NFT.NYC the DADA way
Two NFTs got married in New York City. You heard right. We capped our Creeps & Weirdos Xtravaganza for NFT.NYC with the nuptials of Coy Catrina and Color War Weirdo. There were many gallery openings and NFT parties in town but not another one involved a wedding.
The High Priest of Crypto Art, aka Colborn, was the officiant. Artnome was the tallest and shaggiest ring bearer ever, and no crypto art wedding would be complete without disruption from the one and only ROBNESS. Special guest Jonathan Mann composed a lovely tune about the creepy couple.
But why, you may ask. Well, because we think it is about time people fell in love with the Creeps & Weirdos. Symbolically we hitched together the 2017 Creeps with the 2019 Weirdos. We were thrilled to see so many of our old crypto art friends at the wedding reception, which was lots of fun. So much so, that we celebrated July 4 with our good friend Stellabelle by talking about the party as an inspiration for other crypto art events.
What made it so special? Well, we invited some of the Creeps & Weirdos artists and other DADA artists to come to NY for the occasion and to create art together for our pop up gallery.
The worldwide delegation included Daveed, Cromomaníaco, Carlos and Manela Márquez, J’erre, Boris Z. Simunich, Mr. Monk, Marko Zubak, Lissette, Otro Captore, Moxarra, Bea, and Sparrow.
They came to New York to make art together and created three installations:
Dada’s Embrace
The concept of community is at the core of the DADA Collective. Many hands built this artwork, creating volume with multiple layers of recycled materials collected throughout the city. This joint effort is rendered invisible under a copious layer of hair reminiscent of a plush toy that makes us feel safe and loved. This is the embrace of community. To appreciate its value you must hold it tight.
The Essence of Absence
At least half the members of our Collective could not be here because of immigration problems, some because of the pandemic and others because of the intractable bureaucracy of nation states. At DADA, we don’t believe in territorial boundaries. In this work, the members of the Collective who were able to come to New York gave presence to those who could not come by interpreting their art and using their voices in a soundscape of sadness, making visible the reason for their absence.
Prelude to the Market
The NFT market seduces artists with the promise of freedom, it seduces collectors with superficial glitz, but it commoditizes art and creates a star system that benefits a few in a disproportionate way, and leaves everyone else struggling and failing. For artists who can’t find success, the NFT ecosystem becomes a violent cacophony of relentless status display, desperate self-promotion, and overwhelming pressure. It leaves artists vulnerable to scams, harassment by investors, and an overall sense of failure. Everything that glitters is not gold. This was a mixed media installation with sound and strobe lights.
There was so much art! The amazing Angie Taylor was virtually there with her VR gallery of Creeps & Weirdos.
We also plastered the streets of New York with these eye catching posters (note our proximity to Cindy Sherman, such good company):
And our friend John Dilworth, creator of Courage, The Cowardly Dog animated the Creeps & Weirdos logo for posterity with his usual flair:
This entire gloriousness was made possible by an army of people:
Creative: Peter Nicholson, Judy Mam, Adriana Genel, Angie Taylor, Laura Foulke, John Dilworth, MStarFX, Elegant Seagulls.
Event: Marjoury Portal, Leo Zelig, Alt Terrain, Casa Birria, The Experiential Group, Bulleit Bourbon.
Our crypto art fam troupers: Jason Bailey, Colborn Bell, ROBNESS, Jonathan Mann, LUVRworldwide.
The artists in New York: Daveed, Cromomaníaco, Carlos and Manela Márquez, J’erre, Boris Z. Simunich, Mr. Monk, Marko Zubak, Lissette, Otro Captore, Moxarra, Bea, Sparrow, Carola Bermudez.
The artists abroad: Adriana Genel, Angie Taylor, Lorena Pinasco, Soltics, Massel, Sphynx, Vanesa Stati, Caro DeGiorgio, Simon Wairiuko, and Boris Toledo.
The collectors:
And all our fabulous friends!
