Damien Hirst has always experimented at a large scale with past projects including, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living which was a tiger shark preserved in formaldehyde.
It makes logical sense that someone like Hirst would immerse himself in this new technology. He took a very different approach to NFTs than many other artists have thus far and I would say the result was fascinating. Almost a fair split between physicals and tokens. In conclusion with this great collection, Hirst is putting up an exhibition with Newport Street Gallery which will provide collectors an opportunity to own some work by the British artist and view The Currency collection. Also, those who decided to keep their NFT can watch the burn of their physical at the exhibition.
Simultaneously with the exhibition, HENI is providing a raffle opportunity to own a unique print by Damien Hirst. The application to enter will end in approximately 19 days. At first look, I actually like the prints better than the original works due to their price and size. The quality looks second to none. A few prints are being displayed at the exhibition. For those that own original Currency works, you will have increased odds of purchasing a unique print. For collectors, in my opinion, the prints are a value play by a famous artist, I think this is well worth it and would look great over a couch or dining room table.
Here are additional details regarding the prints:
Damien Hirst
H11 - The Currency Unique Prints
Edition Size: 1,000 Unique Prints
Dimensions: 100 x 150 cm
Material: Archival Quality Giclée Reproduction on Heavy Weight Enhanced Matte Professional Stock
Packaging: The prints are unframed and are rolled up inside protective cardboard packaging.
Signature: Hand-signed and hand-numbered on the front.
Price: $1,000 (plus any applicable taxes)
View the press release below.
"Damien Hirst and HENI collaborate to present an exhibition of paintings from his first NFT collection, The Currency, at Newport Street Gallery, 23 September – 30 October 2022.
The Currency, launched in July 2021, is a collection of 10,000 NFTs which correspond with 10,000 original artworks by Damien Hirst. Collectors were given the choice to either keep the NFT or exchange it for the physical artwork. The exchange period closed on 27 July 2022 resulting in just over half the collectors, 5,149, deciding to keep the physical artwork, and 4,851 the NFT. If they did not exchange their NFT during that period, the physical artwork will be destroyed. Similarly, if they chose to exchange it in that period, the NFT was destroyed.
During Frieze Week, Damien Hirst will commence the burn by burning his own artworks. Following this event, the exhibition will remain open and artworks will continue to be burned until the show closes on 30 October 2022. Timings will be publicised in advance.
The Currency Chronicles, a publication outlining the community experiences of the first phase of the project, will be launched during the exhibition.
The physical artworks were created by hand in 2016 using enamel paint on handmade paper. Each artwork is numbered, titled, stamped, and signed by the artist on the back. Additional authenticity features on the artwork paper include a watermark, a microdot and a hologram containing a portrait of the artist. On each artwork, no colour is repeated twice. The titles were generated through the application of machine learning to some of the artist’s favourite song lyrics.
Damien Hirst views The Currency as a work of art in which people participate by buying, holding, selling, and exchanging the artworks."
Links:
Secondary Market for The Currency
Credit: HENI, Newport Street Gallery, Damien Hirst, Vivienne Chow.