becoming : a print-nft experiment
2022, Lino-cut, 148 x 210 mm
In 2021, NFTs swept the world. The impact was especially felt by the art community - with critics, art-lovers and artists both critiqueing and embracing the possibilities. It got me thinking about how technology could augment the reach and the experience of art.
So I embarked on “Becoming” - a collection of 15 pairs of lino-cut prints that celebrate the less-seen process of making. Each pairing shows one print stage from the production of the final artwork, and the final artwork itself.
Meant to be viewed side by side, each pair shows a frozen moment in time, alongside the final outcome.
Becoming (2022), Edition 2/2 & Edition 29/30, Lino-cut, 148 x 210mm
I was drawn to linocut as a medium because of how accessible it is. The theme I chose for this series was one of physical and metaphorical growth, leaning into a swirling illustration that could visually capture the visual expansion I wanted the series to have as it evolved. I carved and captured the plate at intermittent stages as it changed, printing proofs and editions as I went along.
Each print was converted into an NFT enabling the work-in-progress stages to live on past physical limitations – to be preserved, traded, owned and enjoyed by many for much longer. The series was shared on social and the NFT marketplace, OpenSea - where the printed pairs and their NFT counterparts were given to interested parties in exchange for their thoughts on art appreciation and their relationship with it.
