In 2021, I watched Beeple pop champagne after selling Everydays: The First 5000 Days for $69.3 million and jump off his couch saying he gets to go to Disneyland. I wanted that to be me, as did every other Bob, Dick, and Harry with a graphics card and a dream.
Fueled by excitement, I began knocking out digital artworks like I was late to a gold rush and like it really was my only ticket to Disneyland somehow, convinced I was part of a new digital renaissance - that all my years of pixel pushing in the shadows were finally about to pay off in some Dumb Money, Wolf of Wall Street-meets-Big Short kind of moment.
Instead, I made a something-decent chunk of money off my own friends, got my wallet hacked, and probably left the people who bought my work with some cool jpegs, a little confusion, and a vague sense of having supported the arts, and even female artists (pat on the back).
Digital art remains my home. While the NFT craze both lifted and damaged the credibility of the world I work in, I’m still a firm believer that digital art deserves to break into the art establishment and to be seen in physical spaces. I love to create. And I consider myself a modern artist, maybe even a little too modern for the liking of some.
Hosted by Beeple at his studio, the Beeple Studios Grand Opening was part art show and part digital art landmark - a first-of-its-kind event merging immersive tech, community, and chaos under one beautifully glitchy roof. It was an exhibition, a rave, and a family reunion for internet artists.
My piece, Crying Dragon, was showcased as part of the curated digital gallery; a mythic, soft-mechanical creature caught in a moment of frozen anguish. Equal parts ornamental and monstrous, it represented a quiet rebellion in a room full of noise; grief rendered as glittering digital flesh.
It was an honor to be included among a lineup of artists reshaping how digital work is seen, not just on screens, but in space.
SuperRare date reveal video for Crying Dragon. Crying Dragon sold at 3ETH to Michael Nicoll.
Sadness and grief are temporal but the strength gained from going through these are eternal. This is Clara Bacou's NFT genesis with sound by Nick Scarcella.
There is little which can stand in a Tiger’s way when it wants something. This cat is the perfect embodiment of elegant power. ‘Rising Tiger’, Clara Bacou’s second NFT artwork to ever be released with sound by Nick Scarcella, was made available to collectors on SuperRare and was purchased by Rinko at 1 ETH.
‘Samurai’ 2021, is an anti-hero avatar, sculpted by Clara Bacou and beautifully rendered by Nick Scarcella, now available for collectors on SuperRare. ‘Samurai’ is designed with a fusion of noble medieval Japanese armor elements and contemporary horror influences making it ornately garish. AR face lenses developed from this piece are available on both Snapchat and Instagram and have currently been used over 150,000 times.