Upcoming Drops: Oct. 23—29
Let’s face it: The Web3 space moves really fast. Considering how quickly things can change in the metaverse, a week in NFTs might as well be a month IRL.
Don’t get us wrong — the merrier, the more people onboarded into the space. But because of the constant influx of great art and ideas, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the news, launches, and general happenings.
Well, you can put the days of endless Twitter and Discord scrolling behind you as we pull together a weekly list of upcoming drops you don’t want to miss. Here’s what to look out for this week.
Art Blocks: Bakhoor Assandal
Who: Melissa Wiederrecht
What: Bakhoor Assandal is an animated generative series of 200 pieces made in JavaScript and GLSL.
When: Oct. 23, 10 a.m. PT
Where: Art Blocks
Why: The name refers to the incense made from sandalwood that is common in Sudan. While sandaliya is the oil of sandalwood used as perfume, Bakhoor Assandal is the incense, burned on coals, made from the same wood. One could say it is the same substance gone up in smoke. Bakhoor Assandal is released as part of reGEN, a special charitable auction of generative art to raise funds for Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, curated by Alex Estorick and Foteini Valeonti in collaboration with The Giving Block.
Algobro by XCOPY
Who: Artist XCOPY
What: 42 editions at 2 ETH
When: TBA
Where: Manifold
Why: According to XCOPY’s Twitter, the new project will be something different he’s never done before. “New contract [with Manifold], new format. same vibes. FRESH HELL,” he tweeted.
Cinematic AI
Who: Chikai
What: AI Film collection, 17 pieces & 0 ETH Reserve
When: Oct. 25
Where: Minting on Transient Labs ERC-721TL Listing on SuperRare
Why: A cinematic AI body of work by Chikai, who is an artist, curator, and co-founder of Google Earth. “AI art has been going through so many transformations from the early GAN work to Collaborative AI to now AI being widely accessible through platforms like MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, and many others,” Chikai shared. “But one area that I have seen explode in recent months is cinematic AI. I distinguish this from animated AI, which has been around for a while, but cinematic AI is where the movements created by AI are getting closer to what you’d see in a movie or captured on a video camera. It still has a long way to go, but it is getting more real than surreal as the technology develops.”
Grimes + MNTGE Collaboration
Who: Grimes + MNTGE
What: 1/1 premium vintage Levi’s denim jackets and vintage tees with NFC chip technology
When: Oct. 23
Where: Minting on Transient Labs ERC-721TL Listing on SuperRare
Why: The partnership between MNTGE, Grimes, and ELF.TECH stems from this year’s Christie’s Art + Tech Summit 2023, where MNTGE co-founder Nick Adler, CreateSafe co-founder DAOuda Leonard, and ELF.TECH’s co-founder Grimes spoke on the dialogue around music, fashion, digital, and culture. Those with the jackets and tees will have exclusive access to new music from Grimes.
Venus de Crypto: Defender of the Metaverse
Who: Mr. Rishi
What: 120 artworks
When: Oct. 23 allowlist, Oct. 24 public sale
Where: Transient Labs
Why: With the Collector’s choice contract, holders can choose whichever artwork they like and whether they will end up as 1/1s. Holders will also be able to change the artwork by adding inscriptions to write their own stories.
Directions on how to do this here: