KEY POINTS
The popular non-fungible token (NFT) collection CryptoPunks has announced the upcoming release of a digital avatar collection called “Super Punk World.”
The new collection features 500 pieces, curated by Nina Chanel Abney, a New York-based painter known for exploring themes such as race, gender, pop culture, homophobia, and politics.
To craft it, Abney combined paper collage and print shop techniques, drawing inspiration from the traits of CryptoPunks characters and her own “Super Cool World” collection. This series includes 5,080 profile picture (PFP) NFTs, incorporating hundreds of traits and providing an alternative way for Abney to engage with fans and collectors.
CryptoPunks revealed the new collection in an X (Twitter) post on May 16, stating, “The collection utilizes the 3D medium to reimagine the viewing experience of Abney’s art through the Punk lens.”
“Super Punk World” will be showcased alongside Abney’s latest works at the Jack Shainman Gallery in Kinderhook, New York. The exhibition will run from May 18 to October 5, 2024.
Through this initiative, Nina Chanel Abney becomes the first artist in the “Punk in Residence” program, which CryptoPunks launched in February. This program aims to explore the question, “What does Punk mean to you?” through various artists’ interpretations. As the inaugural artist in the program, Abney was gifted Punk #72 NFT.
In a video interview last month, Abney said, “I try to make work that’s reflective of myself and my community. Working with the Punk in Residence has really just opened my studio practice up to a whole other medium […] it really allowed me to do something that I have not tried before.”
The initiative is expected to further boost the exposure of the CryptoPunks NFT collection, which has already been making headlines. In March, two Alien Punks from its collection — #3100 and #7804 — sold for over $16 million each. In April, CryptoPunks NFT #635 sold for over $12 million, making it the sixth-highest sale in the collection’s history.
Recently, the CryptoPunks NFT collection recorded significant sales, driving daily volumes to nearly $1.4 million, a 63% increase from the previous week.
In addition to NFT sales, CryptoPunks has been active with other initiatives. In April, it announced the release of “Free to Claim,” a comprehensive book chronicling its NFT journey.
