Andy Murray x Wimbledon x Refik Anadol
A special open edition NFT collaboration between tennis star AndyMurray, Wimbledon and renowned digital artist Refik Anadol. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of tennis star Andy Murray winning Wimbledon.
Andy Murray with sensors. (Twitter)
The Exposition describes itself as a world first in the field of the marriage between visual art, top sport and data science. The teaser video reveals how the artwork is a visual representation of points played, including body movements, in Murray’s illustrious career with the last remaining grass tennis major.
At a price of $147, 248 editions have been minted so far, and the sales window closes on July 16. Buyers can mint coins using crypto or via credit card on Manifold. Holders of the token will also later have the option to purchase a physical print edition of the artwork.
The Exposition describes itself as a world first in the field of the marriage between visual art, top sport and data science. The teaser video reveals how the artwork is a visual representation of points played, including body movements, in Murray’s illustrious career with the last remaining grass tennis major.
At a price of $147, 248 editions have been minted so far, and the sales window closes on July 16. Buyers can mint coins using crypto or via credit card on Manifold. Holders of the token will also later have the option to purchase a physical print edition of the artwork.
The exhibition artwork. (manifold)
I believe what we’re seeing here are the first signs of a trend toward sports memorabilia and general fandom. The collaborative nature of digital art/collectibles and the ability to superimpose utility is too great a value proposition for sports executives and athletes alike to ignore.
The future starts with digital first. Scalability and accessibility are huge drivers for sports with a global audience. As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at NBA Con last week:
Because our buildings are essentially full, we can’t scale our arenas, 99.9 – something our fans only experience the NBA through our media. How can we go beyond technology through products like NBA Top Shot are ways to do this.
US Women’s Golf Open ArtBall
Last week, golf followed in the footsteps of the Australian Open tennis grand slams NFT project the AO ArtBall, rolling out a similar concept for the US Women’s Open. Named ArtBall, the USGA collaborated with some of the same architects on the project, which connects a portion of the sports field’s surface with an NFT.
More than 3,000 people hit an NFT for free that correlated with a plot of the 17th green at Pebble Beach host course. In the tennis version, a match point landing on your area upgraded your NFT, but the US Women’s Open opted for several ways to provide upgradeable attributes, including landing points, closest hole to hole, and longest hole out. More on how the mechanics worked here.
The ArtBall concept is a strong one where we see the integration of existing, highly advanced sports data tracking technology and a new way to engage with fans by blurring the lines between physical and digital experiences.
Kudos to artist Amy Goodchild who pioneered generative art on the golf balls. They look very clean and fresh. This is another example of sports and art merging through NFTs.
Samples from the official ArtBall of the 2023 US Women’s Open. (usga.artball.io)
UFC integrates collectibles with a mobile-first game
The UFC announced a new multi-year partnership with Concept Labs to build on the already launched UFC Strike collection product built on Flow.
Cornerstones of the new deal include UFC Strike: Fight Camp, a mobile-first roster management game compatible with UFC Strike digital collectibles, holders will also participate in matchmatcher sweepstakes where you can meet UFC President Dana White to pitch a dream fight , plus other exclusive digital and IRL fan experiences.
What’s hot in NFT art markets
Some big sales for Fidenzas for 75 ETH and 71 ETH, Ringers #514 went for 88 ETH and a Bold Chromie Squiggle sold for 28.5 ETH.
But this past week really belonged to Terraforms by Mathcastles with over 145 sales for the onchain land art project set to kick off in December 2021. In comparison, the week before there were 50 sales. The collection floor has moved from 1.2 ETH to 2.17 ETH in the past seven days.
Fidenza #558 sold for 75 ETH, $140K. (Open sea)
Ringers #514 sold for 88 ETH, $165K (OpenSea)
Chromie Squiggle #9514 sold for 28.5 ETH, $56K (OpenSea)
NFT maker: tjo
We meet a genius of mixed media artists, tjo from Quebec, Canada.
Who is tjo?
Originally introduced to NFTs by friend Wally Sajimi around the end of 2020, tjo’s truly unique art is an outlet for his diagnosed OCD condition and aims to shed light on mental health. He minted his first token on February 23, 2021 and said he understood very little about NFTs at the time, but found it fascinating.
BLeU sold by tjo for 69.42 ETH, $113,100 equivalent at sale date. (Super Rare )
My own emotions and experiences with pure OCD greatly influence my art. I don’t want people to feel a certain emotion when they’re doing it, but I hope it forces them to look deep inside themselves and bring out feelings that were always there.
I also hope that the people who have dealt with mental disorders feel better about their differences by sharing these experiences.
tjos style and influences
With a background in physical painting and photography, tjo, like many other artists who store works on the blockchain, does not like to be pigeonholed as a certain type of artist.
I don’t really appreciate how we talk about style in markets like NFTs. It is weaponized as a vehicle for speculation without regard to historical context. If I were forced to pin my art into a category, I would fall under mixed media. It is easy; I mix different media and approaches, both digital and physical, says tjo.
Greek mythology and anime are two major influences on his work.
I am becoming more and more influenced by Greek mythology. Something about those stories makes me excited and curious. I also like anime like Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
To find myself and a visual language that I thought suited me; many artists have strongly influenced me, such as Francis Bacon (Irish British figurative painter), Jean-Michel Basquiat (American artist who is part of the neo-expressionist movement), Tim Walker (British fashion photographer), Frank Ockenfels (American photographer and artist of celebrities) Kazimir Malevich (Russian avant-garde artist) and many more.
Rapid fire Q&A
What is your favorite NFT in your wallet that is not your own NFT?
i hate you by tjo – sold for 40.69 ETH, $78,400 equivalent on sale date. (Super Rare)
My Mathcastle Terraform. It’s just perfect crypto artwork.
Is there an emerging artist(s) that you think people should pay attention to?
There are thousands of artists that people should be looking at, but if I had to point people to a starting point, the Kula Collective and Making It groups are great artists.
Who is a notable collector of yours that makes you smile knowing they own one of your pieces?
An OG who collected one of my early pieces was Path. I think that drew a lot of attention to me, and I’m thankful that he still owns the piece he bought.
Do you have favorite pieces of your own work?
I would say reaching further, mon sanctuaire and my latest interactive artwork, “Prozac Youth”.
Vegas Sphere captures the imagination of digital art enthusiasts
Las Vegas captured the imagination of the sports world last week with the debut of No. 1 draft pick, 75 Victor Wembanyama in the NBA Summer League and T-Mobile Stadium hosting UFC290 during international fight week. But for digital art enthusiasts, the only game in town was the images coming out of the Vegas MSG Sphere.
The $2.3 billion construction is home to a new 17,500-seat stadium that doubles as the best interactive billboard you’ve ever seen.
As digital art continues to push the boundaries in a rapidly accelerating creative environment, on top of provenance through NFTs, there remains a big unanswered question about how best to display digital art to do the work true justice.
We’ve seen the introduction of premium screens like Danvas and digital galleries around the world like JRNY which just opened in Vegas and Oshi Gallery in Melbourne, Australia, but it feels like we’re still scratching the surface. Well, what a larger area than the Sphere’s 580,000 square feet.
It’s definitely a matter of time before we see iconic digital art like CryptoPunks, Fidenzas, Ringers, Chromie Squiggles, XCOPY have their moment on the sphere, or maybe Jake Frieds Ball. I can only imagine what a giant ball rolling downhill towards you on the Vegas strip might look like when you hop in the Uber after a few drinks.
What do artists listen to when they create work: tjo edition.
Lately I’ve been listening a lot to Violett Pi and Yves Tumor.