*Highlights and leapfrogs and frilly socks of the Meme Maxis, weeks of January 1st and 8th, 2024, cover art by SgtPepeWorld, celebrating 79 full-set holders of Arsonic’s Sgt. Pepe (Meme Card 37) concurrent with all Meme Lab drops (announcement).*

Next to blaring trumpets and drifting confetti, we were still mid-cheer in riotous celebration of the grand crossing when a flurry of friends anew showed up to the Meme Maxis party! A round of hearty welcomes are in order for ruskin1819, BitGrateful, Leafswan, ZUPHIOH, 0xMLow, 0xCuttlefish — while we’re at it, Happy No-Worries-If-They’re-Still-Hungover-And-Clearly-Not-Quite-Ready-For-Work-Yet Birthdays to priyankap_patel, MintFace, 0xDominikG, pandelic, and ReadyPereOne too. 🍾🥂

As the Good Sergeant reflects on trials and triumphs over the previous posthaste-pirouette around the sun, a revelation strikes: if Crypto World indeed moves at 69x the speed of normie-land, doth our aging process commensurably match? Viewed from the twin stars of vigor and steadfastness it would seem, instead, that the Maxis are, just now, beginning to enter their prime years — have they found a way to slow time down? Exhibits J through A:

• 𝓙𝓤𝓛𝓘𝓐 ↽🆇‒🆇 launches us colorfully beyond the sun into a universe of pure creation, in tandem flight with 6529er’s soaring explorations, woven through a kinetic version of Eszter Lakatos‘s “tOMorrowland“ Meme Card (Original ReMeme with audio) —

• New Year’s wishes from teexels as a new father are particularly timely 🎈

• fmiasp recaps a fruitful, towering year of some 40 ReMemes made

• a fresh TAP cake from mememaxis’s memetisserie oven rings in the festivities (available on secondary) —

• ZUPHIOH takes the Survive! meme card category so seriously it makes the resolutions list

• a live snap from paulwilsonimage ensconced in his happy place:

• a Liquidity Pool party with johnnyXdanger hosted at offshoot3D’s pad

• reflections from dsoeirosanches on his first NFT, first gm, finding The Memes by 6529, minting work, joining the Maxis, plus an eventful, kickass life journey through 2023

• MintFace surveys dazzling accomplishments over the past year, then a glance forward

• and rakesh_pulapa commemorates the year’s passing with a look forward into some Inevitable Topsy-Turviness:

Are you ready for seizing in SZN6?

We’re thrilled to introduce a powerhouse of creativity to kick off the sixer: muralist and painter Tristan Eaton.

Tristan‘s a tour de force in the contemporary art scene. Hailing from the sun-soaked streets of Hollywood, California, Eaton has etched his mark on the urban landscapes across the globe, from the buzzing arteries of Detroit to the historic textures of London. A virtuoso of visual storytelling, his murals are a symphony of bold graphics, vibrant characters, and interwoven patterns, each piece a dialogue between the viewer and the wall-become-canvas.

But Eaton’s prowess extends beyond large-scale murals: he’s a maestro of the designer-toy world as well. As co-founder of Kid Robot, he’s responsible for some of the movement’s most iconic figures. Creations such as Dunny and Munny are not mere collectibles, but bona fide artifacts of pop culture, where the toy becomes the artistic medium, the owner its artist.

So move over, traditional ball-drop ceremony: it’s the New Year Meme Drop! “FREEDOM TO BURN” rises glorious from the shrapnel of crystals bygone (announcement) —

— and, lickety-split, receives the first ReMeme of the year by g9ralt, recently certified quickest via Unfalsifiable Rep no less (more on that below). Watch the eyes:

You can hear the clamor of street activity around Tristan’s poster in WintermuteGAN’s prememe, dropped the day before (om.pub profile:

Fascinating too is Tristan’s disruptive ethos, evinced by the intriguing admonition of “DESTROY ALL TOYS” in bio, and his OpenSea-linked GLORY TO UKRAINE collection.

David Fairs, a.k.a. newlightvisuals, sits down with 6529Gradientz for a Meme Artist deep-dive: you’ll want to drop anchor for this riveting thread of personal history intertwined with growing conviction in the mission of decentralization. It’s gorgeously illustrated throughout — and we’re excited to find out what happens next in the saga of Max Pain.

Hello and welcome to Atmo, whose artistic style is a captivating fusion of cybernetic detail and heartfelt emotion.

His compositions, often bathed in neon glows and punctuated by intricate tech motifs, explore the nuanced relationship between humans and our ever-more computerized worlds. There’s sincerity inherent: a call to remember and cherish the human element amid binary codes and pixelated vistas. Atmonez masterfully balances cold precision of technology with warm ambiguity of human sentiment, channeling pieces that awaken a sense of exploration … beckoning viewers to look beyond the surface.

This vision extends into speculative fiction, where science meets soul, futures brimming with human emotion.

His pieces, far beyond visually arresting, serve as totems of the digital age, reminders of the flesh-and-blood passions that animate our interactions in virtual spaces. Through his art, Atmonez invites contemplation on how we express and perceive affection and identity within digital echo chambers. Recurring glowing circuits motifs. Human elements intertwined. Together they suggest symbiosis, hinting at faith in the possibility of harmony between realms.

