72-year old Artist Carlos Drops NFT: Metaverse is Not Just for the Young
His collection called ‘Into the World of Carlos’ is available in Foundation, a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace.
Carlos, a Filipino visual artist, dropped his first NFT collection on his 72nd birthday last February 28th making him one of the oldest artists minting NFT.
His collection called ‘Into the World of Carlos’ is available in Foundation, a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace.
Although this is his first NFT drop, Carlos is a painter and sculptor who already has exhibited in Manila, San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Brisbane.
The collection, ‘Into the World of Carlos’, was produced through a collaboration with 25-year-old animator IJ Cacnio, and it was being minted with a grant from the First Mint Fund, which seeks to ease the barriers to Southeast Asian NFT artists as they mint their genesis pieces.
“While NFTs are a new medium for me, it seems like an exciting and organic progression for my work… It’s quite the adventure: one that transcends physical and temporal limitations and holds so many possibilities.” – Carlos
According to their media release, the NFTs sprung from a common remark from one of Carlos’ collectors which was said to him over the years: “I wish I could step into the painting.”
The remark has unexpectedly dictated the thematic concept of the roadmap of the NFTs, and with these first seven works, Carlos has invited viewers to “step into his world” through the shared vision of Cacnio.
Cacnio, who has experience as tech lead in immersive international art exhibitions in the country, noted that “executing the vision that Carlos had and adding my own spin to it was a fun experience. For me, his work is timeless and relatable.”
“It was a tedious but rewarding process, because I would discover meaningful details that I didn’t notice before editing it.” – IJ Cacnio
Carlos also expressed his delight and gratitude towards his collaborator saying that he is “glad that IJ has translated my paintings into a work of animation.”
“As an artist, I have always used intense colors, kinetic compositions, and of course, poetic subjects to simulate movement. To see it come alive like this is to create the ‘world’ I’ve tried to build through my career as a painter, and I hope my collectors see in these NFTs their dreams come true, thanks to the skill of IJ,” Carlos added.
Moreover, the 72-year old artist shared that he created the paintings in the collection with the intention: “in the mind of the viewer, the scene moves and one can almost hear the music.”
“They can follow how the paintings move them; I tell a story by painting scenes, making them very poetic. IJ included music—which was his own idea—and for me, that proves that the paintings do have music in them,” he pointed out.
The young Cacnio, who’s also an NFT creator and collector, stressed how he “really respects Carlos for trying out new things with his art.”
Carlos’ career has included various on-site exhibitions here and abroad, and with this latest exhibit, on the metaverse as well.
“The plan is to continue creating NFTs, collaborating, continuing to build this world into a coherent space on the metaverse. It is exciting to see how our team will build it, and especially how other artists might do their own takes on it,” says Carlos.
Recently, Filipino comedian and media personality Michael V (aka Bitoy) along with artist and musician Marc Abaya and youtuber family Team Kramer also ventured into the NFT space through a collaboration with Anotoys Collectiverse, an NFT launchpad and marketplace. (Read more: Michael V—Filipino Comedian Dabbles Into NFTs)
Comics artist and creator of Pugad Baboy, Pol Medina Jr. also made his own NFT collection last month. (Read more: Filipino Cartoonist Pol Medina Enters the NFT Industry)
Aside from them there are more artists and institutions that entered the NFT space as early as 2021 such as Nadine Lustre, Heart Evangelista, Pia Wurtzbach, Kris Lawrence, Verline Santos, Yassi Pressman and the Norwood siblings, Miss Universe Philippines, National Book Development Board (NBDB), Team Manila, La Union Surf Club (LUSC), Mask on Buttons, Titik Poetry, graphics novel Trese and P-Pop groups BGYO and BINI.
Accordingly, UnionDigital Bank announced its plans to venture into the NFT space this year. (Read more: UnionDigital Bank Eyes Venturing Into NFT)
This article is published on BitPinas: 72-year old Artist Carlos Drops NFT: Metaverse is Not Just for the Young
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