Iskra Velitchkova entered 2023 with a clear goalto slow down. After two frenetic years she needed to take a step back and focus on developing her technique and art practice. ESCAPE is the product of this pace change, its icon, and a map guiding us towards this same freedom.

For Velitchkova the relationship between artist and machine is deeply collaborative, nurturing unexpected elements that emerge from the code. This algorithm began in systems that balance order and chaos. First a distinctive style reminiscent of architectural maps emerged. From this grew the brutalism characteristic of former Soviet cityscapes of the artists early childhood in Bulgaria. Ultimately stifled by this rigidity and repetition, Velitchkova pushed the algorithm furtherbreaking it and in the result discovering the form of an opera house, a structure that had become a symbol of freedom to the artist, the promise of losing oneself in art.

The overwhelming superstructure of architectural lines breaks the picture plane and seems to go beyond three dimensionality. By avoiding easy categorization, the viewer spends time considering the forms and making sense of the composition. It becomes possible to escape everyday concerns for a moment longer, lost in the almost mathematical task of viewing these geometries. The opera house icon emerges as an antidote to these illusive structures. This central figure is suddenly recognizable as a flat or three dimensional shape. Whether in dense black or highlighted as a central white figure, it is a condensation point, a place for our mind to rest. The images combine the icons of this escape but also serve as a visual guide to achieving it.

We are reminded of what art can offer usmental freedom. Yet ultimately this is an illusion. Just as the opera is a staged fiction with its own rules and schedule, this composition is not real; it is a staged performance specifically created to evoke this reaction.

ESCAPE BY ISKRA VELITCHKOVA

Escape #016

Bright Moments

FULL_SPECTRUM simulates, and traces the full visible spectrum every time it runs. The colors you see are a result of which wavelengths found a path to the LIGHT.

Press `v` to toggle a debug panel.

FULL_SPECTRUM #78

 **IMPORTANT**
Today 14th Feb at 7pm UTC the collection released is https://opensea.io/collection/a-tender-count-ing-by-lisa-orth 

 **IMPORTANT**
This is the VerticalCrypto Art Block Engine contract, but not all marketplaces can process different Art Block Engine collections as OpenSea does. 

You can find all the collections in this OpenSea Category: 
https://opensea.io/category/verticalcrypto-gen-art 

VerticalCrypto Gen Art

la caverna deals with the impossibility of seeing the absolute truth given our subjective minds and our subjective world. The title is a tribute to Platos allegory of the Cave, included in his work Republic. It does not only deal with the fact that what we perceive is affected by our senses and our mental state, which is a function of our genetic inheritance plus our life experiences, current and past, but it also is a reflection of todays world, where a fabricated reality is no longer distinguishable from what it really is. What is reality today?

The artwork creates a set of basic volumes, inspired in the platonic forms, which represent a potential ideal reality. It then presents a distorted view of that reality through several steps of distortion. The artwork also presents, in separate tokens, the undistorted reality and a representation of the layer that transforms that reality into what the observer can see in the first token.  The two tokens that represent these other elements will be available to redeem for free at a later stage to collectors who own the first piece (this token) at the time of claiming the rest of the triptych. The three tokens are included in the price of the first tokens mint. 

The artwork allows to refine the view (simulating more light, creating stronger images) pressing "r". You can save the current image pressing "s". You can decrease/increase the resolution appending in live view the URL parameter ?globalResK=2 (for example). By default, globalResK is 1. You can go as high as your graphics card can handle.

Made with vanilla javascript and glsl, no additional libraries or external dependencies. Thanks to @greggman @iquilezles @piterpasma for sharing knowledge about webgl and raymarching. I hope I know something someday to share that little bit.

Tested to work fine on Chrome, Safari, Brave on macos, Chrome, Safari, Firefox iOS, Edge Windows. Firefox macos fails to render the image correctly. Please check before you purchase.

la caverna #127

la caverna #126

la caverna #125

**Strands of Solitude** is a meditation on connection and isolation in the digital age. Through a series of intricate and highly detailed digital compositions, William Mapan delves into the ways in which social media and our increasing reliance on technology has both connected and disconnected us from one another.