In an era where digital connections can substitute for physical presence, Atmo’s art stands as a beacon of authenticity. His works are a vibrant call to acknowledge the profound psychic impact of our online engagements. By highlighting themes of connectivity, surveillance, and virtual existence, Atmo not only captures the newly-minted aesthetic of digital natives, but also embodies the soul-searching questions that ensue. His art bridges the seen and unseen. Beneath avatars, usernames, there are real hearts beating, in desire for genuine connection — here’s “Protocol Keeper” (announcement) —

Be sure to catch “Protocol Keeper” in full form, with gloriously immersive video+audio, behind-the-scenes rendering and artwork details, and delve into Atmonez’s diverse array of timeless collections.

As burnt embers fade towards charcoal blues, 2024 dawns upon a landscape already vibrant in hues. Roger Dickerman’s evolving, daily project entitled 24 Hours of Art teases an upcoming punk6529 focus, dynamic art dropping later in February (announcement) —

Continued renewal manifests in a New-Year’s flurry of TheMeansCreator cards, on themes of seizing and verifiability (combined with an exalted carav4ggio):

…the Global Digital Rights Charter accompanied by Fabiano Speziari’s artwork, more and more relevant with each passing day (Means card announcement):

…and Truth in Memes as paired with SEIZAR by 6529er.

How might SEIZAR (and the other meme cards of SZN4) look from the distant future, when the museums housing their physical counterparts have begun to decay? pandelic sets this probable eventuality to handcrafted music in a pair of SZN4 retrospective slideshows: Mostly Pointless and Twilight Far (announcement) —

Clairvoyant Chris, a.k.a. art_icu_late, knew all along that the Memes were destined to venture Outside. From initial sparks of inspiration (Meme Cards photographed in and framed by real-world context) were ignited an inexorable chain-reaction of events (encouraging others to submit their creations and discoveries), leading to the coalescence of a mighty Memes Outside book, released under cc0, published in physical form (announcement and backstory), for distribution by any (guerilla) means possible —

Let us now raise the portcullis for 1dontknows, the pseudonym of Thai artist Phanuwat Chukoed. His digital collages are a surreal interplay of history and psyche, where the Renaissance meets a dream-like parallel multiverse. Each piece showcases dialogue without words, faces vanished or obscured, urging the observer to look past the individual through to our collective journey of souls. His works — not content as mere visual spectacles — serve as invitations to explore concepts such as metempsychosis, the eternal cycle of life and death, freedom and entrapment, justice and rebirth.

1DK’s striking approach to digital art speaks to the personal and the universal. He weaves self-taught artistry with the challenges of a global pandemic, canvases redolent with an introversive artist’s emotions and thoughts even as their figures choose not to reveal themselves in entirety.

In “TAP me if you can”, a web of relationships and ideas intermingle, complex and delightful all at once. Take your time with this one, zoomed in and ideally through a loupe, afternoon tea, and buttered biscuits (announcement) —

Our pre-eminent prememer WintermuteGAN surfaces Surrealist and Rennaissance elements in his piece anticipating Card 183’s drop, replete with a meta-reference to life, the universe, and everything (om.pub Meme Artist profile) —

A wealth of unearthly delights anticipates your arrival at 1dontknows’s collections of galleries, hosted at Sotheby’s, SuperRare, and beyond.

On the heels of a soft landing of CIC (Community Identity Check) comes the subtle launch of “Rep” on seize.io. Both are peer-to-peer, decentralized tools for Memes participants to vouch for others’ identity, and personal attributes, respectively.

Sonia of MOJnfts has your back with in-depth explainers of CIC and Rep (and, if you missed it, profile setup on seize.io including Consolidation and Delegation).

Visual learners, here’s Rep in action: consider the curious case of HugoFaz, tagged by peers with what he’s known and celebrated for —

Keep in mind: Rep points are given freely by accumulatooors of Total Days Held from safeguarding one or more Meme Cards over time. (Memes-holding is not required to receive Rep.) It’s a system that raises the cost of botting, sifting for genuine human interaction; one that makes transparent the conviction of its members, thus discouraging toxicity.

CIC and Rep are decentralized answers to challenges posed by large networks such as the internet: how can trust be measured, with what measurement tools that remain trustworthy over time? Social media, systemically unable to quantify trust, has attempted a bait-and-switch for metrics more easily collected and inferred: popularity and attention, based on views, likes, engagement time — with varyingly ineffective or dystopic consequences.

A handy cheat-sheet from MintFace compares these brave new acronyms to their legacy counterparts.

Martin Kozlowski’s storied career spans over four decades, even in the 1980s a dynamic force in political cartoons. Over time, consistently incisive and humorous illustrations featured in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have established his keen eye and pivotal voice in the wider world of editorial illustration, with wit and an on-point relevance always on display.

Kozlowski’s art extends beyond traditional canvas. As Art Director and Contributor to inxart.com, he excels at steering visual narratives, while his comic strips have found homes in of-record and far-flung publications alike — including the Hartford Courant and the Daily Star in Beirut. A flair for design led him to establish his own firm in Union Square, NYC, and his tenure as Art Director at the New York Times, especially on the Op-ed page, showcases a profound guiding-force on the medium of visual storytelling.

Joining “The Memes” collection, Martin Kozlowski brings his rich tapestry of experience and unmistakable artistic voice to the world of digital art. “Trojan Horse“ is his first foray into NFTs, converging his social-commentary roots with the memetic rails of crypto tokens. One could even add yet another layer of meaning to this card, if one had insights into Martin’s own Memes ambitions…

punk6529’s wholehearted welcome includes the original reference for this meme, created by Kozlowski with a wry wink:

6529Complaints snipes a ReMeme from the turrets:

And WintermuteGAN swerves in from left flank, with a prememe inspired by a separate strand of Martin’s oeuvre:

The best place to catch up on Martin’s compendium of cucumber-cool creations is his official website.

