Shiseido Partners With Generative Artists For Creative Collaboration

In a landscape where we’ve witnessed the emergence of big brands and luxury labels venturing into the realm of Web3 with increasing frequency, one exhibit at Gateway Miami stood out amongst the rest.

It was an innovative collaboration where luxury skincare brand Shiseido joined forces with generative artists to create a captivating digital art collection called, “Future Reflections.” The partnership created a unique fusion of artistic vision, technological innovation, and Shiseido’s storied heritage.

Shiseido worked alongside Hannah Yan, Jen Stark, Kaoru Tanaka, and Robert Hodgin, to create pieces that not only highlighted Shiseido’s ongoing commitment to art and science, but also key ingredients in the Future Solution LX collection: the Legendary Enmei herb, precious Akoya pearl shell extract, and green treasured silk.

The artworks—which were sumptuously displayed at Gateway Miami at the Faena Forum, right in the heart of the Art Basel Miami action—were also available for anyone to collect at no cost on Shiseido’s website, powered by Art Blocks Engine, where they were snapped up by lucky collectors within 24 hours.

The collaboration reflects a long-heralded use case for digital collectibles—helping fans connect to each other and become a community.

“Our collaboration with Shiseido on ‘Future Reflections’ marks an exciting milestone in how brands embrace generative art. By enabling customers to collect one-of-a-kind artworks that connect them to a broader community, this partnership exemplifies a shared commitment to the future of generative expression and digital innovation,” Art Blocks founder and CEO Erick Calderon said.

Shiseido’s Expansion into the Digital Realm

The collection goes right back to the foundational narrative of the company—which was launched by a photographer and chemist in 1872, said Alessio Rossi, Shiseido’s executive vice president for U.S. marketing. Since then, the firm has enjoyed an intimate, profound connection with art.

“We own a museum in Tokyo, and we’ve been supporting multiple emerging talents in Japan and the world over the years. We’ve always fully embraced cutting-edge creativity,” Rossi said. “In looking at this next generation of esteemed artists working in the generative space, it’s a beautiful continuation of that story. We embrace the future. We don’t fight it, we pilot it, we test it.”

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“In looking at this next generation of esteemed artists working in the generative space, it’s a beautiful continuation of that story. We embrace the future. We don’t fight it, we pilot it, we test it.”

Alessio Rossi, Shiseido’s executive vice president for U.S. marketing.

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A long relationship with art has allowed Shiseido to expand into the digital realm. “We celebrated our 150-year anniversary last year, and we were really focused on highlighting our scientific achievements, which is a major point of differentiation for us. In tandem, all these years we also have been supporting the art and the artists,” said Rossi. “We felt the timing of our debut aligned nicely with the launch of our Future Solution LX Legendary Enmei Ultimate Brilliance Eye Cream. This product collection is the pinnacle of Shiseido’s creativity, craftsmanship, design, and science.”

The Artists Behind “Future Reflections”

In selecting the artists for “Future Reflections,” the brand had a clear vision. The brand says they looked for artists who could explore, reinterpret, and embody the Shiseido brand ethos through their own creative lens and styles. Their contributions came together harmoniously, crystallizing into a compelling visual language that reflects the intersection of art, science, and technology.

Hannah Yan, a generative artist who produces ethereal, delicate images with the help of technology, created a collection called “The Transcendence” to exhibit as a part of “Future Reflections.”

“The tension of time is a theme I often revisit,” she told nft now. “Through abstract imagery, I explore the interplay of the transient and the everlasting, discovering the motion within stillness. As I immersed myself in the theme, I found myself captivated by the initial growth of seeds, as they burst into a transformative cycle of awakening. It makes me reflect on the role of time in perception and embodied experience,” she said.

For Yan, the experience of collaborating with Shiseido was a deeply enjoyable one. “The collaborative process was a dynamic artistic dialogue, during which the brand shared its philosophy on nature’s nourishment, sparking imagery of nature and the future in my mind. Subsequently, as artists, each of us contributed our unique interpretations and visions. Shiseido’s commitment to art, science, and innovation was apparent,” she said.

With its vibrant colors and hypnotic forms, artist Jen Stark’s contribution to the exhibition—a collection called “Fractal Bloom”—made an impression.

“I chose to concentrate on the hypnotic growth patterns of plants, and you’ll notice that each shape is born from a central point, as a flower or plant would bloom. The patterns spiral and grow using mathematical equations such as the Golden Ratio & Fibonacci sequence. I enjoy how colors in nature exist as either an attractant or repellent:  “Come eat me, I’m a delicious red berry” or “Stay away I’m a technicolor poisonous dart frog”. I decided to combine my love of fractals and designs in nature, in addition to Shiseido’s ingredients, like the shimmer of akoya pearls and growth patterns of the enmei plant,” Stark told us.

The interactive aspect of generative art was a strong influence in Stark’s design process—and, as the works in “Fractal Bloom” generate as they mint, the first to see them will be their collectors.

“I love the idea of concocting a generative project using code. To me, it feels like creating a cooking recipe, where you perfect all the ingredients and measurements, and the collector bakes the cake by minting the NFT,” she said. “I teamed up with an incredibly talented generative coder, Jorge Ledezma, who helped me bring this project to life,” she said.

While the physical exhibition has wrapped, you can still view the full collection on Shiseido’s website.