Writing
BATSOUPYUM
BY
MILK
Welcome to the first edition of VAULT, where we explore the vaults of notable collectors across the digital art space and spotlight the artists and artworks that make up their collections. This edition features BatSoupYum.
Welcome to the first edition of VAULT, where we explore the vaults of notable collectors across the digital art space and spotlight the artists and artworks that make up their collections. This edition features BatSoupYum.
@batsoupyum is known for his eclectic approach to collecting from various mediums including AI, photography, glitch, animation, illustration, and more. With a background in traditional finance, Bat joined the crypto space in 2016 in light of the shifting financial and political landscape in the US.
In 2020, he was introduced to NFTs through Shayne Coplan, the founder of Polymarket, where he collected his first digital artwork (Hashmask). He then joined the 6529 team with a mission for decentralization and disintermediation.
Bat's profile states "fight the power" and his collection reflects that sentiment through bold and purposeful works that don't shy away from challenging yet vital conversations around politics, racism, and self-sovereignty.
The overall 900+ piece collection consists of both historic art and 1/1s from an array of artists including underrepresented groups: women, artists of color, etc. The works below have been curated to showcase the vault.
@batsoupyum is known for his eclectic approach to collecting from various mediums including AI, photography, glitch, animation, illustration, and more. With a background in traditional finance, Bat joined the crypto space in 2016 in light of the shifting financial and political landscape in the US.
In 2020, he was introduced to NFTs through Shayne Coplan, the founder of Polymarket, where he collected his first digital artwork (Hashmask). He then joined the 6529 team with a mission for decentralization and disintermediation.
Bat's profile states "fight the power" and his collection reflects that sentiment through bold and purposeful works that don't shy away from challenging yet vital conversations around politics, racism, and self-sovereignty.
The overall 900+ piece collection consists of both historic art and 1/1s from an array of artists including underrepresented groups: women, artists of color, etc. The works below have been curated to showcase the vault.
The Early Bird Gets the Bitcoin
Trevor Jones is a Canadian artist who studied drawing, painting, and art history at Edinburgh College of Art and the University of Edinburgh. His practice combines classical techniques with emerging technologies such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and blockchain.
Trevor's creative approach often draws inspiration from the great masters of the Renaissance through to the 20th century—reframing their worlds through a contemporary lens; illuminating themes of cryptocurrency, innovation, technology, contemporary culture, spirituality, and politics.
The Early Bird Gets the Bitcoin explores a curious, self-forged construct named Sialia who emerged from the intertwining of copper threads and magnetic pulses within the void. One day, a golden coin appeared.
Drawn to the coin, Sialia fluttered close, his wings humming. As his talons grasped it, an unimaginable energy surged through him. The coin was not mere currency, it was a relic of transformation.
Black Circles, White Walls 89
siiid is an architect, digital artist, and metaverse builder blending retro-futurism with intricate architectural designs. His work explores nostalgia, sci-fi, and pop culture.
He's delved headfirst into art and the metaverse, mixing creativity with just the right amount of chaos. Every piece is a mix of vibes, pixels, and a little bit of "let's see what happens" with the purpose to create things that feel alive.
Black Circles, White Walls is a series of a hundred 1/1 orthographic artworks, created from his architectural designs over the past few years.
Black man in the museum
Pelin Ergün is a Stockholm–based illustrator turned digital artist who creates art that changes in context and format as she discovers the depths of new tools and technology.
Her work begins with a simple brush stroke, evolving into encrypted means of reality, developed using snapshots of images gathered from everyday life as a reference point—expressed through surreal motifs.
Black man in the museum was created as a dedication to BLM during the globally televised police brutality in America following the death of George Floyd. The piece depicts a black man in a museum, sitting naked in front of the painting of a slave family at a sugarcane plantation.
Nothing's Really Changed
Ray H. Mercado is a photographer and visual artist based in NYC, capturing surreal, narrative-based imagery of urban landscapes and cinematic street scenes. Long exposures and profiles are also constant throughout his work.
“I feel like peoples’ faces have a story; it drives me to pick up the camera and just capture them, the streets just take me places and the city speaks to me. I feel like I’m the pencil and the city is the canvas, I just draw with my eyes."
