1. THE DROP
NIFTY GATEWAY & CRYPT GALLERY
SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER 2022 - 6 PM ET
The project Peyote Ugly is a result of a collaboration between five artists from different countries; Poland, Holland, Mexico and Norway, and was created at Arthouse, in Leiden, Holland. The artists created a fictional narrative based on Dutch folklore including many characters from old Dutch fairy tales. The story was composed into a contemporary fairy tale that became a full of humour short film where they performed as those characters.
This project is extremely entertaining, however fun aspects of it are not the only driving force behind it. It is a true testament to what the world of NFTs offers to collectors and allows artists to create. The art created for part 2 of Peyote Ugly is truly unique as it encompasses a variety of techniques and no creative discipline has been spared in this mixture. Practices ranging from painting, sculpture, printmaking, film-making, creating a book and old school puzzles to its digital counterparts like 3D sculpting, virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D scanning and photography, make this project truly one of a kind.
The Peyote Ugly: The Awakening of the Devil drop, consists of 6 nfts. Two editions, 3D animations with audio, and four 1/1s, animations with audio + physical AR oil paintings.
The exhibition is live NOW in LA and NYC! Visit Crypt Gallery in DREAM DOWNTOWN & DREAM HOLLYWOOD and collect your POAP entering you automatically in an #NFT raffle.
THE ART
THE EDITIONS
A totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe.
Early anthropologists and ethnologists like James George Frazer, Alfred Cort Haddon, John Ferguson McLennan and W. H. R. Rivers identified totemism as a shared practice across indigenous groups in unconnected parts of the world, typically reflecting a stage of human development.
In 1938, the structural functionalist anthropologist A. P. Elkin wrote about how to understand totems. His typologies of totemism included forms and functions.
As artists we identify as one of those “forms”, a tribe, and by creating this artistic object we fulfilled one of the “functions”, conception of multiple meanings.
TOTEM 1
Cross discipline & mixed media.
Edition 20/20
TOTEM 2
Cross discipline & mixed media.
Edition 20/20
Totem 1
The creation of totem 1 began with the traditional and physical aspect of art, painting and sculpture. First we created an oil painting of an Aztec calendar and a painting of typical folk patterns that served as wrapping layers for the 3D elements in our animation. We proceeded to create clay sculptures which represented our style and temperament in our ‘art tribe’. Other traditional elements from Mexican culture were scanned and transformed into 3D objects and rendered as part of the final animation.
The combination of physical and digital aspects of the art in this creation is our totem documenting the stage of human development and where we are as artists in 2022.
Totem 2
The structure and the concept for the totem 2 is inspired by the art of Alebrijes which are an important part of Mexican folk culture. They are artistic representations of magical creatures, to which in the spiritual guides of the Aztec culture are attributed to.
The elements of this totem were made using traditional techniques that were later digitised.The first, top alebrije was designed through engraving with the lino-cut technique and its character represents magic. The character in the centre, made with oil paint, in the shape of a snake is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. The third character, a dog, painted with acrylic and oil pastels symbolises friendship and personal ties.
These three elements epitomise our stay in Mexico, working under the same roof, bonding and collaborating.
DANIEL MARTIN 1/1
The 1/1 by Daniel Martin represents Huitzilopochtli, an Aztec god and consists of an NFT + a physical painting.
1/1 NFT - an animation of Huitzilopochtli accompanied by an audio of tribal chants.
Physical - Huitzilopochtli , 60x80cm, augmented reality, oil painting on canvas.
Reserve: 1 ETH
Physcial oil painting
60x80cm
NFT animation
1900x2500px
Huitzilopochtli
Huitzilopochtli was the father of the Aztecs and the supreme god of the Méxica also known as the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan. His nagual or animal spirit was the eagle.Unlike many other Aztec deities, He was also the Aztec god of war and the Aztec sun god, and of Tenochtitlán. This intrinsically tied up the “hunger” of gods with the Aztec penchant for ritual war. His shrine sat on top of the pyramid of Templo Mayor in the Aztec capital, and was decorated with skulls and painted red to represent blood. In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli was engaged in a sibling rivalry with his sister and the goddess of the moon, Coyolxauhqui. And so the sun and the moon were in a constant battle for control of the sky.
SANTIAGO PANI 1/1
The 1/1 by Santiago Pani represents Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec god and consists of an NFT + a physical painting.
1/1 NFT - an animation of Quetzalcoatl accompanied by an audio of tribal chants.
Physical - Quetzalcoatl, 60x80cm, augmented reality, oil painting on canvas.
