Dear Bankless Nation,
Crypto’s creative frontiers have long been teeming with indie artistic efforts and experiments.
Then when Miladies arrived in August 2021 and dropped the first major weirdness bomb on the NFT ecosystem’s PFP sector, that lit the beacon as far as showing that weird could win by challenging conventions here.
Fast forward to today, and the realm of avant-garde NFTs, while still niche and fairly amorphous, plays an increasingly influential role in keeping the NFT space varied and vibrant.
So while the previous post zoomed out and examined the current macro trends around NFTs and art, for today’s write-up let’s zoom in and take a closer look at a handful of smaller projects that have demonstrated how to shake things up with more unconventional approaches to blockchain creativity!
Avant-Garde Projects You Should Know About
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Bankless writer: David C.
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Supermetal Bosch
Artist Supermetal Bosch, known for his 2021 collection, SupermetalMons, crafts a unique blend of physical and digital art, drawing inspiration from mini-figures, video games, anime, and AI. Bosch has developed SupermetalMons into a physical chess-like board game, playable in an iOS app or soon on a tabletop with actual, sculpted figurines, which were recently profiled by Instagram!
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He recently made the leap over to Solana, launching Little Swag World and the $SWAG token, which have garnered him newfound renown. These 2D figurine-like forms reminiscent of Kidrobot art toys launched in December 2023 alongside $SWAG coin, a Solana token. Intending to bring more culture to Solana, Bosch will integrate $SWAG into his upcoming Swag Protocol—a new marketplace akin to Grailed or Depop centered around digital art and merch.
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Tojiba
Launched in early 2022, Tojiba CPU Corp exemplified the essence of the first avant-garde NFT wave on Solana. The original collection, known as Toji 100, the Corporation’s “flagship computer,” featured retro-styled PC imagery like computer screens open to MS Paint.
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The NFTs released alongside a thoughtfully designed Discord simulating life working in a factory. Here, community members could engage in activities like “work” and earn a special coin called Ijot, later used to mint a new NFT called Disc Buddies, a companion collection to the main Toji 100. One Disc Buddy even made its way into a high-profile art show!
As Tojiba now approaches its two-year anniversary, the project stands as a testament to the power of community, interactivity, and experimentation in the NFT space. Hats off to the Corp.
Yeche Lange
Yeche Lange, born in June 2022, comes from the minds of curators Jared Madere, Milo Conroy, Wretched Worm, and developer Miles Peyton. The team boasts extensive art world experience, like Jared's solo show at New York's Whitney Museum. Their inaugural show was "Tournament for Swollen Hearts Round Un," featuring established artists like Amalia Ulman and Spiky DJ.
Experimenting with various styles since then, they hosted The Yechelles, School of Truth, where over 20 artists auctioned art in a virtual island nation. Their latest mint, Obaa, features gelatinous creatures with programmed lifespans, minted by the gallery's engineer. The gallery has also stated they have ambitions to put together more physical exhibitions in the future.
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Schizoposters
Schizoposters are where the internet's wild side meets art. A rogue mash-up of conspiracy theories, internet lore, and the occult, this collection seeks to visually represent the frenzied web of our internet—all packaged in portraits derived from the infamous Miladies collection.
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Created by Twitter anons apparently unaffiliated with the Milady team, Schizoposters present themselves as gateways to explore the darker, more mysterious corners of the web and exemplify the state of mind it can induce. It seems that if you stare long enough into the void, eventually you’d find these NFTs staring back at you. Their surreal vibe demonstrates that you can build upon the lore of an already existing project to go even deeper and toward much weirder ends.
