Our paths lead us to a lagoon that emanates a mysterious light in the middle of the desert. The desert heat was already fading, and a cold wind was blowing sand into our eyes. We hear the sounds of a wild animal screaming and moving across the sand into the darkness. With every step, the silence and darkness of the night pushed us towards that light. In the sky, a galaxy above us lit up the desert with your 30 billion stars. And there we were. Mesmerized by the green light, pulsing in sync with the beat of my heart.
We drove through the night, crossing a country road surrounded by miles of rice fields. A strong wind blew the hot summer air far away, and the smell of wet earth warned us that a storm was coming. During our journey into the darkness, the flash of lightning lit our way, showing us a forest, isolated, surrounded by the field. As we drove towards it, the forest looked bigger and bigger. And finally, when we got close enough, we saw a small, dark road leading us into the woods. Taken by our curiosity, we drove through the road until the forest was all we could see, hear and feel. The path ended, the way back was too muddy, and the darkness was a warning sign. We decided to take a look, stepping out of the van. Our skins were kissed by the remaining raindrops falling from the invisible clouds above in a dark, deep sky, lit only by a bolt of lightning far, far away. Amidst the deep darkness, we walked, unaware of the risks or prizes, when suddenly dots of light flew from the unknown in our direction, like little mystical spirits. I will never forget that day, the smell of wet earth, the sound of the wind calming down. The moonlight coming through the clouds cast a welcoming, peaceful light into the dense forest, reflecting your light on the wet leaves. And each tiny drop of water starts to shine a bluish-white light. As if the stars had fallen from the sky and now inhabited the forest. And the forest suddenly lit up, thousands of fireflies flying among the trees. The stars that once inhabited the drops of water now flew free throughout the forest. This was one of the most magical experiences of my life
Dreams
Ethereal Light
Updated
The Ethereum blockchain, introduced in 2015, revolutionized digital art by enabling asset tokenization. This allowed for unique 'ownership' of digital items, transforming easily copied artworks into scarce, provable assets. This development had a significant impact on AI-generated art, as it could now be uniquely owned and verified. In 2018, around 400 early AI artworks were minted and claimed on the blockchain, signaling the start of this now 'ownable' art form. By 2019, the number rose to just under 4000, showing increasing interest. Post-2020, the volume of minted AI artworks became so vast that it's impossible to accurately determine.
The mission of the 'UnderTheGAN' collection is to research, acquire, and present the earliest AI artworks in existence, whose authenticity and provenance are indisputable and verifiable due to their tokenized nature. This collection presents the works of a select group of pioneers who played a significant role in fueling the AI art revolution we are experiencing today. Jediwolf
