ThankYouX on Traversing the Fine Art and Crypto Art Worlds
ThankYouX on Traversing the Fine Art and Crypto Art Worlds
As a painter, designer and all-around creative, Ryan Wilson, better known by his moniker ThankYouX, offers some of the best examples of what “fine art NFTs” can be.
Although the general consensus in the traditional art world seems to be that NFTs belong in a museum as an esoteric display of culture, the ever multifaceted ThankYouX has continued to demonstrate the value that crypto art has to offer.
ThankYouX’s pieces are both soothing and provocative. An evolution of his impressive catalog of physical works, the LA-based artist’s NFTs incorporate intricate physical elements, reimagined as 3D art, with fantastical digital characteristics.
Vibrant, gravity defying paint and otherworldly virtual spaces meld to create suspense and drama within his art, while perfectly highlighting his distinctive color palette and painting style. With a whopping $2.5 million generated in sales across 900+ editions (according to CryptoArt.io) ThankYouX has solidified himself as one of the most coveted 1/1 NFT artists out there.
Considered a frontrunner in the new school of NFT artists (that is to say, as part of those who helped define the 2021 bull-run), ThankYouX has helped introduce a wide variety of art enthusiasts and general consumers to crypto-art.
On the nft now podcast’s third episode, the multifaceted artist talks about his journey from tagging walls to being commissioned by Paul McCartney, how collaboration brought him into the NFT space, the importance of his early collectors, the future of his tokens and more.
“I just did street art for years and years. And I wasn’t making money or anything. I just did it because I fucking loved it. I’ve always loved tech, and I’ve always obviously done art, and this (the NFT space) was kind of like the first place where that truly made sense to put together,” says ThankYouX.
After witnessing a paradigm shift via Christie’s and Sotheby’s NFT auctions, the idea of NFTs as a valuable artistic medium has begun to take hold in those beyond the crypto and digitally native communities. ThankYouX, with an abundant background as a fine artist, has not only been along for the ride, but continued to explore the possibilities blockchain technology has to offer; and in doing so is helping bridge the gap between NFT maximalists and traditional art collectors.
With relatively few NFT drops under his belt, ThankYouX makes decisive choices about when, what and where he releases his art. Having minted his first NFT as a collab alongside photographer JN Silva, and eventually airdropping his solo genesis to its collectors, the prolific artist is always working on new ways to create value for his holders.
“The people who were there for like the first drop – I wanted to, like, give back to them and just say thank you basically,” he says. “We’re going to just keep continuing to roll things out like that. They might not always be free NFT’s, but there’s going to be certain access points and things like that.”
We recently had the pleasure of taking a behind the scenes look at his most recent drop, “Sound of Color”, a collaboration with legendary composer Hans Zimmer. It’s top-tier, world-colliding projects like these that will surely continue to set ThankYouX apart from the pack – and we can’t wait to see what the next bull-run holds for him.
Be sure to hit subscribe and check out the full episode here.