HOPE — A Holiday Curation by Eleonora Brizi
The holidays mean something different to everyone. It can be a time of celebration, contemplation, sorrow, religious sentiments, and family traditions, but there’s one thing that ties all of these together: hope.
Mint Gold Dust curator, Eleonora Brizi presents a not so typical holiday curation. One that isn’t filled with ribbon and bows, but one that chronicles the journey of modern humanity experiencing a shift towards hope after a season of growing pains and uncertainty.
The works by Svccy and Bard Ionson consider the place of humans in society and our compromises within it, either aware or unaware. While Chris Nacht and Ben Snell take us into a very introspective dimension: now it’s us with our own selves, with our shadows and nature. Masha Ermeeva Embrace doesn’t need many explanations, it’s our need to feed the containers of our souls, our bodies, through human contact. And finally the biggest hope of all, the motor of the world: (Cosy in) Love, by Lapin Mignon. — Eleonora Brizi
The curation features work from Mint Gold Dust’s marketplace and would make a great gift for any crypto or art enthusiast still on your list.
MAN IN SOCIETY
Contemporary Man by Svccy
This piece by Svccy depicts a man who’s unknowingly being brainwashed by western society and media. Svccy comments, “Contemporary Man desperately spends his days settling on superfluous values, trying to decode issues that do not deserve importance, detaches himself from social groups, and closes in on himself. It is here that he takes refuge in consumerism and develops an identity annihilation of the individual.”
Mysterious Value by Bard Ionson
Bard Ionson has uploaded thousands of hand selected challenge coins to train a StyleGAN AI model, giving it the tools to recreate its own. Challenge coins are traditionally given as reward tokens to those who show exemplary performance in the US. The coins themselves don’t have monetary value, but the value is in the service and stories they tell. This transaction is representative of man’s endless quest for validation and relationship with the power of the state.
MAN WITH HIMSELF
Shadow Creature #01 by Chris Nacht
Nacht’s Shadow Creature #01 depicts man in a more introspective state. In this piece, man is confronted with hidden figures lurking in the shadows. Upon first glance, the faces might not be clear, but upon further inspection, they begin to reveal themselves, stepping out of the darkness and into the light.
Ritual Nature by Ben Snell
Ritual Nature takes the idea of introspection further into isolation. When man is in isolation, he is forced to face himself head on. Snell reflects, “Venturing into nature, I find my own nature. In the stillness of these sculptural portraits, there exists a part of me and a part of the forest, inextricably intertwined as Observer and Observed.” He continues, “We are Outsiders, imperfect seers, seeking refuge…home in the solitude.”
MAN IN COMMUNITY
Embrace by Masha Ermeeva
Ermeeva’s piece Embrace represents the power of human connection and symbolizes the power of physical touch, kindness, support, community, and love. All these things are not just wants of man, but needs, necessary for survival, as it is here he finds his hope.
Cosy in Love by Lapin Mignon
Lapin Mignon’s Cosy in Love transforms the script of a love poem into an exploding visual work filled with passion. This kind of love is only possible when one switches his focus from himself and society, to another human being.
