" class="no-js "lang="en-US"> Artist Anna Condo launches NFT collection of floral portraits created
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Artist Anna Condo launches NFT collection of floral portraits created in collaboration with anonymous cypherpunks

Anna Condo, New York-based filmmaker, photographer and artist, has launched Tulip 1637, a collection of floral portraits, created in collaboration with an anonymous group of cypherpunks. The collection is inspired by the infamous market bubble “tulip mania” that took place during the 17th Century Dutch Golden Age. The craze saw the contract prices of some tulips soar to extraordinary levels, enjoying a spike in popularity, before a sudden fall. Anna’s work plays on this, utilising modern technology to extend the reach of tulips worldwide.

Flowers have long acted as Anna’s ultimate inspiration, with her work showcasing flowers as strong subjects worthy of respect. Like NFTs, unique by nature, tulips are known for their variegated properties. Similarly, tulips can take years to propagate, like the way digital assets are encrypted.

NFTs disrupt the art sale landscape – historically impenetrable – by removing the middleman and providing artists like Anna Condo with more freedom and autonomy.  Rather than erode the traditional artworld, this evolution expands its boundaries. Uniquely, NFT sales provide secondary royalties to the original creator of the NFT, meaning the artist benefits with every exchange, retaining copyright and reproduction rights, like physical artwork.

NFTs also benefit the buyer, designed to provide something that can’t be copied: ownership of the work. NFTs, therefore, have the power to democratise the art industry, providing borderless access for buyers, direct sales for artists, and technology that can be utilised by anyone regardless of gender, generation, or prestige. The sale of NFTs should also be considerably lower friction than traditional art and authentication is considerably easier. The NFT market acts as the first true resolution to the problem of digital ownership.

The NFT ecosystem is meritocratic by nature. Participants in blockchain networks can act pseudonymously, as artists and/or technologists can choose to keep their identity a secret. NFTs have the potential to be a great leveller, promoting industry inclusivity, removing barriers, forging communities, and making art more accessible than ever before.

The Tulip 1637 collection is stored on the Ethereum blockchain and the Tulip 1637 address starts with the signature of Anna Condo’s name: 0xa1111ac011d0 == 0xANNACONDO. Each character in the frame adds an additional 24 bits of complexity. The 0xa1111ac011d0 address contains 281 trillion bits of complexity, pointing to its rarity and the challenge involved in its discovery. Each flower minted to the Tulip 1637 collection must provide proof that work was completed to find it, which becomes increasingly difficult with each new tulip, therefore each flower is increasingly rare for collectors.

Describing what inspired the collection, Condo said: “Irony definitely has a part to play in this, but I hope people find my work enlightening. It was created with respect for the history of these beautiful flowers.”

On her decision to enter into the world of NFTs, Anna continues: “NFTs came to me as a novel idea that made undeniable sense and an opportunity I could not miss. I see this technology as a gift to the art world and a chance to create a new heritage. For the first time in its history, men and women are starting on an even playing field. NFTs to me are the great leveller, removing barriers, forging communities, and making art more accessible than ever before.

“And their value spans far beyond the art world. NFTs have the potential to transform record keeping, education, knowledge sharing and more. Therefore, I believe despite talk of the “NFT bubble”, NFTs are here to stay.”

Tulip 1637 is available for purchase here.

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