Reserve: 1 ETH
Physcial oil painting
60x80cm
NFT animation
1900x2500px
Quetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl was a symbol of death and resurrection. He was a creator deity having contributed essentially to the creation of mankind. In Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl is also the controller of winds and bringer of maize. A clever shapeshifter, he used his wits, together with his companion Xolotl (a dog-headed god) to trick the Lord and Lady of Death into giving him the bones that he shaped into mankind.
VIOLET P JONES 1/1
The 1/1 by Violet P Jones represents Tezcatlipoca, an Aztec god and consists of an NFT + a physical painting.
1/1 NFT - an animation of Tezcatlipoca god accompanied by an audio of tribal chants.
Physical - Tezcatlipoca, 60x80cm, augmented reality, oil painting on canvas.
Reserve: 1 ETH
Physcial oil painting
60x80cm
NFT animation
1900x2500px
Tezcatlipoca
Tezcatlipoca, whose name means “Smoking Mirror”, was the Aztec god of night and sorcery as well as the patron deity of Aztec kings and young warriors. According to Aztec mythology, Tezcatlipoca was a vengeful god, who could see and punish any evil behaviour or action happening on earth. Tezcatlipoca was known as the lord of the smoking mirror. That name is a reference to obsidian mirrors, circular flat shiny objects made of volcanic glass, as well as a symbolic reference to the smoke of battle and sacrifice.
HENRIK ULDALEN 1/1
The 1/1 by Henrik Uldalen represents Mictlantecuhtli, an Aztec God and consists of an NFT + a physical painting
1/1 NFT - an animation of Mictlantecuhtli accompanied by an audio of tribal chants.
Physical - Mictlantecuhtli, 46x61cm (50x65cm with frame), augmented reality, oil painting on canvas.
Reserve: 1 ETH
Physcial oil painting
46x61cm
NFT animation
1900x2500px
Tezcatlipoca
Tezcatlipoca, whose name means “Smoking Mirror”, was the Aztec god of night and sorcery as well as the patron deity of Aztec kings and young warriors. According to Aztec mythology, Tezcatlipoca was a vengeful god, who could see and punish any evil behaviour or action happening on earth. Tezcatlipoca was known as the lord of the smoking mirror. That name is a reference to obsidian mirrors, circular flat shiny objects made of volcanic glass, as well as a symbolic reference to the smoke of battle and sacrifice.
Offerings
Pre-drop promo reward for RTs, comments and likes:
A draw of 4 linocut monocopies of Alebrije. Announcement in a tweet and during twitter spaces on 25th of May.
Post drop draw of physical prints for edition holders:
TOTEM 1 holders. 20/20 at $750 :
2 original mono abstract prints 57x38cm
3 Giclée AR prints in A3 size of a totem 1
TOTEM 2 holders 20/20 at $750:
2 original mono abstract prints 57x38cm
3 Giclée AR prints in A3 size of a totem 1
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Each collector purchasing both TOTEMS in the original drop qualifies to an air drop of a bonus animation NFT 10 days after the drop. The bonus NFT edition numbers are allocated randomly in the raffle.
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Each 1 / 1 NFT has a reserved price of 1ETH and comes with an physcial painting + AR.
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Every auction hitting a price of 3 ETH or more, additionally qualifies for an airdrop of an animated bonus NFT. Number 1, of the possible edition of 4, of the bonus NFT, will be awarded to the highest auction bidder. The following growing numbers will be awarded to the collectors who won auctions with smaller bids.
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All collectors holding an NFT from a Peyote Ugly drop get priority access to the chapter 2 adventure project NFTs.
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All AR physical pieces coming with NFTs can be scanned with the Artivive app.
Monocopies
57X38CM
Monoprints
57X38CM
Story
It all started on that cursed day, Santi’s birthday and the beginning of Spring. We had always felt something eerie and strange on this day, but we never paid it much attention, writing it off as the residual effects of the hangover filtering through from the day before. Daniel, Violet and Henrik had traveled all the way to Mexico for the occasion, hoping to soak up some sun and tacos in the process. The party had started and we were all having a great time, aided and abetted by ungodly amounts of Mezcal. Suddenly we were approached by an old family friend, a worn and rugged elderly man, looking rather disorientated and scruffy with unkempt hair and dirty clothes. He spoke incoherently at first, rambling on about some of the local sightseeing locations that we needed to visit for inspiration. Being something of a veteran tour guide from his days of youth, he offered us his services as a personal escort through the jungle. Before the end of the party he came back with a small delicacy for us to try - a tiny piece of cactus that apparently possessed cleansing properties. We all needed a bit of cleansing we declared and happily consumed the offering.
