Aorist launches MVP (Most Valuable Painting) Visual Arts

Launching at London’s W1 Curates from April 4 to 17, 2022, 512 digital paintings are on view across 36 outdoor screens on the heart of London’s Oxford Street. The series will be released for sale on the Aorist marketplace from April 11 and culminates in a final presentation in Venice, timed with the preview days of the 59th Biennale di Venezia (April 20 to 22, 2022).

Questioning how we define the meaning of value in contemporary art across aesthetics, sales, engagement, and influence, the MVP series consists of 512 individual digital paintings that evolve and transform based on public reception until they are acquired. Once an MVP is sold and minted as an NFT, the visual properties of that work will determine the aesthetic evolution of the remaining works, which slowly optimize their features and composition to mimic the characteristics of the more ‘desirable’ paintings.

Each MVP’s aesthetic outcome is determined by a fitness algorithm that tracks a range of factors, including each individual MVP’s performance in terms of likability and attention-grabbing potential, and considerations such as ‘likes,’ clicks, and user engagement. The series culminates with The Most Valuable Painting, which is ultimately influenced by the sales of the previous 511 MVPs; the last painting sold holds all the aesthetic value determined by viewer and collector preference.

The series will live online at MVP.Art before being released for sale on the Aorist marketplace. Users can purchase one or multiple MVPs by entering into a draw. Winning participants will be allocated a time slot to select their MVP from the full ‘Generation’ that is currently live. Each draw will increase in price based on a pre-determined pricing structure, meaning that MVPs increase in value the closer you get to The Most Valuable Painting. Upon selection, the MVP will be minted as an NFT and stored on the Algorand blockchain, detailing its unique properties, evolution history, and a video of the work’s digital ‘journey’.

Lund’s project alludes to the consequence of quantifying value and how the art world and the new digital ecosystem create a unified sense of value when, in actuality, the value of an artwork is a complex interrelation of ever-changing factors alongside the subjective aesthetic tastes of the viewer.

The series extends Lund’s 2014 series VIP (Viewer Improved Painting), a self-optimizing digital painting shown at the Whitechapel Gallery, London in 2016. His artistic practice involves creating systems and setting up parameters that often require viewer engagement. This results in performative artworks where tasks are executed according to algorithms or a set of rules. Through his works, Lund investigates the latest issues generated by the increasing digitalization of contemporary society.

Artist Jonas Lund comments, “The work not only considers how we define the ‘value’ of an artwork but also exposes the often-brutal commerciality of the art world and the expanding NFT-sphere. When an artwork is only championed in line with its sales merit, there will only be “victory art” or “bad art” - no engagement or critique in between.”

Aorist’s Founder, and pioneering collector in the digital art realm, Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile, says, “The algorithm and code developed by Lund, the participatory nature of the community, and the human interaction required to impact the aesthetics of the work make MVP one of the most significant and complex generative projects of our time.”

Aorist co-founder and cultural strategist Ximena Caminos’ comments, “Aesthetic value plays a fundamental role in almost all of Earth’s ecosystems and shapes the way in which living beings interact with their surroundings. Jonas Lund’s MVP reflects on reciprocal systemic relationships by manipulating aesthetics to affect behavior and vice versa. In a climate change dystopia, environmental conditions might change aesthetic encounters with nature too; how we relate to these deteriorating environments is then not only a moral issue but also an aesthetic one, in which the art world has an important part to play.”

Alongside the unveiling of Jonas Lund’s Most Valuable Painting, Aorist will also present a decentralized showcase in Venice, including an immersive installation by Rafaël Rozendaal within the Navy Officers Club and a new project with DRIFT in collaboration with Ocean Space. More information will follow in the upcoming weeks.

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About Aorist
Aorist is a next-generation cultural institution bridging the digital and physical domains while supporting a climate-forward NFT platform for artists creating at the edge of art and technology.

Through cross-disciplinary cultural programs, artist commissions, immersive installations, and global partnerships, Aorist provides a platform for artists, collectors, and enthusiasts to explore and appreciate cutting-edge art.

Aorist Leverages web3 technology to offer advanced tools for artists to push the limits of their creative practice while protecting principles of ownership, authenticity, and social capital. Powered by Algorand, the first Pure Proof of Stake Blockchain, and partnering with ClimateTrade to offset carbon emissions, Aorist minimizes environmental impact while promoting blockchain sustainability.

Aorist is founded by Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile, a trailblazer, patron, and innovator in the NFT ecosystem; creative place-maker, cultural strategist, and curator Ximena Caminos; and Andrea Bonaceto, an artist and entrepreneur.

About Jonas Lund
Jonas Lund (b. 1984) began his artistic career in 2012 with a residency at Eyebeam, the New York-based technology center. He is revered for his conceptual art, combining cutting-edge digital technology with critical commentary on contemporary networking systems and power structures.

His work ranges from politically engaged installations that challenge institutions by commenting on the faults of the art market, especially concerning the common practice of ‘flipping art.’ An example of Lund’s political engagement was his recent controversial exhibition at The Photographer’s Gallery in London (2019), titled Operation Earnest Voice, which aimed to reverse the decision of Brexit in England.

In 2018, Lund launched his cryptocurrency named the Jonas Lund Token, which functions as a platform for ‘voting shares’ in his artistic practice. This collaborative process gave birth to a new art form coined as ‘performance art capitalism’ by journalist Sophie Haigney in the New York Times. Lund’s engaging work has been displayed internationally in galleries such as Galleria Bianconi in Milan, the Whitechapel Gallery in London, and the New Museum in New York.

About W1 Curates
W1 Curates brings powerful art to the people. At the heart of London’s iconic Oxford Street, they transformed the exterior of Flannels London Flagship store into an extraordinary public exhibition. Using state-of-the-art technology, they exhibit the best art with digital prowess and unmissable innovation. They believe that art has the power to change the world. Working with artists and NGOs to drive consumer consciousness away from the high street and towards the issues that really matter. Art has the power to improve lives. “Giving everyone the opportunity to experience art, to access it right on the high street - amid all the noise of city life, it provides this little oasis. We bring art to the people, we open those doors, and who knows where that could take them?” Mark Dale, Founder.

Notes to Editors
Title: Jonas Lund - MVP (Most Valuable Painting)
On view at W1 Curates: April 4 to 17, 2022
Available to purchase online: from April 11, 2022
On view at Venice: April 20 to 22, 2022

Address: W1 Curates, London
161, 167 Oxford St, London W1D 2JP
aorist.art / MVP.Art
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