Florentijn Hofman's NFT Artwork To Be Launched by ARKPIA

ARKPIA, a Global NFT Brand, to Announce First Lineup Including Six Iconic Artists

• The NFT brand ARKPIA's lineup, comprised of renowned artists from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the U.S., Israel and Korea will launch its first NFT in July
• ARKPIA plans to release NFT pieces that put artists front and center, marrying artistic values with the digital age

SEOUL, South Korea, July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ARKPIA, a global Non-Fungible Token (NFT) brand, has unveiled the artist lineup for its first project. The lineup is comprised of six acclaimed artists from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the U.S., Israel, and Korea including Florentijn Hofman, Sarah Beetson, Gabriel Hollington, Ben Ouaniche, Charles Jang and Byoung-gil Jung. The first NFT artwork is set to be released in July. In addition, a graffiti artist from France with over one million followers on social media and a world-renowned U.S. pop artist are also scheduled to meet NFT collectors from all around the globe via ARKPIA.  

The name ARKPIA is a combination of the words Ark and Utopia. It symbolizes the company's desire for artists and art lovers around the world to embark on a journey together, boarding a figurative ark towards a new kind of digital utopia. ARKPIA's strategy is to differentiate their digital art from tech-developer-based NFTs by creating a global network jointly with artists and releasing NFTs from a wide array of genres.

"I've long thought about ways to recreate artworks in digital forms and to bring offline collectors and Generation Z together in a digital ecosystem to spread the fundamental value of art," said Yohan Choi, CEO and Creative Director of ARKPIA. "With this in mind, I decided on Authentic and Friendly as ARKPIA's core values. ARKPIA is tirelessly working on ways to represent the worldview, story and philosophy of a piece of art from the artist's point of view. However, we are also striving for more and more people to feel, understand and possess the value of art. Through ongoing collaborations with global artists, I believe ARKPIA can set a course and a standard for how art will progress in this continually expanding Web3 ecosystem."

"When I got the offer to join the ARKPIA project, I was curious," said Florentijn Hofman, who gained global recognition for his giant, floating Rubber Duck pieces. "It caused me to feel a desire to show my art in a space that is new and unfamiliar to the public. I think many people will be inspired by NFT art and become interested in getting creative."

"This is the ideal time for artists to gain recognition in the digital world through NFT art, which is uncharted territory, filled with infinite possibilities and is the best medium for it. I've been asked to participate in many projects, but I felt ARKPIA was the optimal choice," said Sarah Beeston, a world-renowned illustrator.

"The project presented by ARKPIA is the next evolutionary stage on from the offline dealing of art," said illustrator Gabriel Hollington, who enjoys widespread popularity among the Millennial and Generation Z (MZ) generation. "It also provides a really beneficial working environment for artists. The future of NFTs looks bright. It's not just global brands collaborating. Big companies are actively participating too."

The first NFT artwork, planned for unveiling in July, has been created by pop artist Charles Jang and is titled Happy Ever After Circle. The artwork is based on Charles Jang's signature character, Happy Heart, an icon of irresistible positivity that has been reimagined in 3D form by ARKPIA. Allow mint listing is scheduled to go live at 9 AM on July 19 ET, including a 30 percent discount offer. An open run for the artwork will soon follow at 9 AM on July 21 ET, followed by public minting at 9 AM on July 22 ET. "I've decided to launch my NFT artwork through ARKPIA because ARKPIA has shown a high level of respect for, and consideration of, artists," said Jang. "I expect tremendous growth in the NFT art market and I hope I can spread limitless positive energy throughout the world with our 3D Happy Heart."

ARKPIA plans to launch its brand in major U.S. NFT marketplaces. The contributing artists are described below and represent various nationalities including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the U.S., Israel and Korea.

• Florentijn Hofman

Florentijn Hofman is a public artist who gained international popularity for his displays in major cities across the U.S., Asia, and Australia, as well as key locations such as Seoul, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Sydney, Beijing, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam. His recognition as a global artist came about through his much-loved city installations including Rubber Duck and Hippopo Thames.

• Sarah Beetson

Sarah Beetson is a world-renowned illustrator and fine art artist who was selected as one of Saatchi Art's Emerging Artists. She has collaborated with fashion brands that include Stella McCartney, Diesel, Clarks and Gerber as well as other brands such as MAC, IKEA and the Ford Motor Company.

• Gabriel Hollington

Gabriel Hollington is an illustrator who has become highly popular with the fashion-crazy MZ generation through his collaboration with VANS and Nickelodeon. He has developed a bright, bold style and has ongoing collaborations with the New York Times, the Washington Post and the New Yorker.

• Ben Ouaniche

Ben Ouaniche is a global visual artist from Israel and is the lead director for Macro Room. He served as spokesmodel and director for Korea's Samjin Pharmaceutical's Geworin pain medication TV advertisement and has collaborated with global brands such as Coca-Cola, Netflix, Google, Bayer, Hennessy and McDonalds. 

•  Charles Jang

Charles Jang is South Korea's leading pop artist. His main work, the Happy Heart Series, has been incorporated in collaborations with Samsung, bakery brand Tous Les Jours, Samsonite, Montblanc and many more. On July 19, he plans to unveil his work on the world's number one NFT trading platform OpenSea.

• Byoung-gil Jung

Byoung-gil Jung is a writer and director from South Korea who is regarded in Hollywood as a master of the action thriller genre for his films such as The Villainess and Confession of Murder. In particular, John Wick: Chapter 3 pays homage to the action sequences of The Villainess. On August 5, he will again demonstrate the essence of the Korean action movie style through his new film Carter, to be streamed on Netflix.

ARKPIA is a creative brand reinventing the artistic value of world-renowned artists into digital art forms with the aim of offering an open art world to anyone around the globe. It provides a platform that will grow into not only a community where authentic artwork can be readily shared with people from all over the globe, but also a space where art collectors and artists alike can enjoy a spiritually abundant life. Furthermore, it has successfully secured investment from Korea Investment & Securities, the leading financial institution in Asia, and Neowiz, one of the global major game developers. 

ARKPIA Website: http://www.arkpia.com
ARKPIA Discord: https://discord.gg/arkpia
ARKPIA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkpia
ARKPIA Twitter: https://twitter.com/arkpia
ARKPIA Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/arkpia

Media Inquiries

ARKPIA

Younsu Kim, VP/Executive PR Director: [email protected]

Edelman Korea

Heejun Koh, Senior Director: [email protected]
Shirley Zhao, Senior Supervisor: [email protected]

SOURCE ARKPIA