“Weekly Top 10 Picks” can be contributed by anyone in the SR community. To participate send your weekly 10 favorite artworks on SuperRare to [email protected] and we’ll get your picks featured!
Weekly Top 10 Picks by Anna Seaman (@anaoanna)
I am an arts and culture writer living and working in Dubai. Based in the Middle East for the past 13 years, I specialise in writing about visual art and artists from the MENA region. Recently, I have established myself as an independent curator and I am currently working on my first exhibition with SuperRare – set to open in the Cryptovoxels space in Feb 2021.
The S.V Squawker is now boarding by marc0matic
Not only are his animations pretty cool, but each piece by marc0martic has a social message. This one tackles what he calls ‘the Age of Abundance’ and our human tendency to escape. In this fictional world, ships crafted and fashioned after birds (which are long since extinct) perform rituals of maintenance before setting off into the clouds. Technology has stormed ahead in its unstoppable march but has left behind a race of people who are so far detached from nature that they are partly robotic – maybe not physically but certainly psychologically.
Sell And Swap by burst_
This piece is another in the ongoing Pandemic series from @burst_. It combines wit and dry humour with a piercing reflection of the state of humanity within our current consumerist-saturated reality. The artist’s trademark HAHAHA background flickers in this GIF format that immediately calls to mind the endless memes that dominate our social media channels. In this particular piece, the central figure appears to be laughing at his audience as he yells “sell and swap”, which is also a self-reflective comment on the crypto community.
Beautiful Chaos by stelcart
Stelcart’s varying style ranges from more polished illustrative creations to others, such as this, that are full of raw energy. This is the second instalment from her Club Kids collection and bears an almost Basquiat-style relationship to music. Inspired by a story told to the artist by another member of the crypto community, this piece – with a soundtrack by @ViciosoEdgar – oozes dynamism with an animation that takes the viewer on a spiral to the dancefloor or the parallel experience to this: a journey to self-discovery.
The Dutch HODL Age by mick
Many pieces of crypto art pass comment on the industry itself. Some with sarcasm, some with wit and many from an economic standpoint. Referencing the Dutch Golden Age when great wealth swept across Europe bringing about a plethora of cultural outpourings, not least in painting, this piece features a typical Dutch Still Life that has been in fact, brought to life by animation. The Dutch Golden Age artists scrutinised the natural world and monumentalised it, paying attention to details such as plants, animals and light. Here, the artist is shedding his own light on the crypto world. It also has a psychedelic swirl that is mesmerising and a wonderfully cryptic caption.
Deconstructed Flux by kaysha
What I like about Deconstructed Flux are the same things that I like about modern abstract art. Through shapes and colours, the artist breaks down borders of hierarchy. There is no elitism in this kind of art. It allows for democratic viewing. The movement here also mimics the frenetic pace of social media streams that dominate hours of our brain activity and asks us to wonder, where is the beginning and where is the end? Where does our thought start and where does someone else’s begin?
Re-Cities by annibale_inward
What will the cities of the future look like? This is a question that should interest all of us and in particular, those concerned with sustainability. I love the fact that this artist is also an architect and his understanding of 3D comes across in this surreal piece that borders between photographic reality and imagined landscape. Vertical construction shows towering housing blocks that intertwine with the mountain so that rock and dwelling become one.
How To Disappear Completely by etienecrauss
One of my all-time favourite pieces of crypto art, this is an older creation (5 months old) but re-entered the market this week with an auction held by current owner @kaizer. I find this piece beautifully executed with so much movement and emotion and a genius use of colour palette – the bright orange square echoes the falling flower and the protagonist is disappearing into a swirl of lines and marks that evade form whilst simultaneously capturing. The composition is seamless and I would go so far as to say it is a majestic piece.
Mineralium 1 by CullenHassel
The geometric patterns of minerals remind me of the cell structure of humans; the building blocks of life. In fact, all of the natural world is based on a balanced and precise geometry, which is reflected in this piece of art, which is an abstraction of mineral growth patterns. This is a quiet piece but one that grows on you, with time.
Room With A View by stuz0r
A new artist to the SuperRare platform, I love the photographic style that Stuz0r uses. Despite relying heavily on shadow, it conjures up a welcoming ambiance whilst at the same time catapulting his viewers into another dimension. It is sci-fi meets reality in a subtle yet powerful style that I think has a lot of potential.
Nomada by Tierras_Raras
This is the first SuperRare artwork for this Argentinian artist and I love the painterly quality to it. It also carries a sense of freedom about it. The girl rides a dragon serpent into the setting sun under the caption ‘guilt doesn’t suit me anymore’. I feel it is a fitting piece for all of us shedding a new skin moving into a new year. Happy 2021 to everyone.
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