By A. Moret
“Run Away With Me” to the analog world of 2wenty whose photographic methods are entirely handmade. Light is a brush; only technology is found in a darkroom of his own making and achieved without any editing programs. “Run Away With Me,” his debut NFT, shines a light on long exposure night photography and the alchemy of photographic methods. The newly minted work invites collectors down the road of the photographic medium as it develops on the blockchain.
For the last two decades, 2wenty has worked in the solace of night, illuminating winding stretches of the highway into a tableau on which to paint words. Conjured by masterful wizardry, bars of light dance across the pavement, disappearing as quickly as they emerge, whilst a celestial tapestry cloaks an indigo sky as the haze of a dense city is left behind. Walking along a road nestled between lush mountains, the artist paints one letter at a time to capture a long exposure photograph while remaining keenly aware of the possibility of an oncoming vehicle rushing at lethal speeds, or a chance encounter with a hitchhiker, each yielding little warning. The juxtaposition of film and language creates a kinetic tension that charges the words with a sense of urgency, calling to us to get on the road and run away to anywhere but here. Locations with unknown coordinates are secondary to the method and the message. Viewers experience the words as if rushing down the highway through 2wenty’s eyes and feel a haunting familiarity as if they may have once traveled there after making a wrong turn, or collected a vestige from a dream about trying to escape.
On the occasion of “Light: A Collective Renewal,” a group exhibition presented by SuperRare in collaboration with ARTREPUBLIC during Art Basel Miami, 2wenty presented his debut NFT. Originally created in 2016, “Run Away With Me” is a stop motion work comprising of 79 stacked long exposures, shining a new light on photography and its power on the blockchain. He has since introduced two additional works from his archive on the SuperRare platform–“Lightman,” which implements a lenticular film technique, and “Miami Beach,” captured during Art Basel in 2021–that present alternate visions of the saturated landscape with light sources acting like incandescent fireworks, leaving a permanent streak of brilliance against the city skyline.
A. Moret: When did your journey as a photographer begin?
2wenty: Near the end of 2011, I bought a camera and started pursuing night/ long exposure photography. I got into it after wanting to make a change from doing street art. There is a different feel to analog–something that digital has a hard time replicating. I also prefer the slower process of shooting and making each photo count, whether it’s on digital or film. Film is also a test of skills and I like the challenge of it.
Anonymity is a facet…
Read More: editorial.superrare.com