Art

Exclusive Interview: Avant Arte & Yuga Labs Discuss Printing Punks

BY Arthur Parkhouse

October 05, 2023

Yuga Labs and Avant Arte have joined forces to bring CryptoPunks to print in a two-part release that includes a holder-exclusive timed edition and another timed edition that is accessible to all — marking the first official CryptoPunks print available to non-holders.

CryptoPunks is a historic project with a rich history that was launched as an experiment during the summer of 2017 by Larva Labs founders John Watkinson and Matt Hall.

It’s said that the collection, comprising 10,000 unique 24×24 pixel digital art characters, was inspired by the early Internet community and the London punk movement of the 1970s. With Watkinson and Hall expressing, “They needed to be a collection of misfits and non-conformists.”

Since their launch as free-to-claim assets for those with an Ethereum wallet, the CryptoPunks collection has come a long way. In regard to their economic value, it would currently cost just over $70,000 USD to acquire a Punk. Other value aspects that aren’t necessarily quantifiable include the vast, highly connected, and talented community that’s blossomed as a result.

Yuga Labs also has an ongoing partnership with nft now for their upcoming docuseries, “Punks As Told By CryptoPunks,” documenting the journey and impact of CryptoPunks. The first episode will launch on Oct. 10 and offer an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the historic project.

Now, the Punks are making their way to print through an official collaboration via Avant Arte and Yuga Labs, so we connected with both parties to gain greater insight into the offering.

Why CryptoPunks — Why Now?

With potentially thousands of PFP projects out there and a handful of significant ones in the Web3 space, we asked Avant Arte and Yuga Labs the “simple” question of “Why CryptoPunks and why now?”

Abigail Miller, Avant Arte’s web3 lead, shared, “CryptoPunks is one of the seminal art NFT projects that led the way for art PFP collections and generative art on chain.”

She added, “Avant Arte works with leading contemporary artists from Nina Chanel Abney and Ai Weiwei to Dmitri Cherniak and now CryptoPunks. Our mission is to make art radically more accessible for a new generation of art lovers and collectors.

“Punks is such a renowned collection and we wanted to be a part of opening up the chance to own a Punk artwork to all the fans out there who can’t afford to buy one of the original Punks with the 10,000 On-Chain time-limited print edition,” she explained, adding “We’re also experts in print-making and editioning and are thrilled to be able to offer Punk holders the opportunity to commission unique 1-1 physical prints of their Punk(s) with the Punk On-Chain time-limited edition.”

CryptoPunks are one of the seminal moments in the history of art and technology. It is both an experimentation and exploration of ownership in the digital age.

ABIGAIL MILLER


Sharing more on what makes the CryptoPunks collection special, Miller said “The project of CryptoPunks is situated both as an opportunity for individuals to find their sense of self in a single Punk, but also partake in a larger community. As one of the first
generative artworks on-chain, Avant Arte wanted to champion CryptoPunks for its artistry, but also for its innovation.”

Speaking to the question of “Why now?” Natalie Stone, CryptoPunks’ GM at Yuga Labs, shared that Punks “are the emblem for experimentation on emerging tech, and we are at a moment in time where we can calcify how far Punks have come and where Punks are going.”

She added “Our community has been experimenting with the physical medium – we know Snowfro printed his individual Punks for display in his Marfa home, Raster making custom prints from the print shop where he worked, even Beeple dropping “Paper Punks” from the ceiling this past weekend.”

“What this will be, however, is the first official version of the 10,000 Punks as they appear on-chain, in their original form as PNGs.”

natalie Stone

Stone further explained, “For the holders, we want to offer something that most Punks can’t do for themselves: commission the printing of the 1:1 print of a digital work. The prints are made with fine art printing techniques by Avant Arte’s master printmakers in London and authenticated with a COA on the blockchain.”

Regarding how this particular release highlights the underlying meta of digital and physical art converging, Miller shared, “Avant Arte entered the Web3 space last year, and we purposefully wanted to bring something meaningful to digitally-native artists and collectors. For us, that was bringing our expertise in print-making to artists and helping to support their exploration into new physical mediums but also our community of 3 million art lovers, many of whom are new to digital art and NFTs.”