Experienced as one gestalt, the art from these initial weeks of the Year of Gleaming Decadence™ shares an exuberance of freedom even while styles and emotions and disciplines veer wildly: generative, collage and subversive appropriation, cc0 as statement, pure music, code painting, photography, textile, performance art — and that’s just one sampling.

MintFace cleanses our palates with a gallery of geodetic art, connected to the image-making of generations prior:

New Year, New Chain — for priyankap_patel, who releases “everything is blue” on base (announcement) —

A jolt of LFGoooool from simonemonte, in a piece entitled “Midday” (announcement) —

Celebrating the liberation of Steamboat Willie, whose copyright expires at long last, MferOnes pulls out the ultimate cryptonite meme:

The organic-growth branch of generative art comes alive in apeinacoupe’s latest piece, TREE_02: BAOBAB (announcement) —

Burnasso’s reminders are always timely, and expansive:

Meysvm’s old-school collabs with Reza_Pishro, pre-NFT days, come full circle with Reza’s first NFT auction for “Moshkel dari?!”

MutagenSamurai mints a stunning piece on Optimism called “We Will Go Gently” (announcement) —

“Tree of Life” from rakesh_pulapa comes with a tantalizing 3-second making-of video:

By this point, intrepid_p should be known for his riveting memoir-length threads detailing life with family on the high seas, the inescapable difficulties, the opportunities for his photography — and yet, the stories only get better. In this 50-parter, Robert Downie re-introduces himself, the missions he envisions, along with the sights he’s collected along the way (and you can, too).

Also don’t miss intrepid_p’s new series, Himalayan Awakening; here’s “Kala Patthar” (announcement) —

MintFace’s Seize County vignette very nearly makes it to this issue’s cover image, it’s so good —

Doltab by irwinkwok is one of those immediately inviting collections that rewards you for your curiosity; stop by his version of a Pebble Punku and have a look at the collection:

“Majesty of the Minute” by pandelic is profoundly peaceful piano, offered as on-chain music, presented through stories of personal reflection (announcement) —

Oscar Wilde inspires rocketgirlNFT to create BATTLE ROYALE and showcase its myriad details, two sides in eternal showdown, tethered to the same existential struggles we all face (announcement and story) —

The previous two pieces were submitted for Optimism’s “We ♥︎ The Art” contest, and this, too: a piece by 0xMLow named “Lifecycle of Flowers in GANs & MJ6” offered alongside a gorgeous behind-the-scenes thread.

Into the subconscious earths treads fmiasp with his new AI-collaborative collection, uran, alongside reflections on its creation (announcement) —

Serendipity and inevitability go hand-in-glove when you’re Master Teexels: simply step out of the car and behold the magnificence of the moment, never to be repeated. Behold! “The Shepherd” —

Only NaimePakniyat channels legendary Persian stories with such weightless charm. In The Conference of the Birds — inspired by an Attar Nishapuri poem from 1177 — Naime combines palatial, physical duvet covers with NFTs as optional add-ons (announcement) —

andremessina_ goes behind the curtain showing some of the process behind code painting from photographic inputs:

More by priyankap_patel from the other side of the computational divide: it’s gen-art notebook play!

Once again, I must declare my weakness/fondness for postcards as an art medium — and this collection of geometrica mints by spydenator (as graciously reported by dsoeirosanches) answers the call:

“Impermanence in Continuum” presents thoughtful, confrontational, yet still lively photographic work from HugoFaz (announcement and context) —

Taking Memes Outside, now onto the actual asphalt, requires the disclpline of a mischievous troublemaker — blessed are the Maxis, for we have one of our very own: again it’s HugoFaz (!). Here’s Sgt. Pepe preparing to run in the St. Silvestre urban race, waving Nakamoto Freedom on a half-marathon through the heart of Sāo Paulo. Hugo shares a caboodle of impressions from the run: the costume, the heat, the shouts of encouragement from fellow sprinters, with coverage culminating in a Meme Lab drop the week after. With truly wicked commitment to a decentralized future, and the use of the strongest currency known to humankind — skin in the game — THE FREEDOM MARATHON is born (announcement) —

Constantly crescendoing candies, especially accompanying those who celebrate Halloween + Christmas, haven’t dissipated at all even as we’re squarely in 2024. Cute round chocolates in a brightly colored package … how can you go wrong — or only eat one? bryanbrinkman offers a sweet talker of a Meme Lab glop in “Every day is a treat in web3” along with backstory and a dilemma of a drop mechanic, dun dun dun:

(Addendum: Great Memers think alike — hat tip to dudly_art!)

The follow-up to HOPIUM CRISIS, Dre Dogue’s meme card 122, has arrived in plumes of mirrors. COPIUM SEIZURE is a further provocation, the next-page in a story growing increasingly mysterious (announcement) —

The Heart of Existence, according to Jæn, leads us to creations beyond mere images and imaginings — they are intricate animations threaded through quantum theory and human consciousness, inviting us into communion with realities deeper than we previously noticed.

Jæn’s pieces, characterized by vibrant aesthetics of color plus evocative symbolism, offer meditations on our precise place within an all-too-vast possibility space. Scientific intrigue and metaphysical inquiry await on the other side of these digital canvasses — or perhaps a void of your own creation.

