In the early hours of May 31st, digital artist Nina Chanel Abney’s “Super Punk World” NFT series completed an airdrop and was made available for trading on Magic Eden. The series consisted of 500 randomly airdropped NFTs, which were given for free to holders of her first PFP NFT series, “Super CoolWorld”. As of 10 AM on May 31st, the floor price for the Super Punk World series was 0.85 ETH, and there were a total of 470 owners.
Originally, “Super Punk World” was highly anticipated by the community as a project based on the CryptoPunks series and developed in collaboration with the official team. However, due to the controversy it sparked, it had to be separated from CryptoPunks, with only its name retaining a trace of punk.
In February of this year, Yuga Labs launched the “Punk in Residence” artist residency program. The program aims to promote innovation and expression in digital art and seeks to embrace and amplify the voices of the next generation of artists and collectors in the web3 space. The participating artists in the “Punk in Residence” program will engage in artistic experimentation and creation centered around the question, “What does punk mean to you?”.
Yuga Labs also announced that Nina Chanel Abney would be the first artist to participate in the program and gifted her with Punk #72. This PFP later became her Twitter avatar and has been used ever since. Abney is known for her exploration of identity in her art, which touches on various themes such as race, gender, popular culture, sex, and politics. In the digital art world, Abney is best known for her “Super CoolWorld” NFT series, which was launched in July 2022. This PFP series consists of 5080 NFTs and employs vibrant colors and collage-like techniques in its design. As of May 31st, the total trading volume for the series has surpassed 9100 ETH, with a floor price of around 0.1 ETH.
Initially, the plan to create digital art using the CryptoPunks IP did not receive much attention or discussion from the public, and the community mostly expressed support and approval. As a leading blue-chip NFT, there were high expectations within the community for the first collaboration between an artist and the CryptoPunks IP. When CryptoPunks revealed the Super Punk World series in mid-May, they stated that it utilized 3D media to re-imagine the viewing experience of Abney’s art from a punk perspective, further raising expectations.
However, when Abney returned after more than three months with works that fused her unique personal style with CryptoPunks’ features, the entire NFT community exploded with discussion, especially among CryptoPunks holders, who overwhelmingly mocked and criticized the series.
On May 21st, CryptoPunks officially unveiled the true face of the Super Punk World series with a video showcasing several NFTs from the series. In terms of artistic concept, CryptoPunks stated that the series blurred the boundaries of race and gender, reflecting the identities of the virtual and real worlds. When community members, who had been eagerly anticipating the series, saw the paper figures with distinct appearances and unconventional outfits spinning in place with only curves on their buttocks, they felt like they had been doused with cold water. Onlookers who had come out of curiosity couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably.
Apart from lacking sincerity in the design of the artworks and having an artistic style that is difficult for the general public to accept, the artistic concept and values of Super Punk World are also unacceptable to many “old punks” who criticize the series for being too “woke”.
The term “woke” originally referred to a high level of awareness and concern for social injustices, describing people who are highly sensitive to issues such as racism, gender discrimination, LGBTQ+ rights, and other minority rights. However, due to its overuse and misinterpretation, it is now used to criticize others for being excessively politically correct. The most notable characteristic of the punk spirit is rebellion and anti-authority, emphasizing unrestricted freedom and independence. Those who believe in punk culture often question and challenge social and political authorities, opposing mainstream culture and traditional values. Therefore, adhering to this politically correct approach of blurring racial and gender boundaries is not very punk.
Due to the aforementioned reasons, Super Punk World not only dilutes the original value of CryptoPunks but also has the potential to undermine the most important cultural concepts and core of the punk IP. The community was infuriated, and some CryptoPunks holders even dumped their holdings after the information about Super Punk World was released in the Netherlands. Sensing the negative sentiment, CryptoPunks immediately canceled the Dutch auction for Super Punk World and instead conducted a random airdrop to holders of Abney’s original work, Super Cool World. Yuga Labs also solemnly declared that they would no longer be involved with CryptoPunks and that it would be completely decentralized and stored on the blockchain. CryptoPunks did not release any further information about the Super Punk World series and handed over the project to Yuga Labs.
In reality, Nina Chanel Abney has long been a well-regarded artist, and the slightly rough and rudimentary artistic style of Super Punk World fully embodies the characteristics of both CryptoPunks and Super Cool World. The controversy surrounding her exploration of CryptoPunks is perhaps more due to a lack of effective communication with the community. In today’s rapidly evolving PFP art landscape, the standards and expectations of the community are becoming increasingly high. Additionally, Yuga Labs may have made some marketing missteps.
After the hype of the NFT boom subsided, the NFT market entered a bear market. OpenSea, once the top marketplace, has seen a decline in users from 187,000 in June 2022 to less than 10,000 today. The market value of a memecoin newcomer, PEPE, has already surpassed the combined market value of the top 30 NFT projects.
After going through a period of ups and downs, only the remaining blue-chip NFTs are considered precious gems. The damage caused to brands by the Azuki Elementals incident last year and the criticism faced by CryptoPunks this time demonstrate that adhering too strictly to conventions and lack of innovative ideas are both difficult to be accepted by the community. For these premium NFT series, project teams may have to treat them as cultural heritage, fully decentralize them, and preserve them on the blockchain. For these blue-chip projects, choosing to remain static in the exploration of the NFT field is not only a choice but also their dilemma.
