#MashArt

#MashArt is a series that evolved out of experiments during the #teztrash 2022 event. For those unfamiliar with #TrashArt, the blockchain phenomenon began with @ROBNESSOFFICIAL's 64 Gallon Toter NFT being removed from Super Rare because it didn't fit their curation standards. That decision and the subsequent re-instatement of the work led to a large number of Toter or "Trash" inspired artworks. The idea was to create low effort art using whatever tools are easily accessible to get your point across. It's a similar ethos to what happened at the Black Mountain School in North Carolina during the 1930's, where artmaking was the primary focus using whatever materials were easy to acquire in the environment (leaves, sticks, etc). Conceptually, this was taken to the extreme with the Happening artists of the late 50's and early 60's, which emphasized artmaking without over-thinking. Just create.

Pushing these ideas even further is the CC0 culture of the #TrashArt movement, which encourages work to be released into the public domain so that others can create derivatives and monetize the work without any concerns related to copyright.

Due to the fact that most #TrashArt is CC0, the primary motivation for creating the work is not to monetize a product through copyright law. Nor is the motivation to collect the work to own an exceptionally "rare" work of art. Instead, it seems more about motivating artists to create, supporting them, and building a community that is aligned with principles that transcend those of the traditional art world.

The behavior of creating and collecting art in this way is particularly compelling to me. It strikes at the heart of the nature of artmaking. What motivates people to A) create art B) collect art and C) support artists? The jury is out but I'm thrilled to participate. I find that working in a CC0 environment frees me from worrying about implied social contracts or expectations.

Just create.

As I began to drop my own #teztrash pieces on December 21st, 2022, artists of all persuasions started to snatch up my cheap, low effort NFTs. I wanted to do more than simply sell work during the event. I wanted to give back. So, I asked "what acts of kindness have I appreciated throughout my own artistic journey?" The answer was the act of being acknowledged, not only in words but also in the artistic expression of others. I appreciate it when other artists create work that includes me or is inspired by something I've done. In that spirit, I began to mash-up the #teztrash art made by many of my collectors. Using only image urls to their work and the work of past masters, I prompted Midjourney V4 to create some #TrashArt masterpieces :) The first prompt image was Robness' 64 Gallon Toter:

mashed with Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa:

The result was Robness x da Vinci #Mashart #Trashart. Definitely not my finest work. Actually, it's pure garbage. Behold:

Next was Terry Bain's Yellow 1264055793:

mashed with Rafael's The Three Graces:

The result was this stunning piece of lemony scented trash titled Bain x Rafael #Mashart #Trashart:

The third was Marcotic's (@marcotic12) Toters in the windows which happens to be a derivative work of Ormond Gigil's work "Girls in the windows":

This piece reminded me of Andy Warhol's silkscreen paintings, so I mashed it with his Marilyn Diptych.

The result is more trash, Marcotic x Warhol #Trashart #Mashart:

After minting the Marcotic pieces, I noticed that artist Angelika Kollin had collected one my works (Song of The Moking Bird). I begin to browse her collection and I was immediately drawn to White Knights because of the stunning composition and the Red Dot (read my article about my fascination with the Ubiquitous Red Dot):

The piece reminds me of Claude Cahun's photography work:

I wanted to mash the two but White Nights is not in the public domain, so I reached out to Angelika to get her approval. She approved and now this is the start of what I hope will be an engaging project documenting artists who are pushing the boundary of contemporary art and culture on-chain. Here is Kollin x Cahun #Mashart:

I hope this project will grow organically over time. If an artist collects an edition there is a very good chance I will mash-up of one of their pieces to include in the series.

Art driven by community. Just create. 🔴

Learn more about my work at www.RobertMatheson.com & @Robert_Matheson