“TX” (announcement) takes us into the microcosm of what an exchange is, means, feels like, and symbolizes; the work expands one moment into a world of meaning and, through the repetition of its swiftly-paced animation and sound design, prompts us to wonder about the tenability of our reliance on goods, services, even each other. The choice of pleasant pastels only accentuates these questions, while paradoxically reassuring us with the security intrinsic to blockchain transactions:

A slick-as-sleet making-of thread reveals Jæn’s thinking process, including work on frames, music-syncing, and where the piece might go should a Bitcoin ETF occur 👀…

“The Last Bitcoin” evokes high drama — I would read that in novel form! — headlining WintermuteGAN’s prescient prememe (also available as NFT) —

Jæn’s own website is a fantastic resource, and you can also browse SuperRare, Cyber.xyz gallery, and deeper into the fold.

🥁

First, there wasn’t, then there was, then there wasn’t, then — at long last — there was.

theKoolCaleb has cleanly timelined the debacle for us — keep in mind that this is the actual U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of which we, slack-jawed and bewildered, speak:

We are truly living in the most glorious yet predictable of timelines, for of course there could not have been a straightforward Bitcoin-ETF approval. The SEC’s boo-boo should go on a hoodie, zachxbt is the hero Gary Gensler needs, Michael Saylor’s got an insight, and good ol’ GG is exposed as the ideal mascot to be hoisted atop the flagpole for immortal inscription on-blockchain — in other words, collect your POAP today (courtesy poapxyz):

Nude Yoga Girl is a triply enigmatic figure: an anon photographer, artist, and rebel — who presents the human body through beauty and potent stillness.

In a society where the naked form is often subjected to censorship and unwarranted sexualization, her art stands proudly apart. Marrying the form and fluidity of yoga with the vulnerability of nudity, her black-and-white portraits are unequivocal statements of liberation. She fights for a world where the line between art and stigma is redefined, claiming space for a celebration of the body in its most honest state.

Her artistic message is clear: normalize the natural body; promote self-love and acceptance. Nude Yoga Girl’s photoshoots are introspective discoveries, self-portraits on empowerment and grace. Her work shines in its power to connect with the viewer most intimately, challenging them to confront inner perceptions of nudity and self-understanding. In the face of social/media censorship, the art reveals an oasis for those needing a reminder that their bodies are worthy of appreciation, not judgment.

“Freedom to Undress” literally elevates this message to the forefront of our awareness (announcement) —

Explore NYG’s AOTM gallery, SuperRare collections, and further painting work.

• Who else came for the Memes and stayed for the life advice? Here’s punk6529 on protecting your NFTs, succinctly packaged into a tweetstorm ideal for sending to newcomers

• … On the Best Practice setup for imminent ethereum enjoyers

• … On Why 2030? (Or: Why He Keeps Name-Checking 2030 As Some Sort Of Grail Year?)

• … On Grandpunku’s advice to punku about how to properly spend New Year’s Day

• The latest 404 Catalog by Patrick Amadon wraps up submissions this week — all of which you can now browse! — launching one of the coolest and most empowering initiatives into 2024 and beyond

• A fascinating find by JonLamArt on Midjourney developers discussing artist scraping (and obfuscation?) tactics — plus a possible technical counter-tactic for artists to use called Glaze

• On re-discovering old photos from the Vietnam War, a day in the life of andremessina_:

• Why Freedom to Transact and Self-Sovereignty are more meaningful for Women, a well-illustrated, helpful, and entertaining primer by MOJnfts

• Hans Kemp, a.k.a. lightchronicler, catalogs his killer collection titled Bikes of Burden — here’s “#3. Roses.”:

• Spotted: live footage of collectors “admiring” art, courtesy theeseanmartin

• newproportio creates a generative version of herself, capable of making her art — a process full of riveting details, explained gorgeously

• fmiasp pulls out the stops for a repping extravaganza, love-bombing dozens of Memers and in one fell swoop newly-crowning himself “SGT. REP” 🫡

• beeple’s Pepe Hill (!) also observes a salute

• osmankbt in with an indisputably accurate version of what a multi-chain future looks like:

• Art appreciation threads such as this one on Emily Xie — the generative-art pioneer with projects spanning Sand, Morphology, Memories of Qilin — continue to prove a wonderful defining-feature of NFT Twitter (thank you, nf_suzanne); here’s a piece from Interwoven:

• A survey of 55 impressive acquisitions by The Medici Collection in 2023, courtesy CozomoMedici

• Not to be outdone, a taxonomy of 12,000 XCOPY works, by maxand98 — this piece they’ve categorized under “crypto-text”:

• Slightly into the New Year now, compared to our issue header: a new day means a new pebble discovery for Sgt. Pepe

• When Alpha Centauri Kid says you can’t prepare for what’s to come, it’s true:

• Lucréce divulges the meticulous work of creatively straitjacketing the already-stunning “Benediction from Between Worlds” to 301-kilobytes.

• The Seizer Award Winners for SZN4 and SZN5 are in! Created by aRegularDad, his bang-up job has been going multiple-seasons strong: designing the categories, encouraging folks to vote, now even assigning Rep to the winners 🏆

  Favorite Meme SZN 4: Seizar by 6529er

  Most Memetic SZN 4: Boom by killeracid

  Favorite Meme SZN 5: Liquidity Pool by offshoot3D

  Most Memetic SZN 5: Pepeace by 6529er and punk6529

  All Time Favorite Rememe: First “gm” by geumat3

Community BUIDLer: Arsonic for the community buidling around SgtPepeWorld

SZN 6 Wish List Artist: intrepid_p

Happy meme-seizing and life-seizing to all !

🥑

A special shout-out to brookr (x.com/brookr) for cc0 versions of artist introductions hosted at om.pub, and MOJnfts (x.com/MOJnfts) for the swift bootings.

