Have you heard of Kevin Abosch’s neon artwork “YELLOW LAMBO” ?i No eh ? Well, it sold for $400`000ii to Skype COO Michael Jacksoniii in April of this year at the “If So, What?” art fair in San Fran.iv
This is obviously a completely preposterous sum for something so easily replicable improvable (and personalisable), and so to drive this point, like the wooden stake in Dracula’s heart, I’m unveiling my first commissioned artwork today : INNOCENT BEGINNINGS (2018).v
The hash is (a portion of) the TXID of my first-ever Bitcoin transaction, nearly six short years ago.
There’s still some patching and tidying of wires to be done in my garage-cum-art-gallery, but the personal manifestation of meaning that is this artwork – and all art patronage – is simply divine.
I could stare at its calming white glow all day, its discernable neon hum serenading me into meditative reflections on the incredibly blessed years gone by…vi
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Abosch’s work, a 10-foot-long yellow neon sculpture, is titled YELLOW LAMBO—a reference to #lambo, a phrase cryptocurrency traders use online to talk about chasing wealth. It features 42 illuminated alphanumeric characters that signify the contract address for a new crypto-token—called YLAMBO—created by the artist.
“YELLOW LAMBO…perfectly distills the emotionally charged activity of a particular group of cryptocurrency traders who use ‘#lambo’ as a declaration, not just for their desire to own such a fine motorcar, but as a way to communicate their own acknowledgement of how crazy the quest for crypto-billions has become,” said Abosch in a statement. “I use proxies as emotional distillates. If the Lamborghini is a symbol of success-identity, then the car itself is a proxy. The crypto-token YLAMBO is a proxy of a proxy. Finally, YELLOW LAMBO in all its neon splendor is yet another proxy—triple-distilled value.”
- USD$ 400k =~ 40 BTC at the time of the tx. ↩
- No, the “This Is It” artist didn’t Lazarus. Same name, different bloke. ↩
- Another related piece, showing just how en vogue neon is at the moment, is Andrea Galvani’s “Study on Amplituhedron” (2017). It’s 6500K neon, cobalt blue blown glass, and 210 × 255 × 8 cm.
- The commissioned artist was none other than Neil Martin, a second-generation neon artist and former musician who works out of his garage to deliver quality and craftsmanship that aren’t just good enough for me, they’re good enough for the Ghermezians (the mafioso-like Hasidic family that owns West Edmonton Mall). Neil was an absolute pleasure to work with — a true professional. ↩
- How fast they go! ↩