Upland Brings Fashion and Fine Art to the Metaverse with Iconic Jacky Tsai MetaSkull Collection

PALO ALTO, Calif. October 20, 2022 – London-based contemporary artist Jacky Tsai and his fashion-forward MetaSkull Collection become the designer’s first foray into the metaverse debuting in Upland, the largest open metaverse mapped to the real world. Fans of the Shanghai-born designer around the world and the Upland community will have the unique opportunity to collect and trade three different rarities of the iconic MetaSkull in the form of digital collectibles, Upland’s coveted Block Explorers, and structural decor used to decorate metaverse neighborhoods in time for Halloween. 

In collaboration with Froyo Games, Jacky Tsai will be launching his first NFT collection in Upland, the largest property-trading metaverse, with over 3 million registered users and the highest number of virtual property owners. Just in time for the popular season of Halloween, the Upland community will have a new opportunity to decorate their property structures with limited edition and seasonal fine art, creating a unique, immersive metaverse experience. Fans of the former Alexander McQueen designer will be introduced to a web3 experience in Upland where they can contribute and benefit from the utility of Tsai’s unique NFT collection.

Tsai’s dynamic art has been featured in some of the top galleries and museums globally, including Unit London and Richard Taittinger Gallery with realized prices ranging from 48,000 USD to 302,000 USD. The artist’s iconic skull motifs first gained international recognition in 2008, when it was used in Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer menswear collection. 

“I am thrilled to bring the MetaSkull collection to Upland’s global audience that is eager to support quality digital art. Upland’s unique building landscape allows for boundless artistic growth and expression, which is key to bridging the gap between the artistic world and the ever expanding metaverse,” says Jacky Tsai. “My vision for the collection is to inspire the next generation of gamers with bold and thought provoking designs.”

Tsai’s vision with the MetaSkull launch is to dispel the notion of fear and negative attitudes towards death amongst Chinese communities. His art often combines traditional Eastern art techniques and Western pop art references that serve as the perfect way to express this message and create truly unique art pieces that establish harmony between the cultural extremes.

“We are excited to elevate the visual aesthetic in Upland with an artist as talented as Jacky Tsai and introduce this unique MetaSkull collection to the Upland community,” says Dirk Lueth, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Upland. “With this collection, every structure in Upland will be decorated with iconic visuals as more property owners bring their personal style into the metaverse.”

The Jacky Tsai MetaSkull Collection will be revealed to the Upland community on Friday, October 21. Upland is available to download for free on iOS, Android and the web, and can be played from anywhere in the world.   

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ABOUT UPLAND ME, Inc.

Upland (https://upland.me/) is an open web3 platform for the metaverse mapped to the real world.  The company’s mission is to build one of the leading and most dynamic maker-communities through a strong entrepreneur economy that allows players, creators, developers, and brands to manufacture goods and experiences, monetize assets, and provide utility and fun to other players. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with hubs in Las Vegas, Ukraine, and Brazil, Upland was named among Fast Company’s “Next Big Things in Tech” in 2021 and one of “22 San Francisco Startups To Watch in 2022” by Built In SF. Upland is committed to becoming carbon negative and is a proud partner of Carbonfuture. For more information about our sustainability commitment visit https://www.upland.me/sustainability. Upland is available on iOS, Android and the Web, and can be played from anywhere in the world.

About Jacky Tsai

Jacky Tsai is a Shanghai-born and London-based Chinese Asian Modern & Contemporary artist. Jacky Tsai basked in the limelight in 2008 when British fashion designer Alexander McQueen adopted his floral skull creation for its 2008 Spring/Summer Menswear Collection, and since then, he has used the floral skull in many of his artworks. The floral skull represents life and death, the beauty in decay, and rebirth. 

Over the years, Jacky’s talent and creativity have expanded. Apart from painting and sculpting, his creation also incorporates a wide range of other media, including what others consider dying crafts, traditional lacquer carving, silk embroidery, and hand-painted porcelain. In addition, Jacky Tsai is well-known for his unique style of merging traditional Chinese painting techniques and references with Western Pop Art. Jacky’s dynamic art and constantly evolving creativity have landed him opportunities to collaborate with many big names in the fashion industry, such as Bvlgari & Shanghai Tang. He even earned the affection of pop star Jay Chou. 

About Froyo Games

Froyo Games has collaborated with Jacky Tsai to launch an NFT series called “MetaSkull”, to be announced later in October. 

Froyo Games is a Web3 gaming publishing platform enabling gamers to interact with blockchain games and NFTs on a single integrated platform in a seamless and hassle-free manner. Froyo Games is backed by its strategic investors that include Animoca Games, GBV, Spartan etc. Froyo Games’ main strategic partner is iCandy Interactive – the largest game development company in the Southeast Asia region, that has extensive experience making AAA and casual games globally.