*Highlights and leapfrogs and frilly socks of the Meme Maxis, weeks of January 1st and 8th, 2024, cover art by SgtPepeWorld, celebrating 79 full-set holders of Arsonic’s Sgt. Pepe (Meme Card 37) concurrent with all Meme Lab drops (announcement).*

Next to blaring trumpets and drifting confetti, we were still mid-cheer in riotous celebration of the grand crossing when a flurry of friends anew showed up to the Meme Maxis party! A round of hearty welcomes are in order for ruskin1819, BitGrateful, Leafswan, ZUPHIOH, 0xMLow, 0xCuttlefish — while we’re at it, Happy No-Worries-If-They’re-Still-Hungover-And-Clearly-Not-Quite-Ready-For-Work-Yet Birthdays to priyankap_patel, MintFace, 0xDominikG, pandelic, and ReadyPereOne too. 🍾🥂

As the Good Sergeant reflects on trials and triumphs over the previous posthaste-pirouette around the sun, a revelation strikes: if Crypto World indeed moves at 69x the speed of normie-land, doth our aging process commensurably match? Viewed from the twin stars of vigor and steadfastness it would seem, instead, that the Maxis are, just now, beginning to enter their prime years — have they found a way to slow time down? Exhibits J through A:

• 𝓙𝓤𝓛𝓘𝓐 ↽🆇‒🆇 launches us colorfully beyond the sun into a universe of pure creation, in tandem flight with 6529er’s soaring explorations, woven through a kinetic version of Eszter Lakatos‘s “tOMorrowland“ Meme Card (Original ReMeme with audio) —

• New Year’s wishes from teexels as a new father are particularly timely 🎈

• fmiasp recaps a fruitful, towering year of some 40 ReMemes made

• a fresh TAP cake from mememaxis’s memetisserie oven rings in the festivities (available on secondary) —

• ZUPHIOH takes the Survive! meme card category so seriously it makes the resolutions list

• a live snap from paulwilsonimage ensconced in his happy place:

• a Liquidity Pool party with johnnyXdanger hosted at offshoot3D’s pad

• reflections from dsoeirosanches on his first NFT, first gm, finding The Memes by 6529, minting work, joining the Maxis, plus an eventful, kickass life journey through 2023

• MintFace surveys dazzling accomplishments over the past year, then a glance forward

• and rakesh_pulapa commemorates the year’s passing with a look forward into some Inevitable Topsy-Turviness:

Are you ready for seizing in SZN6?

We’re thrilled to introduce a powerhouse of creativity to kick off the sixer: muralist and painter Tristan Eaton.

Tristan‘s a tour de force in the contemporary art scene. Hailing from the sun-soaked streets of Hollywood, California, Eaton has etched his mark on the urban landscapes across the globe, from the buzzing arteries of Detroit to the historic textures of London. A virtuoso of visual storytelling, his murals are a symphony of bold graphics, vibrant characters, and interwoven patterns, each piece a dialogue between the viewer and the wall-become-canvas.

But Eaton’s prowess extends beyond large-scale murals: he’s a maestro of the designer-toy world as well. As co-founder of Kid Robot, he’s responsible for some of the movement’s most iconic figures. Creations such as Dunny and Munny are not mere collectibles, but bona fide artifacts of pop culture, where the toy becomes the artistic medium, the owner its artist.

So move over, traditional ball-drop ceremony: it’s the New Year Meme Drop! “FREEDOM TO BURN” rises glorious from the shrapnel of crystals bygone (announcement) —

— and, lickety-split, receives the first ReMeme of the year by g9ralt, recently certified quickest via Unfalsifiable Rep no less (more on that below). Watch the eyes:

You can hear the clamor of street activity around Tristan’s poster in WintermuteGAN’s prememe, dropped the day before (om.pub profile:

Fascinating too is Tristan’s disruptive ethos, evinced by the intriguing admonition of “DESTROY ALL TOYS” in bio, and his OpenSea-linked GLORY TO UKRAINE collection.

David Fairs, a.k.a. newlightvisuals, sits down with 6529Gradientz for a Meme Artist deep-dive: you’ll want to drop anchor for this riveting thread of personal history intertwined with growing conviction in the mission of decentralization. It’s gorgeously illustrated throughout — and we’re excited to find out what happens next in the saga of Max Pain.

Hello and welcome to Atmo, whose artistic style is a captivating fusion of cybernetic detail and heartfelt emotion.

His compositions, often bathed in neon glows and punctuated by intricate tech motifs, explore the nuanced relationship between humans and our ever-more computerized worlds. There’s sincerity inherent: a call to remember and cherish the human element amid binary codes and pixelated vistas. Atmonez masterfully balances cold precision of technology with warm ambiguity of human sentiment, channeling pieces that awaken a sense of exploration … beckoning viewers to look beyond the surface.

This vision extends into speculative fiction, where science meets soul, futures brimming with human emotion.

His pieces, far beyond visually arresting, serve as totems of the digital age, reminders of the flesh-and-blood passions that animate our interactions in virtual spaces. Through his art, Atmonez invites contemplation on how we express and perceive affection and identity within digital echo chambers. Recurring glowing circuits motifs. Human elements intertwined. Together they suggest symbiosis, hinting at faith in the possibility of harmony between realms.

