Thread by Cooper Da Yung OG
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- Jan 18, 2023
- #DigitalArt #Non-FungibleToken
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Who is @stellabelle
a creative commons cryptoartist, writer and metaverse architect using dark comedy and bright colors to capture the socioeconomic zeitgeist of early blockchain developments with digital paintings and gifs expressing surreal, absurdist and trash art aesthetics.
a creative commons cryptoartist, writer and metaverse architect using dark comedy and bright colors to capture the socioeconomic zeitgeist of early blockchain developments with digital paintings and gifs expressing surreal, absurdist and trash art aesthetics.
Stella is the founder of the cryptoartist collective @iamslothicorn, creator of the satirical PFP project @cryptostellas, and author of the book “Un-Crap Your Life: Navigating Life's Crappiest Situations.” She was introduced to crypto in 2016 and began minting NFTs in 2020 
“I’ve been doing art and weird experiments most of my life...I was an impoverished creator/intellectual. I exemplified the idea rich, but cash poor type of individual.” Seeing people receive cryptocurrency for writing on Steemit in 2016, quickly shifted Stella's circumstances. 
Stella saw the misaligned incentives in the corporate world. She recognized the importance of decentralized systems treating contributors like stakeholders. And so she made @iamslothicorn to pay artists for making creative commons cryptoart - long before the current cc0 trend 
"Slothicorn is part of the Open Source and Creative Commons movements. Slothicorn belongs to everyone and no one. Slothicorn may look cute, but its claws are symbolic of the memory of fraud that the bankers and predatory lenders committed during the recession of 2008." 
Automatic drawing during math class in college evolved into releasing cryptoart decades later first with 1/1 work and now @cryptostellas
“I know I’m slower than most people…but I’m committed...And that commitment creates a situation where not many people can compete with that”
“I know I’m slower than most people…but I’m committed...And that commitment creates a situation where not many people can compete with that”
The commitment includes shipping specially engraved chocolate bars to collectors, crafting puzzles, sticker machines, building metaverse worlds, and making a litany of meme videos. She is even dedicated to implementing a “scratch & sniff” element to one of her latest collections 
The collection @cryptostellas, is an ongoing series of 777 digitally hand-painted satirical “PFPs” inspired by the greed and mediocrity of the 2021 NFT craze. They use art to tokenize current events & history of the blockchain - exalting the saints, and rebuking the sinners 
Subjects range wildly from eccentric internet icons like John McAfee to powerful women like Angela Davis, emerging influencers, memes, scam artists & cryptoart royalty. Each emblazoned with Stella’s signature touch, housed in ornate gilded frames often with an accompanying essay. 
Stella is also one of the premier metaverse architects, having created several memorable, interactive exhibitions in the virtual world, Cryptovoxels with topics ranging from Frida Khalo to the war in Ukraine. Often accompanied by hand crafted, unique metaverse gear and swag. 
The historic F*ck Wall Street show in 2021 was inspired by the 2008 financial crash + emergence of crypto shortly thereafter and showcased art from @ScrillaVentura @josiebellini @TheMarjan @pascalboyart @ROBNESSOFFICIAL @theAngieTaylor @Lambieartist @missalsimpson @money_alotta 
Stella is often simply a conduit transmitting messages through her art - heavily driven by flow states, impulses and hallucinations that she brings to life. Other times, the work is deeply personal, drawing from intimate relationships and her catalogue raisonné of life experience 
Stella cites Nikola Tesla as her main influence – imbuing the spirit of invention and trying new things. On the artist side, she takes inspiration from Salvador Dali, Leonor Fini, Frida Khalo, and Banksy as well as comedians like Mr. Bean, James Thurber, and memes in crypto 
Stella disregards the standards of "fine art" and traditional marketing while happily embracing aesthetics of outsider art, dadaism and trash art - a key motif in early cryptoart.
“Collecting the collectors”, she says; often carefully curating a home for each piece of art.
“Collecting the collectors”, she says; often carefully curating a home for each piece of art.
Unlike many artists in the space, Stella has a wealth of life experience to draw from and is a seasoned professional in volatility of emerging tech. “It’s not risky, it’s what I’ve been doing for 5 years”
The meta analyses in her art are akin to sacred texts of the digital realm
The meta analyses in her art are akin to sacred texts of the digital realm
History may very well see Stella as a visionary. It's equally likely that people scratch their heads and repeat the phrase attributed to all eccentric women: “she’s crazy”. Regardless, she's one of the preeminent stewards of digital art, crypto history and pure imagination today. 
If you seek provocative art and have the patience to learn the story behind the work, Stellabelle’s constant evolution as a content creator is a journey you don’t want to miss. It is raw and uncut – a look at snapshots of the past and the beating heart of an artist in real time. 
We had the pleasure of sitting down with @stellabelle last year on "In It For The Art" to speak more about her art practice and the relationships with collectors that have emerged as a result. Listen here:
anchor.fm/init-fortheart/episodes/Episode-3-Stellabelle--Pat-Dimitri-e1q1tcl/a-a8pil91
anchor.fm/init-fortheart/episodes/Episode-3-Stellabelle--Pat-Dimitri-e1q1tcl/a-a8pil91
