Stephen Vineburg (a UK-based artist) launched his NFT artwork CELED. This was both a digital phone-based AR filter and an NFT unique that gave life to still images. CELED is an amalgam of elements of ‘Liberty Leading the People’ by Eugene Delacroix from 1830 and ‘The Wreck of the Medusa’ by Theodore Gericault from 1818. The art piece’s main theme is observation of extant affairs. It reveals that, in spite all the turmoil and distress experienced by society, many leaders tend to be more interested in their own vanity than providing leadership.
Stephen Vineburg
Stephen Vineburg developed an AR-focused conceptual art practice that explores contemporary issues. In 2021 Stephen was the artistic partner for “Suspension”, a digital art project which addressed the digital paradox of the duality of isolation and connection. The Venice Biennale was a co-host of the European Cultural Academy. Stephen is an art historian and multi-faceted person. He has interests in film, business, music and art. In 2018, Stephen was an Executive Producer of the award-winning, independent film, ‘Emu Runner’ which had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Stephen thinks that NFT will move from pieces that only showcase digital technology to art forms that make provocative artistic statements. CELED, a pioneer in this area, is Stephen’s first step.
Celed is different
CELED is a result of Stephen’s interest in the exploration and re-interpretation of classic artistic images as a way of addressing contemporary issues. Stephen stated that the project is mostly about developing an AR-based conceptual art practice and playing with the movement between digital and physical realms. Uniquely, the piece uses all of the AR and NFT animations to create an engaging piece of art that also makes an artistic statement.
The NFT art space often features cartoon characters, or is simply showcasing digital animation technology. In both cases the NFT art area is ultimately devoid of any artistic expression or meaning.
The NFT is an amalgam of elements of ‘Liberty Leading the People’ by Eugene Delacroix from 1830 and ‘The Wreck of the Medusa’ by Theodore Gericault from 1818. Hence the figure of ‘Liberty Leading the People’ with the French Tricolor has been replaced by ‘Celebrity’ and the Tricolor replaced by a selfie.
CELED is a result of the evolution of Stephen’s art path starting from physical pieces all the way up to NFTs, which represents constant growth and transformation. Visit Foundation to see his art.