international

The International Collection

I aim to be known for but one thing: collecting the best digital art made by international artists. I will include the occasional US-based artists, because there are so many that are magical and impressive, but I want to highlight a uniquely global perspective by collecting rare art. Each of these pieces listed below is in my collection.

You can find me on Twitter @kingofrare

Meridian #29

The Meridian is an incomparable piece that takes center stage on any gallery and that is no exception with the International Collection. Released through ArtBlocks in September 2021 by Canadian Matt DesLauriers and built using just 15kb of JavaScript, #29 juxtaposes deep dark earthy tones unmatched elsewhere. It evokes the layers of the earth and combined with the sandy patterns results in a calming and decidedly pleasing aesthetic.

Mind the Gap #499

Anthony, AKA MountVitruvius, AKA MV, is a generative artist based in London. His Mind the Gap series was released in February of 2022 through gm.studio, and was inspired by, in his words, the "joyful, playful and carefree nature of painting as a child".

When asked about #499, MV wrote: "I love the more uniform scale pieces and this one has a little y boost to some of the top tubes which adds a bit of intrigue". The palette and pipes add to a Lego-like display scattered on a dark floor.

Floating World

We violate the premise of the International Collection for a moment with this pair from the mysterious NY-based architectural designer, gelo. His works imagine a somewhat dystopian, isolated world full of sharp edges and stark but simultaneously subdued motifs.

One can only imagine what guests a casino in a floating world might entertain.

Avalon #52

Our otherworldly tour continues with Hamburg, Germany-based r0zk0's Avalon #52. According to the artist, the pieces are "visually inspired by vintage textbooks and map collections" and the maps themselves update based on the tidal conditions as positioned on a virtual globe.

#52 sports the "Fiji" palette, a fitting choice for a mysterious island whose identity remains unknown. Perhaps there might even be a floating world casino on it.

This is a 1/1 piece and is one of 8 pieces showcased at the Meta.Space exhibit at the Francisco Carolinum in Linz, Austria.

Celestial Towers

We remain in the skies for a moment with UK-based musician and artist Tom Furse's piece, accompanied by a cryptic quote: '...and when they finally reached the top, they saw something that they could never have imagined.' The structures in this tower appear Japanese or Chinese, reminiscent of the homes at the edge of town in Spirited Away.

This is one of 47 though at the time of writing the creator holds 24.

Vicumvia #119

Tokyo-based artist and photographer Kunio Okuizumi may have taken some inspiration in naming this collection from Tyler Hobb's Fidenza based on the fact that Vicumvia is the name of the Gaulish settlement in the commune of Fidentia that the Romans made camp at around 41BC before it transitioned to the Romans.

#119 is especially magical; a detailed inspection of the piece betrays brush-like strokes similar to a pipe cleaner or a carefully sewn pattern. The constellation of colors and form gives something new to enjoy at every glance.

Color of life #55

Above, Brazilian artist Eduardo Crivellari captures a philosophical assessment of his own career, stating its "work represents the colors that in round and elongated shapes abstract my relationship between code and art, putting beauty in continuous lines".

#55 has shapes in a vertical pattern with a playful palette, a structured companion to the Mind the Gap piece.

Tesseract

We conclude our International Collection tour for now with 3 pieces from Kwame Bruce Busia AKA Studio Yorktown, a multidisciplinary artist from London. His Tesseract artwork showcased here, as well as Dessauverlay below, demonstrate an unparalleled talent to control grids and structure and combine it with meaning, whether it be the subway lines of Tokyo, or a collaboration with Platformmmm / Ryan, a British designer based in Dubai.

About the collector

Rio is a latecomer to the NFT and crypto scene and started collecting as the recession and bear markets hit in 2022. As an keen collector of international art both physical and digital, he seeks to bring new appreciation as well as new perspective to NFTs with these curations.

Rinascita #547

Rinascita ("rebirth") is the craft of Stefano Contiero, an Italian-Dominican artist now living in Berlin whose pieces landing in the summer of 2021 cemented his status in the nascent NFT gen-art space. Among many places his artwork is showcased in each Grailers DAO token.

#547, our newest addition, is one of only 9 with the "Orca" background. When asked, Stefano said "my favorites are the horizontal/vertical ones, so that’s great for sure! Then I think the main highlight of the piece is the black background, when printed it looks incredible"

Tidal Friction #359 and #207

We add a few more from r0zk0 with this pair of Tidal Friction pieces. They share the Dune and Sand traits and were originally minted as part of a gen.art initiative.

Three Days Of Summer

The front door in our International Collection opens with this piece from Michaël Zancan, a French oil painter-turned-digital artist whose mastery of the pen plotter evokes wonders with his mysterious flowery landscapes. Three Days of Summer was minted from Valencia, Spain at the 2022 NFTShow Europe, and invitees were given physical copies of portions of the art as well.

The blocky representations of the white plants are a stark contrast to the less prominent, more delicate garden pieces; the combination adds to the mystique, the allure, the peacefulness of this piece.

Sabler #105

The International collection recently chose to expand its holdings of Studio Yorktown pieces with the addition of Sabler #105.

Sabler is an anagram of 'Albers', playing homage to the work of the Bauhaus textile artist Anni Albers. The colorful and harmonious palette of this piece gives the viewer pause, a sort of settled satisfaction of an organized but dynamic canvas.

Mental Block

Rick Crane is a UK-based designer whose nature-inspired minimalist illustrations harken M. C. Escher. His other pieces range from the dark and slightly trippy to the more symbolic and simple. Mental Block, as the creator describes, "springs from my muddled mind onto a blank page".

As a diptych Mental Block #1 and #2 perfectly complement each other with curious and mostly impossible pathways that lead, temptingly, from somewhere to nowhere.