Greek Artist Sends Pro-Freedom Message with Assange NFT Drop

Esteemed creator Miltos Manetas volition tokenise 50% of his Julian Assange portraits, with the extremity of raising consciousness for the imprisoned activist. To further cement the blockchain connection, proceeds of the NFT driblet volition participate a DAO that forms portion of the Venice Biennale Festival’s Internet Pavilion, a tech structure founded by Manetas successful 2009.

Named This Cannot Be Erased, the peculiar postulation of 111 NFTs volition assistance buyers entree to one-of-one integer versions of hand-painted portraits created by Manetas implicit the past 2 years. The postulation volition beryllium divided into 3 phases during which 37 tokens are to beryllium minted connected the Materia blockchain, starting June 23.

This year’s Venice Biennale, present successful its 59th year, runs from April 23 to November 27. While the bulk of tents astatine the festival are reserved for countries, the Internet Pavilion is dedicated to Assange nether the taxable “AIIA – Assange is Internet Internet is Assange.”

Manetas Aims to Leverage #AssangePower

This Cannot Be Erased was produced by Manetas with enactment from long-time collaborator Howie B, a British composer who scored the archetypal Internet Pavilion lawsuit thirteen years ago. Back then, Manetas and curator Jan Aman stirred contention by inviting a fig of radical progressive with activistic website The Pirate Bay to Venice to inaugurate the Embassy of Piracy.

The latest postulation develops Manetas’ involvement successful state successful the net age, with the creator having continually voiced his enactment for a antheral helium regards arsenic a adjacent friend. The painter, whose integer works person antecedently appeared connected VR level Second Life, likens the silencing of the WikiLeaks laminitis to governments attempts to crush dissent connected the World Wide Web, starring to the aforementioned taxable for this year’s Internet Pavilion: Assange is Internet Internet is Assange.

The 111 NFTs successful the postulation are curated integer versions of the Assange portraits the creator created arsenic portion of the #AssangePower societal media campaign. That blitz led Manetas to showcase his creations astatine Rome’s Palazzo delle Esposizioni and aboriginal Belgium’s IKOB Museum with an accumulation entitled Assange Situation – Emergency.

This year, the determination of the Internet Pavilion is the vast, prison-like domain of The Gervasuti Foundation, which Manetas considers an due mounting fixed Assange’s ongoing incarceration. The Foundation is located astatine the northbound extremity of Via Garibaldi, connected the tract of the Gervasuti household artisan wood workshop.

Holders of This Cannot Be Erased volition not lone ain a portion of creation history; they’ll besides go Trustees of AIIA, with the NFT designated a “currency” of a caller net “country” unbound by borders oregon barriers. As mentioned, wealth raised from the merchantability volition spell into the Internet Pavilion DAO, meaning creation collectors tin assistance determine which creation projects the Pavilion funds successful the future.

Assange successful Limbo

Miltos Manetas has said that his extremity is to rise consciousness of Assange’s treatment, believing that helium has been unjustly demonised for his whistleblowing activities. This presumption is echoed by quality rights organisation Amnesty International, which calls the UK’s determination to extradite Assange to the US a “travesty of justice.”

NFT that marque up the caller postulation past for a minute, during which clip the holder sees the look of Assange, fracturing earlier rapidly coming backmost together, ne'er to erase. Each artwork is accompanied by a philharmonic taxable composed by Howie B.

Assange is presently appealing the UK government’s extradition ruling. If the entreaty fails, the activistic could look a 175-year situation condemnation if convicted successful a US court.