Nothing’s Really Changed is reminiscent of Ray’s time spent photographing civil rights protests in New York circa 2020. This scene conveys a powerful statement: despite all our advancements, we still struggle with the same social issues more than 50 years later.
BUBBLE
Borja Alegre is a Spanish painter turned 3D artist and motion designer who creates playful and engaging images for creative brands and studios. Borja enjoys defying what can or can’t exist while having fun with pushing the boundaries of reality with dreamlike, emotional and surreal works.
BUBBLE is a 3D loop animation created in cinema4D. The scene depicts a classic animate sedan taking a dip from the diving board of an abandoned motel pool during a hot summer day, with bubbles floating through the air.
We're The Big Boyz
Olasunkanmi is a digital artist exploring human emotion in all its colorful array, creating art from a perspective of what's felt, seen, and experienced. His illustrations are purposed with liberating the expression of feeling.
"Art may not shake or move, but sometimes art speaks louder than voice; every artwork has a word attached to it."
We're The Big Boyz with broad shoulders—they carry the weight of dreams and ambitions, never abate. They embark on adventures, fierce and grand, unyielding in their pursuits, hand in hand. Big boys strive to be brave and bold.
Rays
Cory Staudacher is a Seattle–based photographer who draws inspiration from simplicity and minimalism, creating visual moments of peace and joy.
Rays was one of Cory's most famous photos that was shot on iPhone for the Apple World Gallery.
This photo was displayed on billboards, web, magazines, etc. but he wanted the community to own one of the biggest moments of his life. Rays perfectly embodies Cory's photo style of peace and joy.
SPRAY CITY
Smog was raised in Paris, France where he found a love for drawing at the age of 4 years old. At the age of 13, he moved to Florida in the early 80's where he was introduced to Hip Hop culture and discovered graffiti art.
Over time Smog developed a 3D style of lettering and characters. He started painting canvas in the mid 90's and has continued to develop his style; now primarily focused on painting murals and canvases.
SPRAY CITY depicts a character in his groove, painting away in the city. This artwork is based on an original hand painted canvas by Smog One.
Nuclear Family
Patrick Amadon is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in digital art; merging digital media, graffiti, and code-based glitch work. As an artist, he uses his platform to challenge prevailing narratives and advocate for marginalized voices.
Known for his commitment to themes of anonymity, counterculture, and the defense of basic freedoms; his work is heavily influenced by his background in graffiti and street art. He continues to push boundaries within the digital art realm, striving for a more inclusive and equitable space for all artists.
Nuclear Family is a limited edition glitch artwork depicting the obliteration of the nuclear family: a household consisting of both parents and their children, typically living in a single home residence.
Beyond the Backboard 2
69 (420 Digits) is a pseudonymous digital artist creating AI + Art since 2015. In August 2024, 69420 garnered viral attention for using generative video to recreate Raygun's Olympic breakdancing performance.
Beyond the Backboard is a synthetic photography series generated from a custom dataset. These images were made to challenge our understanding of what's possible, inviting viewers to delve deeper into the perception of reality.
The Early Bird Gets the Bitcoin
Trevor Jones is a Canadian artist who studied drawing, painting, and art history at Edinburgh College of Art and the University of Edinburgh. His practice combines classical techniques with emerging technologies such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and blockchain.
Trevor's creative approach often draws inspiration from the great masters of the Renaissance through to the 20th century—reframing their worlds through a contemporary lens; illuminating themes of cryptocurrency, innovation, technology, contemporary culture, spirituality, and politics.
The Early Bird Gets the Bitcoin explores a curious, self-forged construct named Sialia who emerged from the intertwining of copper threads and magnetic pulses within the void. One day, a golden coin appeared.
Drawn to the coin, Sialia fluttered close, his wings humming. As his talons grasped it, an unimaginable energy surged through him. The coin was not mere currency, it was a relic of transformation.
Black Circles, White Walls 89
siiid is an architect, digital artist, and metaverse builder blending retro-futurism with intricate architectural designs. His work explores nostalgia, sci-fi, and pop culture.
He's delved headfirst into art and the metaverse, mixing creativity with just the right amount of chaos. Every piece is a mix of vibes, pixels, and a little bit of "let's see what happens" with the purpose to create things that feel alive.