She added, “We’re now leading the way when it comes to merging physical and digital art, having partnered with amazing artists, including Nina Chanel Abney, Grant Riven Yun, and Dmitri Cherniak to create beautiful physical artworks. This project is the next step on that journey.”

‘10,000 On-Chain

While Yuga Labs and Avant Arte could have just as well released a highly exclusive collaboration available only to Punk holders, as has been seen in other forms in the space, they chose to include a publicly accessible work featuring the entire CryptoPunk collection — we asked them why.



“Back in 2017, Cryptopunks were open for anyone to claim, and that inclusive spirit remains a cornerstone of this.” project.

ABIGAIL MILLER

Miller added, “While it’s crucial to offer a distinctive print to Punk holders, we also wanted to make the print of all 10,000 Punks available to everyone. This gesture serves as an homage to the idea that Punks are a community, not just an individual entity. Avant Arte is committed to making art exceptionally accessible, and partnering with Yuga on this journey aligns perfectly with our mission.”

Sharing her thoughts on this, Stone expressed that while Yuga Labs always aims to put collectors first, “validation from the greater world of art – collectors, artists, and art lovers is important too.”

She added, “That is the inception and thinking behind the 10,000 On-Chain print. In the tradition of printmaking, there is a belief that the art being ‘seen’ by more eyes only increases the value of said artwork. So here we are, getting more eyes on the collection that changed the digital art landscape.”

While tokens held by CryptoPunks will act as the certificate of authenticity or COA for the Punk On-Chain edition, collectors of the 10,000 On-Chain edition will receive a custom physical COA and an on-chain COA.

Miller explains “Punk On-Chain is a token-gated experience, meaning only CryptoPunk holders are able to print the Punk(s) they own. Their NFT acts as COA of the print on-chain. A custom QR code sits on the back of the print linking to the CryptoPunk NFT, authenticated through Avant Arte. 10,000 On-Chain has a custom physical COA and accompanying digital COA that comes in the form of an NFT. These elements are also linked and authenticated through Avant Arte.”

10,000 On-Chain technicals:

Available for 48 hours from Thursday, October 26 at $536 USD. This UV pigment print, sized 23.6in x 23.6in unframed, is on 410gsm Somerset White paper with a matte varnish seal. If framed, dimensions are 26.8in x 26.8in x 1.6in in a matte white, grain-visible wooden frame with UV protective or Museum plexiglass options. Each is hand-numbered, includes a certificate of authenticity and a QR-linked NFT counterpart

Punk On-Chain

In regard to Punk On-Chain, we asked Stone why she believes Punk holders will be interested in the physical edition, to which she said “I believe Punk collectors value quality and integrity, and I know with all of my heart that every decision on this project was made with those values in mind.

She added “We quite literally handled everything with white gloves… We knew that translating the Punks into a physical medium was an undertaking, and in many ways also an experiment. Both teams – here at Yuga and at Avant Arte – brought so much heart and passion, plus a gravitas.”

I think when this type of heart and reverence is poured into a project, the results speak for themselves.”

natalie Stone

She added, “When we showed them at our Punk’s ‘Brunch with Beeple,’ the response was incredibly positive…and Punks went wild when we teased the iconic ‘CryptoPink’ box and custom embroidered gloves.”

Punk On-Chain technicals:

Available to Punk holders at $630 USD from Thursday, October 26 for 48 hours. Each print features a unique title and QR code on the reverse for Punk NFT authentication. Only unprinted CryptoPunks NFT holders can purchase, with each Punk’s print status visible in a public registry.

Aspirations

Sharing her aspirations for the project, Miller said “We hope that Punk holders will enjoy having the opportunity to commission their unique 1-1 physical prints to have in their homes.”

Stone added “In terms of the community, I hope the Punk On-Chain print allows them to experience their art in a new way, and further cements their relationship to their Punk as a contemporary piece of art. Punks are not just an investment or a digital collectible.”

“As for the broader audience, the 10,000 On-Chain print serves a slightly different purpose, it’s more about mainstream recognition and affording the ‘Punk-curious’ a way to participate and celebrate in digital art history.”

She added, “This a viewing experience the physical medium can uniquely afford, allowing them to be seen not only in their purest form as JPEGs on-chain but also in their entirety…as unfolding works of art, in process, as each Punk is generated across the collection.”

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