In an era where digital connections can substitute for physical presence, Atmo’s art stands as a beacon of authenticity. His works are a vibrant call to acknowledge the profound psychic impact of our online engagements. By highlighting themes of connectivity, surveillance, and virtual existence, Atmo not only captures the newly-minted aesthetic of digital natives, but also embodies the soul-searching questions that ensue. His art bridges the seen and unseen. Beneath avatars, usernames, there are real hearts beating, in desire for genuine connection — here’s “Protocol Keeper” (announcement) —

Be sure to catch “Protocol Keeper” in full form, with gloriously immersive video+audio, behind-the-scenes rendering and artwork details, and delve into Atmonez’s diverse array of timeless collections.

As burnt embers fade towards charcoal blues, 2024 dawns upon a landscape already vibrant in hues. Roger Dickerman’s evolving, daily project entitled 24 Hours of Art teases an upcoming punk6529 focus, dynamic art dropping later in February (announcement) —

Continued renewal manifests in a New-Year’s flurry of TheMeansCreator cards, on themes of seizing and verifiability (combined with an exalted carav4ggio):

…the Global Digital Rights Charter accompanied by Fabiano Speziari’s artwork, more and more relevant with each passing day (Means card announcement):

…and Truth in Memes as paired with SEIZAR by 6529er.

How might SEIZAR (and the other meme cards of SZN4) look from the distant future, when the museums housing their physical counterparts have begun to decay? pandelic sets this probable eventuality to handcrafted music in a pair of SZN4 retrospective slideshows: Mostly Pointless and Twilight Far (announcement) —

Clairvoyant Chris, a.k.a. art_icu_late, knew all along that the Memes were destined to venture Outside. From initial sparks of inspiration (Meme Cards photographed in and framed by real-world context) were ignited an inexorable chain-reaction of events (encouraging others to submit their creations and discoveries), leading to the coalescence of a mighty Memes Outside book, released under cc0, published in physical form (announcement and backstory), for distribution by any (guerilla) means possible —

Let us now raise the portcullis for 1dontknows, the pseudonym of Thai artist Phanuwat Chukoed. His digital collages are a surreal interplay of history and psyche, where the Renaissance meets a dream-like parallel multiverse. Each piece showcases dialogue without words, faces vanished or obscured, urging the observer to look past the individual through to our collective journey of souls. His works — not content as mere visual spectacles — serve as invitations to explore concepts such as metempsychosis, the eternal cycle of life and death, freedom and entrapment, justice and rebirth.

1DK’s striking approach to digital art speaks to the personal and the universal. He weaves self-taught artistry with the challenges of a global pandemic, canvases redolent with an introversive artist’s emotions and thoughts even as their figures choose not to reveal themselves in entirety.

In “TAP me if you can”, a web of relationships and ideas intermingle, complex and delightful all at once. Take your time with this one, zoomed in and ideally through a loupe, afternoon tea, and buttered biscuits (announcement) —

Our pre-eminent prememer WintermuteGAN surfaces Surrealist and Rennaissance elements in his piece anticipating Card 183’s drop, replete with a meta-reference to life, the universe, and everything (om.pub Meme Artist profile) —

A wealth of unearthly delights anticipates your arrival at 1dontknows’s collections of galleries, hosted at Sotheby’s, SuperRare, and beyond.

On the heels of a soft landing of CIC (Community Identity Check) comes the subtle launch of “Rep” on seize.io. Both are peer-to-peer, decentralized tools for Memes participants to vouch for others’ identity, and personal attributes, respectively.

Sonia of MOJnfts has your back with in-depth explainers of CIC and Rep (and, if you missed it, profile setup on seize.io including Consolidation and Delegation).

Visual learners, here’s Rep in action: consider the curious case of HugoFaz, tagged by peers with what he’s known and celebrated for —

Keep in mind: Rep points are given freely by accumulatooors of Total Days Held from safeguarding one or more Meme Cards over time. (Memes-holding is not required to receive Rep.) It’s a system that raises the cost of botting, sifting for genuine human interaction; one that makes transparent the conviction of its members, thus discouraging toxicity.

CIC and Rep are decentralized answers to challenges posed by large networks such as the internet: how can trust be measured, with what measurement tools that remain trustworthy over time? Social media, systemically unable to quantify trust, has attempted a bait-and-switch for metrics more easily collected and inferred: popularity and attention, based on views, likes, engagement time — with varyingly ineffective or dystopic consequences.

A handy cheat-sheet from MintFace compares these brave new acronyms to their legacy counterparts.

Martin Kozlowski’s storied career spans over four decades, even in the 1980s a dynamic force in political cartoons. Over time, consistently incisive and humorous illustrations featured in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have established his keen eye and pivotal voice in the wider world of editorial illustration, with wit and an on-point relevance always on display.

Kozlowski’s art extends beyond traditional canvas. As Art Director and Contributor to inxart.com, he excels at steering visual narratives, while his comic strips have found homes in of-record and far-flung publications alike — including the Hartford Courant and the Daily Star in Beirut. A flair for design led him to establish his own firm in Union Square, NYC, and his tenure as Art Director at the New York Times, especially on the Op-ed page, showcases a profound guiding-force on the medium of visual storytelling.

Joining “The Memes” collection, Martin Kozlowski brings his rich tapestry of experience and unmistakable artistic voice to the world of digital art. “Trojan Horse“ is his first foray into NFTs, converging his social-commentary roots with the memetic rails of crypto tokens. One could even add yet another layer of meaning to this card, if one had insights into Martin’s own Memes ambitions…

punk6529’s wholehearted welcome includes the original reference for this meme, created by Kozlowski with a wry wink:

6529Complaints snipes a ReMeme from the turrets:

And WintermuteGAN swerves in from left flank, with a prememe inspired by a separate strand of Martin’s oeuvre:

The best place to catch up on Martin’s compendium of cucumber-cool creations is his official website.