Black Circles, White Walls is a series of a hundred 1/1 orthographic artworks, created from his architectural designs over the past few years.
Black man in the museum
Pelin Ergün is a Stockholm–based illustrator turned digital artist who creates art that changes in context and format as she discovers the depths of new tools and technology.
Her work begins with a simple brush stroke, evolving into encrypted means of reality, developed using snapshots of images gathered from everyday life as a reference point—expressed through surreal motifs.
Black man in the museum was created as a dedication to BLM during the globally televised police brutality in America following the death of George Floyd. The piece depicts a black man in a museum, sitting naked in front of the painting of a slave family at a sugarcane plantation.
Nothing's Really Changed
Ray H. Mercado is a photographer and visual artist based in NYC, capturing surreal, narrative-based imagery of urban landscapes and cinematic street scenes. Long exposures and profiles are also constant throughout his work.
“I feel like peoples’ faces have a story; it drives me to pick up the camera and just capture them, the streets just take me places and the city speaks to me. I feel like I’m the pencil and the city is the canvas, I just draw with my eyes."
Nothing’s Really Changed is reminiscent of Ray’s time spent photographing civil rights protests in New York circa 2020. This scene conveys a powerful statement: despite all our advancements, we still struggle with the same social issues more than 50 years later.
BUBBLE
Borja Alegre is a Spanish painter turned 3D artist and motion designer who creates playful and engaging images for creative brands and studios. Borja enjoys defying what can or can’t exist while having fun with pushing the boundaries of reality with dreamlike, emotional and surreal works.
BUBBLE is a 3D loop animation created in cinema4D. The scene depicts a classic animate sedan taking a dip from the diving board of an abandoned motel pool during a hot summer day, with bubbles floating through the air.
We're The Big Boyz
Olasunkanmi is a digital artist exploring human emotion in all its colorful array, creating art from a perspective of what's felt, seen, and experienced. His illustrations are purposed with liberating the expression of feeling.
"Art may not shake or move, but sometimes art speaks louder than voice; every artwork has a word attached to it."
We're The Big Boyz with broad shoulders—they carry the weight of dreams and ambitions, never abate. They embark on adventures, fierce and grand, unyielding in their pursuits, hand in hand. Big boys strive to be brave and bold.
Rays
Cory Staudacher is a Seattle–based photographer who draws inspiration from simplicity and minimalism, creating visual moments of peace and joy.
Rays was one of Cory's most famous photos that was shot on iPhone for the Apple World Gallery.
This photo was displayed on billboards, web, magazines, etc. but he wanted the community to own one of the biggest moments of his life. Rays perfectly embodies Cory's photo style of peace and joy.
SPRAY CITY
Smog was raised in Paris, France where he found a love for drawing at the age of 4 years old. At the age of 13, he moved to Florida in the early 80's where he was introduced to Hip Hop culture and discovered graffiti art.
Over time Smog developed a 3D style of lettering and characters. He started painting canvas in the mid 90's and has continued to develop his style; now primarily focused on painting murals and canvases.
SPRAY CITY depicts a character in his groove, painting away in the city. This artwork is based on an original hand painted canvas by Smog One.
Nuclear Family
Patrick Amadon is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in digital art; merging digital media, graffiti, and code-based glitch work. As an artist, he uses his platform to challenge prevailing narratives and advocate for marginalized voices.
Known for his commitment to themes of anonymity, counterculture, and the defense of basic freedoms; his work is heavily influenced by his background in graffiti and street art. He continues to push boundaries within the digital art realm, striving for a more inclusive and equitable space for all artists.
Nuclear Family is a limited edition glitch artwork depicting the obliteration of the nuclear family: a household consisting of both parents and their children, typically living in a single home residence.
Beyond the Backboard 2
69 (420 Digits) is a pseudonymous digital artist creating AI + Art since 2015. In August 2024, 69420 garnered viral attention for using generative video to recreate Raygun's Olympic breakdancing performance.
Beyond the Backboard is a synthetic photography series generated from a custom dataset. These images were made to challenge our understanding of what's possible, inviting viewers to delve deeper into the perception of reality.