The proliferation of social media and other digital platforms, Mapan's art highlights the ways in which we can still feel isolated and disconnected from those around us. His use of saturation, experimentation with density and negative space, and flow fields serves to emphasize not only this sense of disconnection, but more importantly remind the viewer that we are still part of a larger whole. As the viewer is drawn into the works, it is Mapans hope that we can recognize that we may be more similar than we are different.

Strands of Solitude by William Mapan

**Strands of Solitude** is a meditation on connection and isolation in the digital age. Through a series of intricate and highly detailed digital compositions, William Mapan delves into the ways in which social media and our increasing reliance on technology has both connected and disconnected us from one another.

The proliferation of social media and other digital platforms, Mapan"s art highlights the ways in which we can still feel isolated and disconnected from those around us. His use of saturation, experimentation with density and negative space, and flow fields serves to emphasize not only this sense of disconnection, but more importantly remind the viewer that we are still part of a larger whole. As the viewer is drawn into the works, it is Mapans hope that we can recognize that we may be more similar than we are different.

Despite this underlying sense of isolation, Mapan"s work also celebrates the ways in which we are able to connect and find common ground through our shared experiences and connections. By bringing together a variety of different elements and influences in his art, Mapan creates a sense of unity and connection that is palpable to the viewer. As we navigate the complexities of the digital age, Mapan"s art serves as a reminder of the ways in which we are all connected, even in the midst of seeming disconnection.

A central tenant to Mapan"s practice is his attempt to inject a sense of humanness into the algorithms that drive his generative art. Through his use of organic forms and rich textural elements, Mapan seeks to bridge the gap between the artificial and the human, creating works that are both technically impressive and emotionally resonant.

Strands of Solitude #058

Meet Base, an Ethereum L2 that offers a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly way for anyone, anywhere, to build decentralized apps.
 
Mint Base, Introduced to celebrate the testnet launch and join the broader Base community. Were excited to build Base together with you.

Base, Introduced

Meet Base, an Ethereum L2 that offers a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly way for anyone, anywhere, to build decentralized apps.

We collectively minted Base, Introduced to celebrate the testnet launch and grow the broader Base community. Were excited to build Base together.

Base, Introduced 78204

Intimita: By Stefano Contiero

1. I open my eyes, and I realize I fell asleep.
2. You"re looking at me, and start laughing.
3. I feel safe, I feel home. My heart is yours.
4. Intimacy.
5. Thanks for teaching me its true meaning.
6. This is for you, More. With love and gratitude, S.

**Intimit**, Stefano Contiero"s latest collection, explores the themes of intimacy and discovery. The work emphasizes uncovering the deeper aspects of our relationships and suggesting that genuine, meaningful connection can only be fully experienced when the veil of surface appearances is lifted.

Building a relationship is often considered a process of construction, where two individuals come together to form a bond. However, the process can also be seen as deconstruction, where both partners must tear down the walls they have built around themselves, exposing their vulnerabilities and allowing themselves to be known.

Contiero"s works feature open fields of color that melt together to create an effect reminiscent of marbling. Vibrant hues are subtly aged with a patina, enhancing each piece"s visual impact and giving it a sense of depth and movement. Through Contiero"s striking compositions, he invites us to consider the role physical and emotional obstacles play in shaping our experiences of intimacy. Only through time and deep exploration can these barriers be removed.

INTIMIT #233

INTIMIT #211

Lacquer Flow (@ALFADAF)

LF 003

LF 002

LF 001

*Elefante* builds on my previous long-form work and pushes it to incorporate multiple remixed canvases using a single photograph of a giant Yucca (Latin name - Yucca elephantipes) as a starting point.

The project blends elements of Brutalism, Concrete art, and collage to create abstract displays of coloured forms and photography, some reminiscent of architecture, some paper cut-outs.

I aimed for the pieces to scan well from a distance or at smaller sizes, but also to have a more "material" quality than some of my prior work. I wanted texture without skeuomorphism.

Elefante #54

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domains are secure domain names for the decentralized world. ENS domains provide a way for users to map human readable names to blockchain and non-blockchain resources, like Ethereum addresses, IPFS hashes, or website URLs. ENS domains can be bought and sold on secondary markets.