Spores Network, a cross-chain NFT-DeFi platform, has partnered with the acclaimed U.S. contemporary pop artist Todd Gray to launch an NFT.
As Asia’s Premier NFT Marketplace with supported DeFi and interoperability tools, Spores Network offers a platform to “empower creators to create, exchange, and communicate their life’s work, enabling decentralization of ownership and frictionless redistribution of capital.”
The partnership was announced at a private dinner in New York City. Attended by artists and crypto and art executives, all guests were gifted a metacoin granting them exclusive access to the first collection of Gray’s NFT World Wide Healing series. This NFT collection is scheduled to debut before the end of 2021.
Only three months after launching, Spores Network is being dubbed one of the most promising NFT sites globally. Its founders believe that crypto will lead to decentralization of ownership and frictionless redistribution of capital.
Their mission? — To create an NFT ecosystem that is creator-centric, community-driven, and borderless.
To that end, Spores has built a cross-chain DeFi-powered NFT marketplace defining decentralized pop culture, sharing NFT content across gaming, esports, animation/anime, digital fine arts, music, and film/TV. Spores Network co-founders include Duc Luu (Nasdaq IPOed serial entrepreneur), and Eric Hung Nguyen (former senior investment analyst at a top-10-worldwide hedge fund), and a diverse team of advisors across blockchain and entertainment.
The announcement was made at a November 2021 private dinner in New York City attended by artists, art, and crypto world executives. All guests received a metacoin giving them exclusive access to the first work in Gray’s NFT World Wide Healing series which will launch before the end of 2021.
Celebrating the partnership, Spores Network chairman Duc Luu remarks:
“We’re excited that Todd is the first American contemporary pop artist to be featured on our platform. Todd is thoroughly immersed in his art and his love for it is contagious.”
Allen Dam, Spores Network chief content officer, concurs:
“We are so enthusiastic about bringing forward an ongoing positive voice and way to contribute to a world in need.”
Luu added that they are also lining up a retrospective series on their XRVR gallery for Todd to showcase his extraordinary works and support the World Wide Healing campaign.”
Living and working in both Los Angeles and Ghana, Gray’s work spans over 40 years. Gray considers himself an artist and activist primarily focused on issues of race, class, gender, and colonialism. He has been acclaimed for his hard-edge graphic designs in painting and sculptures and his photo-based work explores issues of black masculinity, diaspora, and contemporary/historical examinations of power.
Gray’s Flabbergast, a 100-foot-wide mural created in 2018 at the World Trade Center site, gained international recognition. ‘Flabbergast’ lifted the spirits of tens of thousands of people who viewed it, many posing for snapshots in front of the vibrant work. Gray was invited to return to the site this year to refresh his work in advance of the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Gray shares his love of artistry:
“I cannot escape my love for Pop Art. I never could. It’s part of my DNA. Powerful energy, clean lines, and bright colors have been strong influences on my sculptural works and translate well into digital.”
In appreciation, Gray remarks:
“My collaboration with Spores Network will give me the opportunity to eliminate barriers and share my passion for this genre with an unlimited audience.”
Jeff Lee, Spores Network Chief Art Curator, shares his excitement:
“It’s wonderful to see an artist of Todd Gray’s stature joining other contemporary artists like Jasper Wong, founder of POW! WOW!, [and] Carlos Luna James, Slick and Tillavision, who are helping us pioneer high-end curated art in this exciting space.”