Experienced as one gestalt, the art from these initial weeks of the Year of Gleaming Decadence™ shares an exuberance of freedom even while styles and emotions and disciplines veer wildly: generative, collage and subversive appropriation, cc0 as statement, pure music, code painting, photography, textile, performance art — and that’s just one sampling.

MintFace cleanses our palates with a gallery of geodetic art, connected to the image-making of generations prior:

New Year, New Chain — for priyankap_patel, who releases “everything is blue” on base (announcement) —

A jolt of LFGoooool from simonemonte, in a piece entitled “Midday” (announcement) —

Celebrating the liberation of Steamboat Willie, whose copyright expires at long last, MferOnes pulls out the ultimate cryptonite meme:

The organic-growth branch of generative art comes alive in apeinacoupe’s latest piece, TREE_02: BAOBAB (announcement) —

Burnasso’s reminders are always timely, and expansive:

Meysvm’s old-school collabs with Reza_Pishro, pre-NFT days, come full circle with Reza’s first NFT auction for “Moshkel dari?!”

MutagenSamurai mints a stunning piece on Optimism called “We Will Go Gently” (announcement) —

“Tree of Life” from rakesh_pulapa comes with a tantalizing 3-second making-of video:

By this point, intrepid_p should be known for his riveting memoir-length threads detailing life with family on the high seas, the inescapable difficulties, the opportunities for his photography — and yet, the stories only get better. In this 50-parter, Robert Downie re-introduces himself, the missions he envisions, along with the sights he’s collected along the way (and you can, too).

Also don’t miss intrepid_p’s new series, Himalayan Awakening; here’s “Kala Patthar” (announcement) —

MintFace’s Seize County vignette very nearly makes it to this issue’s cover image, it’s so good —

Doltab by irwinkwok is one of those immediately inviting collections that rewards you for your curiosity; stop by his version of a Pebble Punku and have a look at the collection:

“Majesty of the Minute” by pandelic is profoundly peaceful piano, offered as on-chain music, presented through stories of personal reflection (announcement) —

Oscar Wilde inspires rocketgirlNFT to create BATTLE ROYALE and showcase its myriad details, two sides in eternal showdown, tethered to the same existential struggles we all face (announcement and story) —

The previous two pieces were submitted for Optimism’s “We ♥︎ The Art” contest, and this, too: a piece by 0xMLow named “Lifecycle of Flowers in GANs & MJ6” offered alongside a gorgeous behind-the-scenes thread.

Into the subconscious earths treads fmiasp with his new AI-collaborative collection, uran, alongside reflections on its creation (announcement) —

Serendipity and inevitability go hand-in-glove when you’re Master Teexels: simply step out of the car and behold the magnificence of the moment, never to be repeated. Behold! “The Shepherd” —

Only NaimePakniyat channels legendary Persian stories with such weightless charm. In The Conference of the Birds — inspired by an Attar Nishapuri poem from 1177 — Naime combines palatial, physical duvet covers with NFTs as optional add-ons (announcement) —

andremessina_ goes behind the curtain showing some of the process behind code painting from photographic inputs:

More by priyankap_patel from the other side of the computational divide: it’s gen-art notebook play!

Once again, I must declare my weakness/fondness for postcards as an art medium — and this collection of geometrica mints by spydenator (as graciously reported by dsoeirosanches) answers the call:

“Impermanence in Continuum” presents thoughtful, confrontational, yet still lively photographic work from HugoFaz (announcement and context) —

Taking Memes Outside, now onto the actual asphalt, requires the disclpline of a mischievous troublemaker — blessed are the Maxis, for we have one of our very own: again it’s HugoFaz (!). Here’s Sgt. Pepe preparing to run in the St. Silvestre urban race, waving Nakamoto Freedom on a half-marathon through the heart of Sāo Paulo. Hugo shares a caboodle of impressions from the run: the costume, the heat, the shouts of encouragement from fellow sprinters, with coverage culminating in a Meme Lab drop the week after. With truly wicked commitment to a decentralized future, and the use of the strongest currency known to humankind — skin in the game — THE FREEDOM MARATHON is born (announcement) —

Constantly crescendoing candies, especially accompanying those who celebrate Halloween + Christmas, haven’t dissipated at all even as we’re squarely in 2024. Cute round chocolates in a brightly colored package … how can you go wrong — or only eat one? bryanbrinkman offers a sweet talker of a Meme Lab glop in “Every day is a treat in web3” along with backstory and a dilemma of a drop mechanic, dun dun dun:

(Addendum: Great Memers think alike — hat tip to dudly_art!)

The follow-up to HOPIUM CRISIS, Dre Dogue’s meme card 122, has arrived in plumes of mirrors. COPIUM SEIZURE is a further provocation, the next-page in a story growing increasingly mysterious (announcement) —

The Heart of Existence, according to Jæn, leads us to creations beyond mere images and imaginings — they are intricate animations threaded through quantum theory and human consciousness, inviting us into communion with realities deeper than we previously noticed.

Jæn’s pieces, characterized by vibrant aesthetics of color plus evocative symbolism, offer meditations on our precise place within an all-too-vast possibility space. Scientific intrigue and metaphysical inquiry await on the other side of these digital canvasses — or perhaps a void of your own creation.

