On August 10th, DeeKay Kwon, a South Korean animator, together with the anonymous digital art supporter known as Cozomo de’ Medici, revealed the release of Kwon’s inaugural open-edition artwork on the Base platform. This launch was made possible through a collaboration involving Coinbase L2 and Friends With Benefits (FWB). Impressively, the artwork garnered an impressive $100,000 within the initial hour of its release, as reported in a tweet by NFTStatistics.
The opportunity to access the mint will last for a 24-hour period, concluding on Friday, August 11th, at 9:00 a.m. PT. During this time, individuals without ETH or Base ETH can conveniently employ a credit card for participation. For those possessing ETH, there’s also an option to seamlessly convert it to Base on the mint website.
Our aim isn’t to create new hype within our bubble; instead, it’s about onboarding new frens into the world of digital art collecting. And we’re doing this through Coinbase’s new chain, Base, where anyone can mint through their credit card—making the mint price super affordable so we can welcome our normie frens as much as possible. This means I am finally having my IRL frens to own my art said Kwon in a tweet. Kwon’s artistic expression is heavily shaped by Korean culture, a result of spending an equal portion of his life in both Korea and the United States.
Cozomo also utilized Twitter as a platform to express their goal of establishing an accessible mint, aiming to welcome a broader audience into the realm of digital art. Inspired by the Florentine banker who played a crucial role in funding fundamental artworks during the early Italian Renaissance, Cozomo made his debut in the digital art sphere in 2021. During that period, he invested a substantial $2.6 million in acquiring two CryptoPunk Zombies, further elaborating on his background through interactions with Christie’s.
Subsequently, he has gathered a vast compilation of digital artworks, encompassing pieces by artists like Kwon, XCOPY, and Sam Spratt. Through his regular Twitter updates and a newsletter named “Medici Minutes,” he chronicles and disseminates his expedition in collecting, offering insights as the digital art domain continues to progress.
Kwon’s presence will also grace The Gateway Korea event, where he is set to exhibit a recently acquired unique piece titled “Am I Dreaming.” This self-portrait offers a visual representation of his creative process and how he brings his artistic visions to life.
