Tezos Commons :: ARTicle Of The Month
August 26, 2024Expanding The Spotlight For The Tezos Art Community.
Earlier this year, Tezos Commons introduced a weekly space on X called Artz Friday, where artists can share their stories and artistic process. Along with the weekly show, a thread called “Gem of The Week” has been included, enabling the Tezos Commons team to highlight many artists in the Tezos community who may not have had a chance to speak in the space. In fact, with a global community, many artists cannot be featured, due to timezone constraints, language barriers, or other obstacles. Tezos Commons strives to give every artist using Tezos an opportunity to shine. To continue expanding upon this mission we will now be introducing a monthly article that will allow us to dive even deeper into our vibrant Tezos art scene. Introducing “ARTicle Of The Month”.
How To Nominate Artists For ARTicle Of The Month
When you see art on Tezos that moves you, comment or quote retweet with hashtag, #TezARTicle to help us discover more gems. This will ensure the community has a say in these spotlights. Over time, this will also help build an extensive list of active Tezos artists for people to follow and support. When nominating artists, make sure to tell them why. Hearing how the art moved you, will make their day. For this first edition of ARTicle of The Month, however, we hope you will enjoy a variety of talent highlighted by Yoeshi Labs, which will intentionally highlight some of the bigger NFT projects that have historical and current activity.
Spotlighting Artists, Originals (OG’s) and New
Each month, we will spotlight five outstanding artists who consistently contribute to the vibrant Tezos art community, selected based on #TezARTicle nominations. As this process evolves, we’ll continue to refine and share more details. Our goal is to be fair and inclusive, ensuring a diverse range of artists are recognized. Additionally, we offer a “Gem of the Week” thread every Artz Friday on X, where we also highlight Tezos artists, many often considered hidden. We encourage you to support this effort by engaging with the thread. The ARTicle of the Month is open to projects of all sizes and volumes, allowing us to feature both emerging talents and established Tezos legends. Without further ado, let’s dive into the stunning art emerging from the Tezos community, rain or shine.
Gengoya, Creator of Bwople
An illustrator based in Japan, Gengoya has created one of the most distinctive PFP collections in Tezos history. Launched in December 2021, the Bwople series continues to captivate with new 1/1 editions released via auctions on Objkt. Gengoya’s artwork stands out for its non-generative, hand-drawn characters that use black and white to enhance accessibility for the visually impaired. The characters are also gender- and expression-neutral, reflecting a commitment to inclusivity. With 596 unique variations to date, Bwople has established a strong community, maintaining high praise and in turn high volume in the Tezos NFT ecosystem. This is likely due to the numerous utilities and benefits enjoyed by the Bwople holders. To learn more, check out Gengoya’s pinned thread on X, and follow this artist for updates on future drops. Gengoya’s work is a shining example of how artists can create meaningful engagement and fun for their collectors. We hope you will enjoy his Objkt Porfolio.
jjjjjohn, Creator of Window Still Life
One of the most influential artists to ever grace the Tezos ecosystem. A master of CGI and creator of GIFs. Many of you have likely seen circulating all corners of the internet due to their universal appeal. With an unmistakable and refined style, John Karel captivates viewers by taking them into his relatable CGI world. Each edition tells a different story. Since the very first weeks of Hicetnunc, we have been graced with consistency and quality from this artist. Ranging from the historic Window Still Life Series, to generative Randomly Common Skeles, FXhash drops, and more. Check jjjjjohn’s extensive linktree to discover his numerous projects on Tezos. If you are interested in collecting work from this artist, be sure to follow him on X and Objkt to be notified of the next release, because they always sell out fast. Fortunately, he also utilizes open editions, so look for those before letting FOMO influence your collecting.
WWWombats, Creator of OTTEZ
Another star example of long-term and meaningful engagement with their collectors can be found by following the artist, WWWombats, an illustrator, painter, and designer. Entering the Tezos community like a Tsunami in January of 2022, OTTEZnft is one of the few generative PFP projects to permeate every corner of the Tezos ecosystem. 4007 adorable Otters adorned in human attire. A project many have likely heard of, but some may have missed the many developments since its release that created strong connections between OTTEZ holders. Since the original collection was released, we have seen numerous follow-up releases designed to be exclusive and fun for the OTTEZ community, deemed “The Raft”. From the ability to create unique combinations of traits via a feature called Fusion, allowing holders to make their own custom OTTEZ, to an airdropped collection of Evolved OTTEZ, and many special events and collaborations along the way, we think anyone who dives into OTTEZnft history will understand why The Raft is still floating today. You can also discover many of WWWombats non-PFP creations on his main Objkt profile.
Kubilay Odabas, Comic Artist Minting NFTs on Tezos Since The Early Days Of Hicetnunc
An artist who offers comic relief within their creations, with a consistent and refined style. Kubilay Odabas’ art revolves around a re-appearing character living his everyday life. The recognizable and relatable comic world allows viewers to see themselves within Kubilays artworks. Minting his very first artwork on Tezos in April of 2021 and remaining active in the community up to now, he is certainly one of the many artists on Tezos that we will continue enjoying for many years to come.
His illustrations can be found extending all corners of the internet. From Reddit to X and everywhere in between, you can find his art being shared and enjoyed for its relatable content, consistency, and artistic execution. He even has paperback books for sale on Amazon! A blessing to the Tezos community and we hope you will enjoy a deeper dive into his Objkt portfolio.
OMGiDRAWEDit, Creator of TEZZARDZ
George Goodwin, self-doxed via his official website, is an illustrator who creates unique nature and science-fiction-inspired worlds with his art that’s consistently full of color. As a first-class honors student and graduate in the field of illustration, he brought his expertise to Tezos in March of 2021. Being from a professional art background and combining his personality into his artistry, OMGiDRAWED stands out as a true gem of our Tezos art community.
An artist, oddball, and the legendary creator of Tezzardz, arguably the most successful PFP project to ever grace the Tezos ecosystem. Also known as “FKRs”, these adorable personified lizards bring a one-of-kind style and quirky attitude to the world of profile picture art. This artist’s distinguishable style can be found in many unique Tezos NFTs. If PFP art isn’t your thing, definitely take a moment to admire his Objkt Portfolio to see what other gems are available to enjoy.
Remember To Nominate Artists For Next Month’s ARTicle
Apply the hashtag #TezARTicle in the comments when interacting with Tezos art you love and we will do our best to include nominees, over time. We cannot guarantee features but this will still be extremely helpful during the spotlight process. As always we are excited to introduce another new way to support the vibrant art community utilizing all that Tezos has to offer. If you have any ideas to improve upon this experimental initiative, the Tezos Commons team is always ready to hear feedback. Thank you to the artists for making all of this possible.
ARTicle Of The Month was originally published in Tezos Commons on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
