Web3 Liberation from Postmodernism’s Stranglehold: The Artwork Renaissance
By VESA
Postmodernism isn’t simply an artwork subject—it’s in all places. This single, pervasive philosophy has seeped into huge tech, firms, laws, media, and practically each main establishment, usually strangling real creativity, range of thought, and depth. For comparability, there are round 200 different philosophies, 4,300 religions, the male perspective, homemaker mothers, the working class, the diminishing center class, the scientific paradigm, and way more which are neglected of gallery circles just because they don’t match the dominant narrative, which paradoxically claims to be the one which’s repressed. It’s actually a luxury belief for the trendy aristocracy—a device for management—and the Marxist roots at all times emerge when strain is utilized.
Postmodernism’s defining trait is deconstruction, pulling aside ideas and beliefs with out ever providing a cohesive path ahead. It’s a round maze that retains doubling again on itself, producing more and more weird conclusions to resolve the very issues it creates. Actual options lie in increasing the sector of view past this single body, embracing a range of philosophies, religions, and views which have grounded humanity for millennia. The true energy of Web3 lies in its skill to do exactly that: to interrupt artwork and tradition out of this one-note narrative, empowering creators and thinkers alike to discover past the bounds imposed by postmodernism.
That is what we missed within the first run of NFT’s importing the identical postmodern consultants from the realm we have been making an attempt to interrupt free from. That and a few higher tech options for sustainable artwork, as a number of the falling platforms have confirmed.
We first had a real avant-garde scene, which was then shortly eroded by the tens of millions upon tens of millions showered on end-stage postmodern expressions, championed by individuals who both (a) didn’t notice how drained all of it was or (b) have been closely financially and ideologically incentivized to assist it.
Humorous, not humorous
It seems that holding contempt for concepts and their significance implies that, again and again, the working class finally ends up being dominated by them. Whereas I perceive why that is amusing to some, I see what number of at the moment are disillusioned, because the humanities have been overtaken by a single, monolithic ideology. Equally, the U.S. intelligentsia’s “flyover states” disdain is now going through a reckoning with the MAGA hat in a really completely different manner after 40 years of indulging in postmodern concepts and scorn. The underbelly of the speech in A Bug’s Life is surfacing, too.
You may’t solely summarise postmodernism to be woke and Marxist, however you aren’t far off. In case you wish to hear the foundations, Steven Hicks has an excellent evaluation and abstract of it. You may need to spend 3hrs to avoid wasting your life & group to get it, so it’s not that lengthy, actually ⚡️
Part I – Philosophy foundations
Part II – Relevance now
For 5 lengthy a long time, postmodernism has held artwork in a chokehold, implementing its slender, usually cynical, view of actuality. Artwork grew to become a mirrored image of society’s fragmentation, alienation, and obsession with irony—what I name the “postmodern monolithic rule.” Whereas postmodernism initially sought to problem established norms, it has since turn out to be the brand new institution, dictating an more and more restrictive narrative. The artwork world below postmodernism has marginalised real exploration, profound magnificence, and common human truths.
That is the place Web3 steps in, not simply as a technological shift however as a liberation entrance for inventive expression. That was the purpose. Not simply monetising what ever, however to really set tradition free. Web3 permits artists to interrupt out from the centralised grip of conventional galleries and critics, unleashing a decentralized platform the place new concepts can flourish – nevertheless this implies the scene has to assist that, as an alternative of the subsequent duck tape banana or drooling ape AI pic.
By NFTs and blockchain, creators can lastly bypass the gatekeepers, reaching audiences immediately and letting their artwork converse unfiltered. It’s the anti-postmodern period we’ve been ready for—one which values authenticity, braveness, and depth over calculated irony and shallow critique. The liberty to discover and create in as huge a manner because the web has already guided us to be for the previous twenty years.
What’s the Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. From paradise to hell, the lesson path is obvious ultimately stage. These aren’t simply imaginative nightmares. They’re warnings about human nature — and what a world with out faith is like. Really feel acquainted a bit? The twet hyperlink will clarify it additional.
Outdoors the restrictive body of postmodernism lies a wealthy expanse of inventive traditions and narratives that we’ve been lacking out on. Think about a return to the timeless pursuits of magnificence, concord, and spirituality, merged with the developments of digital expertise. Artwork that celebrates connection, transcendence, and human potential. Web3 provides the instruments to convey these visions to life, and artists at the moment are free to discover themes of mythology, futurism, abstraction, and even divinity—all without having to evolve to a single ideology. This isn’t simply artwork for artwork’s sake; it’s artwork for humanity’s sake, and it’s been a very long time coming.
