Pace Verso and Art Blocks Detail First-Ever NFT by A.A. Murakami | NFT CULTURE | Web3 Culture NFTs & Crypto Art

a New Project to Be Released as Part of Multifaceted  Partnership  

Pace Verso, the web3 hub of Pace Gallery, and Art Blocks, the leading platform for generative art, are excited to detail a new NFT project from their multifaceted partnership encompassing NFT releases, exhibitions, and community programming: the first NFT project by the Tokyo- and London-based artist duo A.A. Murakami. Titled Floating World Genesis, the NFT series, which serves as an ode to primordial life on Earth, will launch on Wednesday, December 21 at 12 PM EST and be available for purchase on artblocks.io.

Pace Verso, the web3 hub of Pace Gallery, and Art Blocks, the leading platform for generative art, are pleased to detail  a new NFT project from their multifaceted partnership encompassing NFT releases, exhibitions, and community  programming. Through this collaboration, which was established earlier this year, Pace Verso and Art Blocks will  present the first NFT project by the Tokyo- and London-based artist duo A.A. Murakami. Titled Floating World Genesis, the NFT series, which serves as an ode to primordial life on Earth, will launch on December 21 at 12 p.m. EST  and be available for purchase on artblocks.io. 

The first component of a multidisciplinary project by A.A. Murakami, Floating World Genesis comprises 250 unique  NFTs, each depicting one of three animated scenes chronicling the origins of life on Earth: a single microbial bubble  that may split in two; clusters of self-organizing bubbles that represent the growth of multicellular life; and a single  bubble situated on the horizon, signifying the formation of the Earth’s biosphere. Inspired by the Miller-Urey  experiment of 1953, which simulated conditions of the early Earth to explore how life first formed in the primordial  oceans through self-organizing bubbles, the Floating World Genesis NFTs possess tranquil, meditative, hypnotic  qualities often associated with minimalist painting and the Light and Space movement. Bubbles have been an  enduring source of inspiration for A.A. Murakami, whose seminal work New Spring (2017) is an interactive, multi sensory installation that produces mist-filled blossoms.  

The formal dynamism of Floating World Genesis, which explores the kinetic possibilities of semi-abstracted bubbles,  belies the project’s technical complexity and its wide range of generative effects. Opacities and diffusions of color vary  among the NFTs, as do the shapes and positions of the bubbles. Clear bubbles depicted against gradation  backgrounds feature refractions of light and color. Some of the NFTs are stereoscopic, allowing viewers to have a  three-dimensional experience and immersing them in a world of buoyant, ethereal bubbles. 

A.A. Murakami will participate in a discussion with Art Blocks at 11:40 a.m. EST on December 21 to mark the release of  Floating World Genesis. Further details about this program will be released in the coming weeks.  

A.A. Murakami is known for creating immersive, sensorial installations as part of a long-standing exploration of  natural phenomena and systems. With these concerns at the center of the duo’s practice, A.A. Murakami has  pioneered the development of “ephemeral tech,” or technology that is experienced not through standard interfaces  like screens, but through ethereal and shifting matter, facilitating fleeting but deeply meaningful in-person  experiences. With the multifaceted Floating World Genesis series, the duo aims to further explore this concept  through what it has termed the “mataverse,” a space between the physical and digital worlds. Through future Floating World projects, A.A. Murakami will investigate the possibilities of art that lives on the blockchain and engages all the  viewers’ senses in immersive and tactile physical environments.  

Floating World Genesis is realized by Art Blocks and Pace Verso in conjunction with Digital Practice, an artist-focused  web3 creative agency that worked in close concert with A.A. Murakami on project conceptualization, art direction, and  development. More information about the project can be found at artblocks.io. 

As part of their expansive partnership, launched in 2022, Pace Verso and Art Blocks have released NFT projects by  artists Tara Donovan, John Gerrard, and Loie Hollowell. Details about these projects can be found at  pacegallery.com/pace-verso. 

A.A. Murakami is a Tokyo- and London-based artist duo founded in 2011 by Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves.  Their unique sensory installations are an ongoing series of works, which follows the tradition of artists emulating  nature. In the same way ancient civilizations made structures to chart the passage of the sun or early cave paintings to  depict the natural world, A.A. Murakami pursues an innate human desire to use art to connect with and revere the  natural systems on which our existence depends. They pioneer in “ephemeral tech,” which explores this intrinsic  driver of creation using technology to evoke both primordial origins and future worlds.  

Notable projects include Infinity Blue (2018), a monumental breathing sculpture that pays homage to one of the  world’s smallest but most important organisms, cyanobacteria; a permanent installation at the Eden Project in  Cornwall; and New Spring (2017), a tree-like structure that emits scented mist bubbles. The artists’ work is included in  the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; and M+, Hong Kong. 

Art Blocks is in service of bringing the most compelling examples of contemporary generative art to life. Art Blocks  unites artists, blockchain technology, and collectors in a destination dedicated to groundbreaking work and  remarkable experiences. 

Pace Verso is Pace Gallery’s hub for web3 projects, launched in 2021 under the leadership of Pace President and CEO  Marc Glimcher. Pace Verso works closely with artists within and beyond the gallery’s program to incubate, develop,  and realize their web3 projects, operating an NFT platform on the Ethereum blockchain at  www.pacegallery.com/pace-verso. In addition to releasing independent projects, Pace Verso frequently collaborates  with leading web3 platforms to share artists’ work with wide audiences. In 2022, Pace Verso established a  multifaceted partnership with Art Blocks, the leading generative art platform, encompassing boundary-pushing  generative NFT releases by Pace’s artists as well as crypto-native artists, exhibitions, and community programming.  In its first year, Pace Verso—which reflects the gallery’s longtime and ongoing support of innovative artists who have  cultivated advanced studio practices engaged with boundary-pushing technologies—has presented NFT projects by  Jeff Koons, Zhang Huan, Glenn Kaino, DRIFT, Lucas Samaras, and other artists. Pace Verso has also grown a robust  following on its dedicated Discord server, directly engaging web3 communities through discussions with artists and  leaders in the crypto space. 

Digital Practice is an art-focused web3 agency, supporting artists and estates in expanding their oeuvres and  preserving their legacies through the translation of authentic artistic practices to the blockchain. Their expertise is in  smart contract development, creative coding, generative art, and incorporating digital art into an artist’s more  traditional or physical practice. For more information, visit www.digitalpractice.art.