TIME TO BE HAPPY: GMONEY COLLECTION
Gmoney presents Time To Be Happy 00:01
By Benzi / Art Basel 2022
Benzi’s Time To Be Happy 00:01 transforms physical, antique timepieces into futuristic art in a never-before seen collaboration of artists and web3 innovators. Curated by gmoney, seven 1-of-1 physical pieces with corresponding NFTs PRESENTED at Scope ART FAIR / ART BASEL 2022. The base structures are antique punch-in/out clocks, transformed to display digital art by Benzi. Each of these is then iconically restyled by 7 renowned artists - Jen Stark, Jake Fried, Micah Johnson, Ron English, Bryan Brinkman, Jack Butcher, and Swoon - each telling their stories of artistry, journey, and inspiration. Tastemakers Superchief Gallery and Swan Sit serve as advisors. #TimeToBeHappyArt
As the digital art world awakens through NFTs, artists of all kinds will mix and bend mediums to express creativity in ways never before thought possible. Time to Be Happy 00:01 is proud to be one of the pioneers in this new space, showcasing the collaborations of old and new into what is possible. Collectors have the rare opportunity to own a physical piece and a digital authenticated asset, collaboratively made by some of the most relevant artists of our time.
Time To Be Happy 00:01 delivers a simple message: happiness lives outside of time and space.
The Team
Curator: gmoney
gmoney is a renowned NFT cultural thought leader, educator, and community authority, known for sporting his iconic orange beanie CryptoPunk. An investor with 15+ years of experience primarily in the traditional finance sector. A futurist who used his time during the pandemic as a catalyst to understand blockchain technologies, capitalizing on them, which elevated him as a thought leader in the space. gmoney is one of the largest collectors of NFTs in the world and has one of the most prized collections. He sold Visa and Galaxy Digital the CryptoPunks they purchased for their collections and was listed in the inaugural list of Fortune’s NFTy 50 of the 50 most influential people in NFT’s.
Project Creator: Benzi
Originally known for being the co-founder of Baked by Melissa cupcakes, Benzi has found his true calling in the creative realm. Benzi, is a video artist who designs and restores physical objects, and then transforms them into modern-day digital to present his work. His collection Time to Be Happy is a reflection of his life living philosophy, past and future is always now. Benzi true passion is filming artists of all kinds, over 300 to date. In this collection Time to be Happy 00:01, he combines both passions and integrates artists’ stories into his physical-digital pieces.
Artists
Jen Stark - Jen Stark’s art is driven by her interest in conceptualizing visual systems to simulate plant growth, evolution, infinity, fractals, mimetic topographies, and sacred geometries. Using available materials—paper, wood, metal, paint—Stark strives to make work that balances on a razor’s edge of optical seduction and perceptual engagement. In recent years, Stark has introduced new technologies into her diverse practice, delving into the digital realm of interactive projections and distinctive NFTs.
Jake Fried - Using ink and white-out to generate hallucinatory vistas, Jake Fried repeatedly modifies and records his images to create mind-bending animations. Fried's films have been exhibited at the Tate Modern and Sundance Film Festival, and his work has been commissioned by Adult Swim, Netflix, and numerous art galleries around the world.
Micah Johnson - Micah is a figurative artist who uses strong gestural lines combined with loose brush strokes to create dramatic portraits primarily featuring African-American children. These subjects, which are often inspired by his young nephews, began appearing in Micah’s work ever since he overheard his 4-year old nephew ask his mother a deeply disturbing question, “Mom, can astronauts be black?”
Ron English - One of the most prolific and recognizable artists alive today, New York-based painter, street artist and designer Ron English has bombed the global landscape with unforgettable images across all categories of culture, history and art. As a fine art painter enjoying gallery and museum representation worldwide, Mr. English is well-known for his stunning oil technique and inventive use of color.
Bryan Brinkman - Bryan Brinkman is an award-winning multimedia artist who utilizes his career in animation and motion graphics to create fun and playful works about the crypto-verse. Using a variety of digital tools, he creates fun and inventive ways to convey ideas that are both approachable and appealing.
Jack Butcher - Hi I'm Jack. I spent 10 years working in Fortune 100 advertising in NYC as a designer, writer, strategist and art director for multi-billion dollar brands. Fun, but the opposite of freedom.So, in search of freedom, I started my own advertising agency. No fun, and even less freedom. After two years of iteration, I figured out how to transition to highly-specialized (and fun) consulting, and a product business that serves 6,000 people around the world. The insight behind this transition? Productizing myself. Visualize Value is the product of that transition, a project I've used to build a network of mentors, a $1M/year product business, and a media platform with an audience of over 700,000 people. If you'd have told me this story 18 months ago, I wouldn't have believed you. Now I spend all of my time making things that make it easier to learn, teach, build, and sell.
Swoon - Caledonia Curry, known as Swoon, is a contemporary artist and filmmaker recognized around the world for her pioneering vision of public artwork.Through intimate portraits, immersive installations and multi-year community based projects, she has spent over 20 years exploring the depths of human complexity by mobilizing her artwork to fundamentally re-envision the communities we live in toward a more just and equitable world. She is best known as one of the first women Street Artists to gain international recognition in a male-dominated field, pushing the conceptual limits of the genre and paving the way for a generation of women Street Artists.
Advisor: Superchief
Superchief opened their first digital art gallery in Soho, New York 2016. This space focused entirely on digital-native artists as a way to establish digital artwork as a legitimate voice in the art scene & discourse. In March 2021, Superchief Gallery NFT officially opened the world's first physical IRL NFT gallery in New York.
Advisor: Swan Sit
From corporate to creator, Swan Sit was the Global Head of Digital Marketing at Nike, Estée Lauder, and Revlon. She's now a creator with 3.7 million followers, with Forbes dubbing her "the Queen of Clubhouse." She advises on the strategy and marketing of Web3 and has worked with dozens of projects including Adidas x Bored Ape Yacht Club, BFF, and Cool Cats NFTs, as well as several platforms and technologies. Swan is one of the most sought-after speakers, specializing in helping traditional companies enter Web3 and helping Web3 projects scale. Swan was selected as one of Entrepreneur Magazine's 100 Women of Impact, NFT Now’s Top 100, and Brand Innovators' 40 under 40, and Marketing Woman to Watch.