We awoke in the jungle on what we assumed was the morning after the night’s party and we each had our bags with us including cameras, phones, clothes and sketch book and absolutely no recollection of having packed these items! We approached the guide and asked him what had happened but he simply replied “Welcome to The Lacandon” before making his way into the jungle. There was a pervasive sense of apprehension and bewilderment amongst the group yet despite this we gathered our belongs and began to follow our guide.
The days began to pass, blurring into a never-ending hike that was broken only to stop for water. The heat and humidity clung to us along with a sense of apprehension and fear of the unknown that actually began to invigorate the group and fill us with endless inspiration and motivation. In time we arrived at a location by the river, overgrown with red mangroves and a pungent odour of stagnant water that combined forces with the sweat and body-heat to invade our nostrils and refuse to leave. Suddenly and without warning we felt the ground shaking and shifting beneath our feet and the river began to violently bubble with some preternatural energy. Our instinct was to run, however an overwhelming combination of fear and overriding curiosity immobilized each and every one of us. Unblinking and our mouths agape we watched dumfounded as a totem began to rise from the thrashing water of the river. It was as majestic as it was terrifying with discs of different shapes and colours levitating around a skull head piece as distorted faces and expressions writhed and rippled throughout the main body.
We turned to our guide with an avalanche of questions that he had no answers to declaring that he had never seen or heard of the totem before however he did offer that he recognised the symbols and artistic designs as Aztec in origin and at that point Violet's eyes lit up in that mischievous expression we have all come to know, and dread… "How would you guys like to be famous…?" she whispered.
We each turned towards her as Violet proceeded to explain about her good friend Nani who was apparently working at the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City and after some discussion the group agreed on bringing the artifact back to civilization and to the Museum for investigation. The totem was heavy and we were going to have to leave a lot of our equipment there by the river in order for the group to haul the piece however we at least had a weight lifting enthusiast in the impressive form of Daniel and despite his complaints and our collective guilt he was able to carry the bulk of the weight.
The return journey was arduous and slow going but we finally got the mysterious totem wrapped and securely stored Nani's flat in Mexico City before returning to the jungle to retrieve our equipment. All our belongings and equipment were there still there although covered in insects and a strange moss like substance. We were almost at the point of leaving when the ambient sounds of the jungle ceased abruptly and we could hear a low pitched unknown language echoing through the trees. It was all around us with no discernable point of origin sounding almost like a voice that was strangely familiar yet unknown. With each passing second the voice grew louder and increasingly hostile whilst snakes and multi-legged insects covered the ground around us creating a writhing squirming carpet of blacks and browns. A sudden shriek from behind us pierced our senses chilling our spines with a cold stab of fear and we collectively spun around - it was Santiago. A huge glistening coil of a snake had landed on his head and his glasses had been dislodged by the reptile and had fallen into the muddy water. As he stood rigid and horrified the snake dropped from his head onto the ground with a wet sickly splash and Violet screamed and broke into a run. Without a word spoken we all knew it was time to get the Hell out of there – we had awakened something in the jungle. Daniel grabbed the camera and he and the guide took off after Violet with Santiago and Henrik running off in other directions.
We managed to reconnect with Santiago in the jungle after a day of adrenaline induced running. As it transpired he never needed glasses, admitting that he just used them to appear intellectual and in his words, pick up girls. However, there was no sign of Henrik. We waited for days until he suddenly appeared in the late hours of the 12th day. He told us he had made it to Mexico City days ago, in fear of being killed first as the only minority member of the group.
The next day was unlike anything we have ever experienced. Small earthquakes and tremors plagued the city, setting off the sirens and strange animals coloured with bizarre hypnotic patterns began to appear everywhere and in our sleep we were haunted by beings of unknown power, raging and screaming in alien tongues. Exhausted with these nocturnal visitations and the un-nerving occurrences in the city we eventually headed to Nani's flat and unwrapped the artifact in hopes we could somehow bring the madness to an end. Upon careful examination we found crumpled ancient parchments lodged in the mouth of the heads that seemed to indicate a map along with several ancient cryptic scriptures offering us clues to understanding the enigma of this catastrophe.
This is the reason we are here today - we believe we understand the reasons behind the recent strange occurrences and unsettling events and we think we have discovered how to reverse the Curse of the Gods that have been awakened. We have been in contact with a great number of spiritual leaders and healers across the globe discovering an individual located in Thailand who we have come to believe holds the answer to this mystery. We must travel to Thailand, meet this healer and obtain the key that brings about an end to this curse. However, in the meantime you can all help us by uniting the Artifacts and the Gods - the more you collect the safer we are and the more rewards you will receive from the Gods who are appeased. Buy us time, buy us sanity and you will be handsomely rewarded for your support! *
*not a financial or spiritual advice