2022
Foundation Genesis

About the work

The emergence of crypto art with the NFT-based marketplace offers unprecedented opportunities to explore the invisible networks that shape artistic success in this new medium. The BarabasiLab has mapped out the Foundation platform, the first artist-run NFT platform. In contrast with other NFT platforms, where invisible curatorial teams decide whether an artist is accepted on the platform, Foundation artists can invite other artists. 

Team

Credit: A.-L. Barabási, K. Vasan, M. Janosov, 2022

Exhibitied at Postmasters Gallery, New York, 2022

Quantifying NFT-Driven Networks In Crypto Art

The Lab mapped who invited whom to the platform, capturing the preexisting social ties between artists. The video shows the emergence of this artist network during the first 140 days of Foundation, identifying the relationships between 14,053 artists that joined during this time. The nodes are sized based on the number of artworks sold by each artist and the top 50 communities are highlighted in different colors. The work showcases the self-organized emergence of rich and poor artist communities that subsequently shape the success of individual artists. 

Foundation Genesis, 2022 dynamic 3d animation, video duration 44sec edition of 3 +AP
Foundation Genesis at the Postmasters Gallery in Soho, NYC. 

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