Artist name: Grant Riven Yun
Location: Milwaukee
Date minted first NFT: Feb. 3, 2021
Which blockchains? Ethereum, Counterparty (Bitcoin)
Who is he?
Grant Yun has always been an artist at heart with an early aspiration to have his work featured at a major auction house. A curious and motivated individual, Yun is studying medicine while juggling his work as an artist and performing as a breakdancer who has competed all over the United States.
Since discovering NFTs a little over two years ago, the Wisconsin resident has propelled his art and personal brand into the stratosphere much quicker than he’d imagined. With a minimalist style that elicits nostalgic vibes among collectors and his witty personality on Twitter, Yun is slicing out a significant percentage of mindshare amongst digital art fans.
“Before NFTs, I told myself I would become an artist who sells at a large auction house one day because, at the time, that was my only metric through which I knew what it meant to be a successful artist. I had no experience being an artist overall, so that was the only metric I had to measure.”
He reached the metric in October 2022:
“Having my work be put up at Sotheby’s was surreal. I think the most pivotal moment for me was when I signed the contract… It just felt like such a monumental moment.”
Yun paid homage to NFTs as the accelerant that helped him achieve what might otherwise have taken a decade.
“It’s honestly been surreal. I think that the growth of artists in this space is hyper accelerated. To have achieved what I’ve achieved shouldn’t happen within a decade. For me, it happened within two years of me joining the space. But, here we are.”
“Special Delivery, 2022” was put up for sale at Sotheby’s as part of the Xperience Digital Art Auction. Source: Sotheby’s
Personal style
Describing his own distinct style, Yun acknowledges the impact of simplicity to evoke memories and the impact of old school video games.
“I…
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