From September 3 to 5, the magnificent Ch\u00e2teau de Vallery<\/i>\u2014a stone’s throw from Paris\u2014will welcome some of the biggest names in digital art.<\/p>\n
From Jenni Pasanen<\/a> and Shavonne Wong<\/a> to Basileus and others\u2014including prestigious surprise guests that have been promised\u2014an array of contemporary creators will enjoy the festivities this weekend.<\/p>\n The mastermind behind the who\u2019s who of digital art is none other than Trevor Jones. The idea behind the \u201cCastle Party<\/a>\u201d was born two years ago after the successful launch of Jones\u2019 \u201cBitcoin Angel<\/a>\u201d drop, he told Decrypt<\/i>.<\/p>\n \u201cI chatted with one of my prominent collectors who humorously suggested hosting a castle party for all the collectors,\u201d Jones said. \u201cInitially, I took it as a light-hearted jest, but the following day, the idea seemed appealing. Why not celebrate our achievements and give back to the community with a grand party?\u201d<\/p>\n Months later, this vision became a reality with the inaugural party at Stirling Castle in Scotland in the summer of 2021. In an industry where most interactions happen online, he wanted a platform for artists and collectors to interact face-to-face.<\/p>\n Billed as \u201ca celebration of a vibrant community,\u201d this festivity offers up a five-a-side soccer games, pool parties, DJ sessions, and magic shows\u2014and an open bar.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat stands out is the camaraderie amongst us,\u201d Jones told Decrypt<\/i>. \u201cSome members have been part of this community since 2018, and some joined us in 2021 or later. Over time, we’ve transitioned from being mere acquaintances to a closely knit family.\u201d<\/p>\n This edition of the event will be marked by an homage paid to the late French crypto artist Philippe Fatoux, aka Alotta Money<\/a>, who died in March last year. He was a close friend to Jones.<\/p>\n An online exhibition and auction will also run from September 2-9 in collaboration with MakersPlace to raise funds for cancer charities. Alotta Money was particularly important in Jones\u2019 journey into digital art and NFTs, he told\u00a0Decrypt<\/i>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first ventured into the NFT space, Philippe played a pivotal role, guiding me, especially with my \u2018EthGirl<\/a>\u2019 piece that set a record<\/a> for its sale price at that time, 72.1 ETH in December 2019,\u201d Jones told Decrypt<\/i>. \u201cPhilippe\u2019s untimely absence from the castle party last year was deeply felt, and one of my life’s regrets remains not meeting him in person.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jones was one of the first traditionally-trained painters to begin making crypto-themed work, naturally gravitating towards NFTs in 2018. He told\u00a0Decrypt<\/i> that he was drawn into the space in 2017 by the prospect of trading, and buying Bitcoin<\/a><\/span> led him down the crypto rabbit hole.<\/p>\n \u201cThis subsequently led me on a deep exploration to understand the philosophy behind Bitcoin, its inception by Satoshi, and the freedom it offers\u2014a way to break free from the confines of banks and governments,” he explained. “The potential future implications of Bitcoin, whether utopian or dystopian, deeply intrigued me.\u201d<\/p>\n Captivated by the culture, he decided to take another gamble, dedicating a year to creating and exhibiting paintings inspired by the subject.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn’t about financial gain, but more about my passion for this emerging theme,\u201d Jones told Decrypt<\/i>. \u201cThe response it received exceeded all my expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n The artist hasn’t looked back since, having found his place in the digital art space. Alongside this year’s castle party, he’s also launched an open edition drop for NFT artwork of “NEW B. Angel,” priced at 0.04 ETH ($65) per edition via Nifty Gateway<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cInterestingly, while I never felt a true sense of community in the traditional art world, the digital art realm offered it in abundance,\u201d he told Decrypt<\/i>. \u201cMaybe it’s the global reach of the internet that fosters connections with like-minded individuals, providing a larger pool to find those you resonate with.\u201d<\/p>\n Nonetheless, Jones remains wary of the space’s trajectory, critiquing its shift towards treating art purely as a commodity, with the potential to reduce it to \u201ca stock exchange of sorts.\u201d Over the past year, many major marketplaces have rejected creator royalty fees<\/a> as some traders flip NFTs repeatedly<\/a> as if they were fungible tokens.<\/p>\n \u201cManaging the financial aspects, like ensuring my collectors’ satisfaction, posed challenges,\u201d he said. \u201cThis space also invited scammers and opportunists, making navigation difficult for artists, especially when they’re inherently more emotionally susceptible.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones\u2019 work is hard to label, as in his own view it constantly evolves. From abstract landscapes to portraits, crypto-themed paintings, or even sculptures, he is\u2014as the saying goes\u2014working in the arena.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce you’re established, changing styles can be risky, potentially alienating buyers,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I am passionate about continuous exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked how he defines himself, he acknowledges that labels can be tricky, insisting on the fact that he sees art \u201cin a multi-dimensional manner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would say that I am a crypto artist because I was one of the early ones in the crypto space,\u201d Jones told Decrypt<\/i>. \u201cBy 2017, I was already exploring the possibilities of art within the cryptocurrency realm. So, by definition and timeline, I am a crypto artist.”<\/p>\n “However, I’d simply say I’m an artist,” he affirmed. “I’m someone always open to exploring new opportunities, technologies, and tools.”<\/p>\n From September 3 to 5, the magnificent Ch\u00e2teau de Vallery\u2014a stone’s throw from Paris\u2014will welcome some of the biggest names in digital art. From Jenni Pasanen and Shavonne Wong to Basileus and others\u2014including prestigious surprise guests that have been promised\u2014an array of contemporary creators will enjoy the festivities this weekend. The mastermind behind the who\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[230,225,221,227,226,228,229,60,223,224,222],"class_list":["post-149029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency","tag-brave","tag-coinbase","tag-crypto","tag-decentralised","tag-decentralized","tag-decentralized-exchange","tag-erc-20","tag-featured","tag-meme-coin","tag-robinhood","tag-solana"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149029"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149032,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149029\/revisions\/149032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.decrypt.co\/insecure\/rs:fit:1536:0:0:0\/plain\/https:\/\/cdn.decrypt.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/trevor-jones-crypto-party.jpg@webp\")
<\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nCrypto art pioneer<\/h2>\n
Stay on top of crypto news, get daily updates in your inbox.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"