“TX” (announcement) takes us into the microcosm of what an exchange is, means, feels like, and symbolizes; the work expands one moment into a world of meaning and, through the repetition of its swiftly-paced animation and sound design, prompts us to wonder about the tenability of our reliance on goods, services, even each other. The choice of pleasant pastels only accentuates these questions, while paradoxically reassuring us with the security intrinsic to blockchain transactions:

A slick-as-sleet making-of thread reveals Jæn’s thinking process, including work on frames, music-syncing, and where the piece might go should a Bitcoin ETF occur 👀…

“The Last Bitcoin” evokes high drama — I would read that in novel form! — headlining WintermuteGAN’s prescient prememe (also available as NFT) —

Jæn’s own website is a fantastic resource, and you can also browse SuperRare, Cyber.xyz gallery, and deeper into the fold.

🥁

First, there wasn’t, then there was, then there wasn’t, then — at long last — there was.

theKoolCaleb has cleanly timelined the debacle for us — keep in mind that this is the actual U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of which we, slack-jawed and bewildered, speak:

We are truly living in the most glorious yet predictable of timelines, for of course there could not have been a straightforward Bitcoin-ETF approval. The SEC’s boo-boo should go on a hoodie, zachxbt is the hero Gary Gensler needs, Michael Saylor’s got an insight, and good ol’ GG is exposed as the ideal mascot to be hoisted atop the flagpole for immortal inscription on-blockchain — in other words, collect your POAP today (courtesy poapxyz):

Nude Yoga Girl is a triply enigmatic figure: an anon photographer, artist, and rebel — who presents the human body through beauty and potent stillness.

In a society where the naked form is often subjected to censorship and unwarranted sexualization, her art stands proudly apart. Marrying the form and fluidity of yoga with the vulnerability of nudity, her black-and-white portraits are unequivocal statements of liberation. She fights for a world where the line between art and stigma is redefined, claiming space for a celebration of the body in its most honest state.

Her artistic message is clear: normalize the natural body; promote self-love and acceptance. Nude Yoga Girl’s photoshoots are introspective discoveries, self-portraits on empowerment and grace. Her work shines in its power to connect with the viewer most intimately, challenging them to confront inner perceptions of nudity and self-understanding. In the face of social/media censorship, the art reveals an oasis for those needing a reminder that their bodies are worthy of appreciation, not judgment.

“Freedom to Undress” literally elevates this message to the forefront of our awareness (announcement) —

Explore NYG’s AOTM gallery, SuperRare collections, and further painting work.

• Who else came for the Memes and stayed for the life advice? Here’s punk6529 on protecting your NFTs, succinctly packaged into a tweetstorm ideal for sending to newcomers

• … On the Best Practice setup for imminent ethereum enjoyers

• … On Why 2030? (Or: Why He Keeps Name-Checking 2030 As Some Sort Of Grail Year?)

• … On Grandpunku’s advice to punku about how to properly spend New Year’s Day

• The latest 404 Catalog by Patrick Amadon wraps up submissions this week — all of which you can now browse! — launching one of the coolest and most empowering initiatives into 2024 and beyond

• A fascinating find by JonLamArt on Midjourney developers discussing artist scraping (and obfuscation?) tactics — plus a possible technical counter-tactic for artists to use called Glaze

• On re-discovering old photos from the Vietnam War, a day in the life of andremessina_:

• Why Freedom to Transact and Self-Sovereignty are more meaningful for Women, a well-illustrated, helpful, and entertaining primer by MOJnfts

• Hans Kemp, a.k.a. lightchronicler, catalogs his killer collection titled Bikes of Burden — here’s “#3. Roses.”:

• Spotted: live footage of collectors “admiring” art, courtesy theeseanmartin

• newproportio creates a generative version of herself, capable of making her art — a process full of riveting details, explained gorgeously

• fmiasp pulls out the stops for a repping extravaganza, love-bombing dozens of Memers and in one fell swoop newly-crowning himself “SGT. REP” 🫡

• beeple’s Pepe Hill (!) also observes a salute

• osmankbt in with an indisputably accurate version of what a multi-chain future looks like:

• Art appreciation threads such as this one on Emily Xie — the generative-art pioneer with projects spanning Sand, Morphology, Memories of Qilin — continue to prove a wonderful defining-feature of NFT Twitter (thank you, nf_suzanne); here’s a piece from Interwoven:

• A survey of 55 impressive acquisitions by The Medici Collection in 2023, courtesy CozomoMedici

• Not to be outdone, a taxonomy of 12,000 XCOPY works, by maxand98 — this piece they’ve categorized under “crypto-text”:

• Slightly into the New Year now, compared to our issue header: a new day means a new pebble discovery for Sgt. Pepe

• When Alpha Centauri Kid says you can’t prepare for what’s to come, it’s true:

• Lucréce divulges the meticulous work of creatively straitjacketing the already-stunning “Benediction from Between Worlds” to 301-kilobytes.

• The Seizer Award Winners for SZN4 and SZN5 are in! Created by aRegularDad, his bang-up job has been going multiple-seasons strong: designing the categories, encouraging folks to vote, now even assigning Rep to the winners 🏆

  Favorite Meme SZN 4: Seizar by 6529er

  Most Memetic SZN 4: Boom by killeracid

  Favorite Meme SZN 5: Liquidity Pool by offshoot3D

  Most Memetic SZN 5: Pepeace by 6529er and punk6529

  All Time Favorite Rememe: First “gm” by geumat3

Community BUIDLer: Arsonic for the community buidling around SgtPepeWorld

SZN 6 Wish List Artist: intrepid_p

Happy meme-seizing and life-seizing to all !

🥑

A special shout-out to brookr (x.com/brookr) for cc0 versions of artist introductions hosted at om.pub, and MOJnfts (x.com/MOJnfts) for the swift bootings.