It’s been a while since a new generative art collection has genuinely piqued my interest, but Refik Anadol’s Winds of Yawanawa (WoY) has managed to do just that.
Emerging seemingly out of nowhere, this collection is not just eye-catching visually; it comes with an engaging backstory. DappPunk does a fantastic job of narrating the tale in his Twitter thread. In a nutshell:
Refik spent time with the Yawanawa tribe in the Amazon, gaining a deep appreciation for their unique art and forming meaningful connections with the local artists. Inspired, he gathered data from these artists as well as regional weather patterns to create what can only be described as AI-driven masterpieces—something he’s well-known for.
WoY stands out as one of Refik’s rare dynamic video artworks available for collecting. The work draws parallels to his Unsupervised piece (below), which was recently and permanently acquired by the Museum of Modern Art.
The more time I spend with WoY, the more captivated I become. It’s clear that Refik is a defining voice in the realms of AI and digital art. While it may be too early to deem WoY the “next Fidenza”, it is giving me similar vibes. There’s little doubt in my mind that it will accrue cultural value over the long term.
As of now, the collection is at a floor price of 6.5 ETH. I would keep watch on this.