The South African artist Portchie, who has already sold more than 18 000 unique works of art, has now made history by being the first in the nation to sell a collection of generative art using non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Beginning the following week on Thursday, August 25, 2022, Portchie, whose true name is Jan Hendrik Viljoen, will release a collection of only 1000 NFTs using a random digital generator.
Portchie collaborated with a group of innovative technologists to develop a system that will enable each NFT to be created digitally. This implies that each of the numerous hand-painted components and their variations has a chance to be randomly chosen and then combined to produce a distinctive work of digitally made art.
He introduced the new project saying, “Art is something that brings joy to my eyes and mind and that makes life special for me. This project called ‘Cycling by the riverside’ is very exciting because I’m not a digital artist, but I am able to achieve something like this.”
Those who want to join the Portchie whitelist are encouraged to go to Discord and sign up to join the “Cycling by the riverside” community of fans and art lovers.
In addition to owning the digital asset, each NFT will enable its owner to redeem a high-definition print of their collectible, signed by Portchie himself. He will also accept a limited amount of commission requests from those who would also like a painted copy of their unique collectible.
Portchie had his first significant solo exhibition in 1991, which sold out completely then went on to open The Red Teapot Gallery in 1995, where other art galleries in Stellenbosch, on the Cape Winelands, began purchasing his work.
His artworks are a trademark of vibrant colors, distorted shapes, and blue trees and is often described as a burst of joyful colour.
Since his debut, he has sold more than 1 million copies and over 18 000 original paintings worldwide. In contrast to limited editions or prints, this NFT collection will only consist of unique collectibles, which means you will not be able to find two that are a copy of each other.