MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yuga Labs, the leading web3 lifestyle and media company, and home of CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Otherside, Meebits, and 10KTF, today revealed details on a new incubator program named Punk in Residence, which aims to expand the definition of fine art by partnering and collaborating with artists to create new works that champion innovation and expression in digital art and blockchain.
Punk in Residence is designed to encourage creative experimentation; artists have the opportunity and freedom to interpret the definition of Punk from their own point of view, via the medium of their choosing. Punk in Residence allows artists to leverage next generation technology to create original works of art. Yuga Labs will provide the technical expertise to bring these creations to the blockchain, pushing the intersection of culture and code.
“The original CryptoPunks collection remains unalterable and undeniable in its impact, with experimentation as a core part of its DNA. The brand carries a responsibility to expand both the potentiality and reach of art on the blockchain, while also amplifying new voices,” said Natalie Stone, General Manager of CryptoPunks. “We couldn’t think of a better artist for this first season than Nina Chanel Abney, with her undeniable curiosity, genre-defying work, and punk spirit.”
Abney’s work captures the frenetic pace of contemporary culture and is featured in collections around the world, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, The Rubell Family Collection, the Bronx Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Her exploration of identity, race, celebrity, religion, politics, and sex are themes she’ll bring to her residency, as she examines the concept of self-fashioning within digital identity.
“Cryptopunks are a pioneering project that has played a crucial role in the creation of the digital collectible space,” said Nina Chanel Abney, “By collaborating with them, I saw an opportunity to be at the center of a unique intersection of art, technology and culture.”
Abney recently acquired Punk #72 as a gift from the CryptoPunks team to recognize her role in piloting the Punk in Residence initiative
"Nina Chanel Abney's appointment as Cryptopunks' inaugural artist in residence signals another historic moment in the convergence of culture and innovation within the crypto community,” said Chris Lyons, President of web3 media, a16z crypto. “Nina's interest in blockchain technology as a medium for artistic expression will continue to usher in a new era of artistic innovation within the NFT space."
Abney and CryptoPunks plan to exhibit the joint collection at Abney’s upcoming solo exhibition later this year. From there, it will go on sale to the public on Magic Eden, the only marketplace that honors creator royalties. In keeping with the CryptoPunks ethos to champion and sustain artistry in a fair and rewarding ecosystem, Abney and subsequent participating artists, will share equally with Yuga Labs in the financial success of sales of their digital releases to the public.
The Punk in Residence program aims to engage with two artists per year for a residency. Collaborators will be diverse in practice, and a web3 background isn’t required. It will spotlight artists who use unconventional and inventive techniques. Participating artists may live and work from anywhere, and will receive ongoing mentorship, technical guidance, and production support as they create new works of art in collaboration with Yuga Labs and the CryptoPunks team. For more information visit: https://hub.cryptopunks.app/punk-in-residence.
About Yuga Labs
Yuga Labs is the leading web3 lifestyle and media company offering creative brand IP/NFT projects, gaming and community experiences. Guided by the belief that the potential of web3 can be realized when we start with imagination, not limitations, Yuga’s initiatives aim to reinvent what NFTs look like and push the space forward as a whole. Yuga Labs’ mission is to build culture on the blockchain, and owns the IP to the most significant projects in web3, including Bored Ape Yacht Club, MAYC, CryptoPunks, 10KTF and Meebits.
Since their launch in April 2021 with flagship collection Bored Ape Yacht Club, they’ve made headlines as one of the first companies to release IP licenses to their NFT holders, acquired and released rights to other top collections (CryptoPunks and Meebits), and made web3 history with record-breaking synchronized player participation in Otherside. One of the most ambitious interactive metaverse projects to date, Otherside is built with the community, rebelling against traditional walled gardens in gaming spaces.