TwelveFold
by Yuga Labs
Inscribed: 12th March 2023
Earliest Inscribed Block: 442,180 (6th December 2016)
Supply: 300
Type: Image
Website: TwelveFold.io
News Coverage: Yuga Labs launches Bitcoin Ordinals collection
Natasha & Crispin’s Review:
Ah, the TwelveFold collection by Yuga Labs! A bold attempt to capture the very technical essence of the so-called “BitCoin block-chain” and its Ordinate inception process. Initially our critical attention was captured by Yuga’s Greg Solano who expressed the epigram of the true avant-garde artiste:
“All of these choices are a departure from what’s expected from Yuga.
But, you know. Fuck doing expected things.”
Greg Solano, Yuga Labs, 28th February 2023
The 300-odd compositions are 3-D-rendered by computerization, with the apparent involvement of we mere mortals too. These Ordinates are certainly a sight to behold, putting one in mind of Othello or Oriental Checkers boards, and suchlike. The technical intricacies of the block-chain are depicted here via an almost perfect conceptualization of post-war modernist design, with a nod to the complexity of the Ordinate inscription process itself.
However, as art critics of discerning taste, we cannot help but feel a sense of disappointment at the very notion of digital art itself. The true essence and quintessence of art lies solely within the physical medium, where the artiste’s hand is evident in every brushstroke or chisel mark. The digital realm is a sterile and lifeless space, devoid of the human touch that imbues art with meaning and emotion.
Furthermore, the association with BitCoin and its controversial history leaves a bitter taste in our mouths. While we appreciate the attempt to capture the technical intricacies of the blockchain, we cannot overlook the problem of the commercial nature of the BitCoin block-chain. That art should rub shoulders with mercantile transactions verges on aesthetic abomination. Thus, as an art form forever tarnished by its juxtaposition with the pedestrian, TwelveFold falls short of true greatness.
In conclusion, whilst the TwelveFold collection by Yuga Labs is not without merit, it ultimately undershoots true artistic exquisitude due to its reliance on digitalisation and certain regrettable associations with the plebeian. If such works should become the norm, one simply weeps for the future of art! Thousands of years of artistic development being strangled in a tidal wave of technological imitation. True culture being starved to death beneath the wheels of the digital artifact bandwagon. The emergence of a virtual Empire of Philistia! One shudders whilst raising a hand to one’s furrowed brow.