THE PATH TO THE PRESENT, 1954–2024

July 2 - @ExpandedArt

An exhibition by the EXPANDED.ART platform covering the entire journey of generative and AI art stretching back to the 1950s.

An impressive cast of 30+ artists — including the popular Harto, Roope Rainisto and Far — will join the exhibition.

Right now it’s unclear how many of these will release NFTs as part of it, but you can already see some drops lined up for July 2nd on the website. I’m liking this one by Bard Ionson.

nullMachines by Kerim Safa & loackme

July 3 - @kerimsafa& @loackme_

Black-and-white art enjoyers rejoice, as two of the most liked monochromatic artists in NFTs join hands for this Verse collection.

These animations combine handmade art with generative algorithms to create useless machines that mirror the often meaningless spinning wheels of consumerism.

Both Safa and loackme sold out similar-looking collections on Verse before, and I wouldn’t be surprised if collectors show up again.

Champions Tactics - The Champions

July 15 - @championsverse

This is the second NFT collection for Champions Tactics, an upcoming game by industry giant Ubisoft.

These 3D NFT figurines (each with different stats and abilities) will be the playable characters in this PVP turn-based strategy game (more info here).

I still hold my criticisms from the first time we covered this project, but the game looks real now, coming off the back of a gameplay trailer with a closed beta starting next week.

We wouldn’t normally cover this one since it mints on the Oasys blockchain (we deal in BTC, ETH and SOL), but we can’t ignore a drop from one of the biggest studios in the world.

IMAGINED WRECKAGE by Chuck Anderson

July 18 - @nopattern

This is an experimental AI release from Chuck Anderson, a commercially successful digital artist with a 20-year track record, who’s probably worked with your favorite brand.

He used collage, photography and AI software to create this series of colorful pieces that’s hard to describe, mixing photorealism with mechanical imagery and surreal colors.

Best to check it out for yourself.

Frontline by Alexis André

July TBD - @MacTuitui

The debut Ordinals collection from Alexis André, the generative artist who brought us one of ArtBlocks’s biggest releases of 2022 with Friendship Bracelets.

The drop site tells the story of two algorithms fighting for canvas space in these animated works. Other than that, there’s little information, and we only have one sneak peek (above).

Regardless, this is from a respected artist collaborating with one of the best teams in Ordinals (OnChainMonkeys).

PROFILES

July TBD - @profilesbymoto

I don’t know if this collection by artist MONKEEMOTO will be this quarter’s anime hype train, but I could see it striking a chord thanks to its emphasis on drip, with characters’ coats ranging from “pretty normal” to “you’d only see this on Crunchyroll.com”.

Fashion is the focus. Holders can customize the base PFPs with interchangeable clothing, themselves unique assets sold through quarterly booster pack drops.

This isn’t the first digital fashion PFP attempt we’ve seen. Maybe MONKEEMOTO (an Adidas collaborator) can finally get it going.

Pizza Pets

Maybe July? - @pizza_pets

Another “tamagotchi-like” crypto game enters the fray with this airdrop from Ordinal PFP projects Pizza Ninjas and MegaPunks.

Your objective is to keep your pet (an inscription) alive by feeding it and keeping it happy. Should you fail, your critter is removed from the game and the collection (more on this in the game’s manifesto).

This makes the game an ephemeral spectacle that can never be played again after the last pet dies, which adds a certain “you had to be there” allure.

But all of this is done through Bitcoin transactions, which could get pricey, so let’s hope that doesn’t get in the way of the experience.

DSTRCT 111

Maybe July? - @mydstrct

JR, one of the original team members at 0N1 FORCE, is back as the cofounder of this upcoming PFP collection on Bitcoin.

The project starts with the 111, an application-only free mint that serves as a sort of “council selection” for the project (it already started selecting members earlier this month).

0N1 Force felt like a classic case of 2021 before the original team left – overpromising and underdelivering. But it’s too early to tell how this will turn out, and this free mint requires only a little of your time.