March 2022: the city of Mariupol was besieged by Russian forces and city officials estimate that around 21,000 civilians were killed in the crisis. In response to this atrocity, The Guild’s “Mariupol”, an interactive art piece was created. All funds and royalties raised by the sale of its Master and Layers will go to supporting those suffering in Ukraine.
Influenced by Picasso’s “Guernica”, a depiction of the shelling of Guernica city in northern Spain in 1937, “Mariupol” shows the atrocities currently taking place in Ukraine. The artwork is a collaboration of 38 artists who worked to compose the multi-layer artwork in just three weeks. The Guild used the Async Canvas tool to compose this fluid NFT.
“Mariupol” comprises 1 Master and 13 Layers, all of which were listed and made available to 14 owners. As of writing, two of the Layers have been sold. The piece is an example of a living work of art: the 13 Layers can be turned on and off, and each Layer has between two and four unique phases.
The Guild is an interdisciplinary arts collective that brings artists together and cultivates collaboration. Its aim with “Mariupol” was to bring together artists’ perceptions on war in Ukraine from across the world onto one canvas. The result was an outpouring of styles and ideas that have merged seamlessly to form this impressive piece.
In the same way that Picasso’s “Guernica” garnered worldwide attention and put a spotlight on the Spanish Civil War, “Mariupol” aims to generate awareness and raise funds to support those in need. In homage to Picasso’s work, The Guild’s NFT is also styled in black-and-white, evoking a photo-like immediacy in the artwork.
Youtube film of the "Mariupol" interactive artwork
The proceeds of the sale of the Layers and Master will go to the Voices of Children Foundation, a charity supporting the psychological and psychosocial wellbeing of children in Ukraine – innocent victims of the battle. Voices of Children are working to provide non-stop psychological assistance and help the evacuation effort.
The artwork was recently displayed at the Non-Fungible Conference (NFC) in Lisbon, Portugal from April 4th-5th 2022. The Async team also made one of their first IRL appearances at the conference; you can read our take on the event here.
Discover another Async Art piece, "Year of the 0x," by The Guild, here. It’s described as “a celebration of creativity, Chinese astrology and the globally collaborative CryptoArt movement.”
View The Guild's collection of work in our gallery.
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