The Department of Artistic freedom
We’ve made the first 100 badges available as inscriptions for the founding members of The Department of Artistic Freedom
Is art truly free? We would argue that galleries, contemporary museums, and even the web3 creative space still exclude most of the world due to the grip of postmodern philosophy over the past four decades. The point of the decentralised tools is to have diversity of thought as well as form.
There are over 200 philosophies, 4,300 religions, the STEM perspective, the working class, the dwindling middle class, stay-at-home moms, free speech activists, and countless others who remain largely underserved by the creative space. The cancel culture of the last decade has left the entire creative community on high alert about what can or cannot be said—what can or cannot be expressed.
The art world continues, for the most part, to act as though the internet didn’t arrive twenty years ago. The essence of web3 was meant to set this freedom in motion, but the early movement of crypto art—the first genuine avant-garde in a long time—was nearly washed away after the NFT boom. Once again, the same legacy art figures were imported as experts, precisely the ones we had hoped to break away from.
When COVID hit, comedians in Joe Rogan’s orbit fought back hard, while Hollywood and the gallery circuit went into complete lockdown. Now, comedians are thriving like never before, while the visual arts space has become a mere side note in cultural relevance. We want to change this and serve as a support network for those seeking to break free from this global straitjacket—for some of the most remarkable people on the planet. We, the artists, boldly declare everything free in the decentralised web, so the free market place of creative ideas can flourish. We can become, with web3 tools, as relevant to the global culture as they are, if we want it.
Who is VESA the founder?
VESA was among the first artists to enter the crypto space in 2016, tweeting on January 20th that he would be accepting Bitcoin for physical prints. His works have been collected by many OGs in the space, and he continues to advocate for artistic freedom for all.
VESA began creating phygital art in 2008, so he has been in the trenches for a long time, enduring a kind of silent cancellation from the early scene as he stood for freedom of speech during COVID and openly criticized the dominant postmodern ideology within art.
Read his 2017 News BTC article on postmodernism here
Read the fresh News BTC article on #FreeWeb3 through cliking the image below
The Manifesto:
We, the Department of Artistic Freedom, commit to a new era where the canvas of human expression is unbound by the chains of any monolithic ideology. Art, in its purest form, is a universal language that transcends the boundaries of philosophy, religion, class, and all other constructs that seek to define human experience.
Our mandate is clear: to protect and promote the freedom of artistic expression in all its forms. We recognize that for too long, the art world has been dominated by the singular narrative of postmodernism, which has, intentionally or not, marginalized other voices and perspectives. This manifesto declares that no single ideology shall monopolize the artistic landscape. Instead, we will foster an environment where:
Philosophical Pluralism is not only encouraged but celebrated. From existentialism to stoicism, all philosophical schools will find a home where their principles can inspire art.
Religious Diversity will be respected. Art will serve as a medium where the sacred and the secular can coexist, where every faith and tradition can contribute to the cultural tapestry without fear of suppression.
Class Inclusivity ensures that art is not the exclusive domain of the elite. We pledge to make art accessible and relevant to all classes, understanding that the working artist, the stay-at-home parent, and the laborer have stories worth telling.
Innovative Exploration from the primitive strokes of cave paintings to the vast digital landscapes of the metaverse, our commitment is to support artists in exploring every epoch of human creativity.
This Department will stand as a bulwark against the tyranny of any one artistic dogma, ensuring that no ideology can dictate what constitutes 'art'. We will actively work to dismantle barriers, celebrate diversity in artistic expression, and ensure that the future of art is as vibrant and varied as the human spirit itself. Let this manifesto be a beacon for artists everywhere, inviting them to create without limits, to express without censorship, and to inspire without boundaries.
What do you get?
The ordinal you are buying is your invitation to the club. To be a founding member of it.
We will start with some online events, where we start to put together ideas on what the collective will start to do, as well as what kinds of thins we will support. We will go by general law on the restrictions of speech in terms of not inciting to violence etc, but otherwise we won’t cancel you for expressing yourself outside of postmodern ideas.
