To the new folks discovering the avant (gay) NFT scene on Solana, welcome.
Some ETH collector friends have been asking me about it, so here’s a short primer 🧵
The scene’s been active for a few years, beginning when a group of artists migrated from Ethereum. Key early projects/artists: Mifella, Tojiba, Spiky DJ.
Today, Supermetal Bosch (with Little Swag World) and Evil Biscuit (with Drifella 2) are central figures.
Early on, Launch My NFT was the go-to platform. Now the community largely uses http://vvv.so, a launcher built by the team behind NYC’s Galerie Yeche Lange (an important hub for this scene).
YL’s team: Jared Madere, Wretched Worm, and Miles Peyton bring a fine-art sensibility into crypto. Full disclosure: my studio has shown with them, but I think their program is one of the strongest bridges between contemporary art and NFTs.
Parker Ito (known for his work as a post-net-art painter and installation artist in the fine art world) has embraced the scene and released several projects including Horses 2 (a derivative of Horses? By Tojiba Brand Manager) and Drilady, a derivative of Drifella 2 by biscuit
There is some complicated history with a schism between some of the early participants and Charlotte Fang / Remilia. Some of the key participants in the scene were also contributors to Milady and left because of Fang's perceived bad behavior.
I wasn't there so can't really speak on it, but its worth knowing that there is a collection to Milady but its not a simple one. I'm blocked by Charlotte Fang. Read more at http://cuckcore.de
In a recent @verse_works (Eth focused gallery) podcast the team over there were discussing the scene as outsiders as they explore. In particular I see @artie_handz digging in, doing the research and trying to understand.
There was a fair amount of discussion about "Why Solana?" And "What's different from Ethereum?"
I'll try to answer. There are two key things. The first is that Solana is its own continent. It's an L1 itself which creates a technical separation from Ethereum that leads to a cultural separation.
Ethereum over time has become more and more "the museum chain". This is IMO a good thing and something I support. My studio @material_work works on Ethereum and we are intentionally creating work that we want to be seen as fine art there.
The attitude and energy on Solana is different. It's more punk, more outsider, less polished, less intentionally cultivating an air of respectability. There's also less of an emphasis on creating traditionally "beautiful" or "refined" images.
Shown: I Can Sleep Anywhere 550
These two approaches largely arise out of the price physics of the chain. Ethereum is expensive, so it encourages a more conservative approach. It appeals to older, richer collectors who are less in touch with the more avant-garde, transgressive spirit of the Solana artists.
This shows up in the formal quality of the work. Generative approaches incorporating randomness are popular in both worlds, with abstract generative art popular on Ethereum and image based "schizocollage" work dominating the avant gay scene.
Scarecrow 774 by @jimspindle
On Ethereum, because mints tend to be expensive, there's a pressure to create what I'll call "reliable generators". Generators that rarely (or never) produce "bad" outputs. If you're asking someone to pay 300-500 dollars for a random mint, this makes sense.
In the sol scene, there's a much higher tolerance for chaos because the mint prices and transaction fees are very cheap. If I'm minting 10 NFTs for 10 dollars each, and I get a few bad ones, I don't care as long as the RNG throws up something wild and exciting.
Mifella 2 #9390
This attitude of risk taking and embrace of chaos, ugliness, outsider aesthetics is part of what defines the Solana scene and what makes it feel fresh relative to Ethereum. It's also IMO what makes it interesting relative to the wider contemporary art world.
Planet Peppa #1317
The low prices and vibe of the scene attracts an audience that's made up more of artists and people who are tapped in to contemporary underground culture. This creates great vibes and leads to a group of people much more interested in the art than in the asset-nature of the art.
I have more conversations about the images, themes and works themselves with the members of the avant scene than I generally do with folks in Ethereum focused spaces who tend to be focused on price, prestige and pedigree.
If you're thinking about getting involved, please do! Set yourself up a Phantom wallet, head over to http://vvv.so and mint something and check out some of the collections mentioned on Tensor. It's a great little world and a fun place to be.
Swag.
Also, sceners: feel free to add, correct, clarify etc. I'm not an expert, just a humble avant gay trencher sharing my own view.
Artists mentioned and art, in order:
@MMifella @tojibaceo / @m_m_____m____mm @spiky_dj_ @supermetalx @bis__cut @vvvdotso @Yeche_Lange @vaj_mindpalace @wretched_worm @mlsptn @CreamyDreamy @ics_anywhere @jimspindle @ihateguppy @1_2_sl333p
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Added Sep 2, 2025, 8:16 AM
https://x.com/Sonoflasg/status/1961546836088688841…
imo true but remember that this pattern was set 2-3 years ago when gas was still higher on eth. That being said I don't think it's the key or even determining factor, just one among many
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Added Sep 3, 2025, 12:08 AM
drilady
Thread by @matto__matto · 26 tweets · Tuesday, September 2, 2025 · Archived via ThreadPilled · Original
