-or-nothing:

Twitter screenshot

This issue goes beyond Rarible vs NonFungible but the positions taken related to both companies do highlight the range of concerns.

CryptoArt Grows Up

While current issues might be seen as simply growing pains for a new arts genre and asset class, these issues aren’t going away. Cryptoart’s grounding in non-fungible tokens and its history in relationship to cryptocurrency makes buying and selling an integral part of the art form itself.

Attempts to disconnect aesthetics from commerce are not only a historical fail but a failure to recognize the realities of the conditions under which cryptoart is produced and distributed.

More importantly for collectors with dreams of cashing in, tactics like wash trading are a reminder that the warm, fuzzy cryptoart scene has some sharp edges. Do your homework!

CryptoArt: A New Asset Class Emerges

red square artwork

Museum of Crypto Art Purchased Pak’s “Red” for 29.1262 Eth

Recently I presented the perspective that current segmentation of NFT-related businesses tends to overlook the dominant presence of art and design which arguably undervalues the cryptoart market. Regardless of your take on such things, such models are an important element of how cryptoart is valued as an asset class.

Which models will be taken up as more investors and speculators enter the scene may well be dependent on moves by already established forces outside the cryptoart scene. However, for the moment, the most relevant work is being conducted by insider analysts and the artists themselves.

Previously on CryptoArt News

Is the CryptoArt Market Undervalued? Aren’t NFTs Mostly CryptoArt?

Includes references to reports available via The Non-Fungible News as well as to Andrew Steinwold’s article “The first $100m in NFTs.”

A Newbie Collector’s View

As more collectors enter the space, considering their experiences and early impressions will help in developing a more approachable and understandable cryptoart market:

CV VC Global Report: Blockchain in Art

CoinTelegraph is helping promote a sneak peek of an upcoming report from “Big Four auditor PwC and Swiss blockchain investment firm CV VC” on companies and trends developing uses of blockchain in the artworld.

The full CV VC Global Report: Blockchain in Art “will be published in the upcoming weeks” and will be discussed in a livestreamed event on August 12th.

Here’s the Sneak Peek.

NFT Fractions: New Ways to Collect and Speculate

The concept of NFT Fractions is a great fit for collectors, speculators and artists wishing to maximize gain. Check out NIFTEX.com for more.

DeFi Rate
Fractional NFT Ownership Heats Up – Niftex Shards Skyrocket
Cooper Turley

Can Performance Art Be Collected As NFTs?

Performance art is typically collected in the form of documentation and physical objects created during performances. Some artists and collectors, as well as museums, are exploring the collection of the reproduction rights of performances and that has led to experiments with licensing and contracts.

Perhaps the creative approach taken in the distribution of HOW ARE WE can serve as a starting point for addressing the collection of performance art with NFTs.

The Value of a Pixel

The recent purchase of Pak‘s “Red Pixel” work called “Red” by the Museum of Crypto Art set off a discussion about valuation.

Hazmus shared thoughts and gathered responses:

On Art and Value: Part 1 ~ Part 2

$WHALE: Experiments in Valuation

$WHALE is a social currency launched earlier this year by WhaleShark.Pro that is backed by non-fungible tokens gathered in a basket called The Vault.

The Vault’s valuation is audited by NonFungible which produced the $WHALE Vault Audit in May and July of this year.

CryptoArt Valuation Tools

Blockchaingamer’s Analytics database is a new tool for comparing NFT assets.

NonFungibles’ NFT Market Overview is a key resource.

Media Coverage of the CryptoArt and NFT Markets

Decrypt:
NFT token sales hit $100 million as virtual economy booms
Greg Thomson

PublishOx:
Are non-fungible tokens (NFTs) art and investment product of the future? A look on Upland
Niqestates

NEDEROB / Play to Earn:
Five Major Trends in the NFT Market in 2020 So Far
Nederob

Future Tech Rumors:
‘Digital Art’ Framed And Collected On Blockchain

CoinDesk
Yield Farming Expands From Finance to Digital Collectibles
Brady Dale