The Degenaissance is an NFT commissioned by Cozomo De’ Medici (AKA Snoop Dogg), designed as a gift to all $LIT holders. It represents an announcement and an invitation to join the community. In fact, it has been produced in 2500 pieces.
In this digital work of art, Renaissance iconography is distorted, as its protagonists become 16-bit sprites of rats, which in the artist’s words represent “an excellent metaphor for human beings”. The elegant atmosphere of a ballroom party is transformed into a macabre and playful theater, observed by Nirvana and Mia Wallace/Uma Thurman’s images on the walls, in a constant and respectful reference to products that belong both to the past and pop culture.
The name of the work itself tells something about the cryptocurrencies’ world. In fact, “degen” is shorthand for “degenerate”, a definition used in this sector as an insult to describe those who buy and trade NFTs without any knowledge or experience, just for gambling. The same term, however, in a constantly evolving space such as crypto, has acquired an ironically positive connotation, to indicate those who relate to digital works exclusively with cultural and artistic intentions, regardless of economic evaluations.
The work will be exhibited at NFT.NYC, the annual event that celebrates NFT culture in Times Square, from June the 20th to the 23rd.
Rata Yonqui, graphic designer, digital and comic artist, created this work for $LIT, the first Cultural Currency in the world. A token defined by its creators as a currency “…that serves absolutely no purpose. Until it does.”.
Rata Yonqui is 39 years old Colombian artist from Medellin. Since his childhood he loved drawing, and as a teenager he started making his first GIFs on Photoshop. He was a professional graphic designer and comic artist, before joining the NFT community in September 2021, an experience that he describes as life changing: “a rush of creativity and production like never before”. He only recently begun to define himself as an artist, even though he prefers the term “cryptoartist”.
Collection on OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/the-degenaissance
SM//ART WORKING. 