The Punk In Residence Program Yuga Labs recently introduced the Punk in Residence program, aimed at fostering on-chain collaborations and encouraging creative experimentation within the NFT space. The initiative selected artist Nina Chanel Abney to lead the program, culminating in her “Super Punk World” collection. This debut included an event at The School at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York, where the new NFTs were showcased.
Abney’s artistic vision Nina Chanel Abney’s work integrates her distinct style and reinterprets iconic CryptoPunk signatures. She stated: “CryptoPunks are an iconic, groundbreaking project that has played a pivotal role in creating the digital collecting space. By working with them, I saw an opportunity to be at the center of a unique intersection of art, technology and culture.”
The 500-piece collection features hand-selected avatars inspired by both CryptoPunks and Abney’s previous works. Her avatars, characterized by colorful backgrounds and hybridized figures, aim to challenge societal norms and implicit biases. They reflect on the differences in the secondary market values of digital avatars based on gender and skin color.
Community response and criticism Despite the innovative intentions, the CryptoPunks community responded largely negatively. Critics labeled the artwork as overly ‘woke’ and did not fit with the established CryptoPunks brand. There was also frustration over the perceived dilution of the original CryptoPunks collection, with some collectors angry at what they saw as an expansion of a highly prized “blue chip” Ethereum NFT set.
Response from Yuga Labs In response to the backlash, Yuga Labs decided to discontinue the artist residency program to focus on preserving the original essence of the CryptoPunks collection. Yuga Labs CEO Greg “Garga” Solano tweeted: “Yuga will no longer touch Punks. They will simply be decentralized and stored on the blockchain. All we want to do is support a number of museums and institutions in their quest to acquire a punk and inform their public about it.”
https://x.com/MKSevenn/status/1792629001271308752
TL; DR
Yuga Labs has halted its Punk in Residence program after criticism of a new collaboration with CryptoPunks being deemed excessively “woke.” Led by artist Nina Chanel Abney, the program aimed to integrate CryptoPunk characteristics with her unique style. The community’s criticism focused on the perceived dilution of the original collection. Yuga Labs decided to keep the original essence of CryptoPunks and discontinue further changes.