NFT collector and enthusiast Derrick Li first learned about the shape of digital art in the way many of us did, through Beeple’s $ 69 million sales. 5,000 days At Christie’s in March 2021. But that’s where the similarities with those who jumped into the NFT trend stop.
Instead of looking for a get-rich-quick purchase, Li began contacting his most respected NFT creators.He also founded Triple XFocuses on bridging the knowledge gap between organizations focused on curating NFT collections by artists (not illustrators, discussed in detail below) and mainstream art collectors and artists working in the digital arena. The organization that hit.
Earlier this week, Li announced that Triple X would release a new curated NFT collection, On Sparks and Souls, featuring digital artwork by artists including Gagosian’s Jia Aili.
Recently, we caught up with Li and talked about the volatility of the NFT market, the differences between NFT art and digital collections, and more.
Derrick Li, founder of TripleX.
Tell yourself and how you came to the NFT space.
I’m Derrick Li, also known as Tung or Triple X or X. Some artists are calling me. My family calls me dong dong. People say I have so many names, they hear a new name every time they meet someone who knows me. These “multiple identities” make me feel great because I don’t want to be defined, and this somehow frees me up in the NFT space. It’s just me, but it depends on your point of view.
I founded Triple X early last year and have been an NFT collector, curator and builder right after Beeple’s auction at Christie’s. I started investigating them and realized their potential, user cases, and their benefits to the artist and all users.
There were several factors that attracted me. First, I knew it was still early to enter this market, so that would be a big advantage. Second, NFTs can do so many great things and make a huge contribution to the artist. Finally, I wanted to make it easier for artists to create great new things.
How would you describe XXX in your own words? What do you think you see as part of your evolving role in NFT space?
For now, Triple X is me, but I hope to be an open organization to support innovation and inspiring digital art opportunities and ideas. My goal at Triple X is to lift people, especially artists, and make the world a better place. Triple X represents sparks and souls, inspiration and purpose, recognition and understanding. We want people to get together with good hearts and good intentions and create long-term value in NFT spaces in interesting ways.
Part of this is to bring more senior traditional collectors and the general public to the scene and help build a basic and enlightening understanding of what is happening in the digital realm. Means. From there, XXX will be able to offer high quality work to collectors and art lovers. I really care about the audience, the true art lovers.
Classics become classics for some reason, and I don’t want to see XXX or be associated with hype. I hope it builds a culture and has it within with like-minded people.
Your company has many aspects to the world of NFTs. Especially for art lovers, it’s a curator or almost gallery-like judging process that brings NFT collections into a more accessible area. Earlier this week, we announced the removal of a new collection of NFTs by artists such as: Jia Isle represented by Gagosian.. Who are the NFT artists in the collection? How did you get in touch with each?
This collection includes amazing digital artists such as Raoul Marks, David Ariew and Ryan Hawthorne. Of course, the main character of the collection is Jia Aili. There are two more digital artists working behind the scenes, but I still don’t want to reveal their identity.It’s more interesting to stay wondering, but based on the quality of the work I’ve made so far, people can believe that secret works are also some of the most artistic digital artists in the NFT space. I can do it
I also love collecting NFTs and reaching out to the mastermind behind these amazing digital artworks. Fortunately, many of these artists answered. At that time, NFT artists were eager to connect with collectors. Today, too many ghost accounts will DM you (you are an artist, collector, builder, etc.) and most people don’t even check DM requests anymore.
Artist David Ariew has also helped connect with many other artists, including Raoul Marks on sale. David has always been this very kind and nice person.
Do you think there is a common thread betweenRtsists who chose to work with?
Yes, definitely! This current collection is called “On Sparks and Souls” and one of its main purposes is to show the artistic essence of these NFTs and raise the bar for the artistic conversation that surrounds them. I asked these NFT artists to create works that somehow react to Jia Aili’s paintings. They were able to explore ways to understand paintings, talk to them, and combine elements of his work with their own to create a refreshing new way, staying close to its roots. .. A comprehensive common thread among these artists, including Airi, is the essence of the art in which true creativity is born and the vibrations they have.
So is the exhibition NFT inspired directly by 2D paintings? Why did you choose to pursue this method of building an NFT collection?
yes. All digital artwork is inspired by at least one painting by Jia Aili selected by each artist in the collection. The final digital artwork combines Aili’s vision, artistic philosophy, and direct artistic input from him with each artist’s personal input, medium, style, interpretation, and “signature.” , These are created as NFTs. In this process, the meaning of the symbols in the original picture expanded.
The original paintings played a big role in this collection, so next year we are considering planning and curating an exhibition that will make these paintings talk to digital art, but we will lend them from collectors to make that possible. And so on, there are many steps. .. The painting already has a house, but it will be a wonderful conversation between the works.
Currently, NFT spaces have a lot of volatility. What do you think about this?
This is the result of non-stop speculation in the NFT space that happened to collapse during a cryptocurrency crash. Are you worried about the market? No, am I worried about people? yes. More relevant information and education is needed in this area.
The market was very volatile as some people were playing this money game and trying to guess the market for a particular artist. After that, they became “influential people” and told people what they should look for and buy. , Not the actual knowledge of the artwork. NFTs were sold at prices that didn’t make sense given the actual true demand and artistic value.
Currently, most NFTs are dead assets because there is no liquidity flowing into the space. So-called “whale collectors” need to take great responsibility for the current state of the universe.
Many people are very impatient. People have short-term visions and ideas only when they are in this space. Not many people have a long-term vision or are willing to start building a healthy infrastructure for this market and its reputation. I’m very critical of this because I want the NFT space to last longer.
Please tell me the difference between digital goods and NFT. What are the main differences? And how do you think these differences will become apparent in the future?
Digital collector projects are created by a team of developers, not artists. Often, these teams hire illustrators to create visual designs for their products, but does that count as artwork? My answer may sound controversial, but I say no. Not all works are works of art. Not all illustrations are artwork.
I think it is very important to distinguish between digital collections that are NFTs and digital artwork that is created as NFTs. People should not try to find artistic value or the essence of art in digital collections. It’s like expecting a lychee to fall from an apple tree.
Of course, many people looking for artwork look at successful collectible projects such as Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks and wonder why such “bad art” sold so much. These are not artwork. They are digital collections that can provide utilities. You need to draw a clear line here. Then people can start identifying artwork and talk about things with the right definitions and expectations.
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