Authenticity as an Artist: From Cave Work to the Metaverse
Artwork isn’t a latest pattern—it’s a core side of the human journey that dates again to our ancestors portray on cave partitions. In as we speak’s world, nevertheless, many artists discover themselves constrained by expectations to comply with particular developments, usually shedding their authenticity alongside the best way. True artistry isn’t about following well-liked actions or creating what’s modern. It’s about tapping right into a lineage of creativity that spans hundreds of years, one that features every little thing from the primary tribal carvings to the masterworks of the Renaissance, all the best way to the digital landscapes of the metaverse.
Why did Graham Hancock’s Ancient Apocalypse abruptly get attacked as racist, with Hancock himself labeled a white supremacist, regardless of his thirty-year marriage to a lady of coloration and his long-standing reward of historic cultures worldwide all through his journalistic profession? You guessed it—postmodernism, because the collection collapses the narrative. I’ll write extra on that later.
Contained in the artwork world, for probably the most half, you would possibly hear of Mayan tradition and traditions, however not the elements that contradict postmodern concepts.
Being an genuine artist means immersing your self on this huge ocean of historical past and expression, drawing inspiration from the previous and future alike. The great thing about Web3 is that it permits artists to journey throughout these realms with out restriction. The blockchain and NFTs don’t simply democratize artwork; they create an area the place we will discover new types of expression whereas staying grounded within the knowledge of our inventive ancestors. The metaverse, as an example, provides the chance to merge the digital with the timeless, creating interactive experiences that honor the depth and spirituality of older artwork varieties whereas pushing the boundaries of what’s attainable.
While you discover the richness of artwork historical past, you end up standing on the shoulders of giants. Genuine artwork doesn’t mimic or just react—it builds bridges. It’s about discovering your voice on this huge refrain and utilizing each device accessible, whether or not it’s oil on canvas, sculpture, or VR. Web3 and the metaverse make this journey much more exhilarating, offering artists with a canvas as expansive as their imaginations. True artists dig deep, break molds, and remind us that artwork will not be certain by time or expertise however by a timeless quest for fact.
Think about the uproar, the fuss and emotional outbursts if there was to be a grand unveiling of an overtly conservative gallery?
The Heretical Concept: Curate Your Personal Galleries Outdoors the Institution
Right here’s a heretical concept for cultural curators and artists: Overlook making an attempt to interrupt into the artwork world in the event you don’t really feel represented. Begin your personal galleries, curate your personal exhibits, and let Web3 be your platform for sharing artwork by yourself phrases. It’s low-cost to begin an internet gallery.
Web3 has made this fully attainable. With decentralized platforms, artists can sidestep conventional gatekeepers, attain world audiences, and create communities that respect and assist their work. Curating your personal gallery isn’t simply an act of defiance; it’s a celebration of inventive freedom. Think about artists coming collectively to kind collectives that spotlight distinctive types, new voices, and daring themes that the traditional artwork world would possibly think about “an excessive amount of.” With NFTs and blockchain, you may have the instruments to convey these exhibitions to life with out counting on anybody else’s approval.
Curating your personal gallery within the Web3 area doesn’t simply disrupt the previous system; it builds a brand new one based mostly on collaboration, innovation, and authenticity. That is the place actual inventive range can thrive, unbound by the constraints of a single ideology. Artists can create galleries that replicate their very own imaginative and prescient, themes, and messages—whether or not that’s surrealism, futurism, religious exploration, or socio-political commentary. The liberty to form your personal narrative is probably the most highly effective device artists have, and Web3 is the important thing to unlocking it. It’s time to cease ready for permission and begin creating areas that embody the true spirit of artwork: uncooked, fearless, and unfiltered.
TDR
Discover that every one these artists and collectors under are doing this ballot by not making their views public. I’ve been standing up for this, within the free speech spirit, since I got here in from 2017, and was put within the web3 Western tradition jail for it (largely) since. Right here is an earlier article to show it.
So, have your postmodernism, it’s nice, I’m not making an attempt to take your voice away from you, however really ship on the inclusion promise so everybody can come to play. The digital is for everybody, not only one dominant ideology that leaves out a lot of the world. There are such a lot of avenues to discover, but when artists don’t even dare to voice any nuance, not to mention take a aspect in probably the most polarising election of my lifetime, then one thing is deeply mistaken.
As for the duvet picture, I’ve my reservations about Trump, even when there’s a possible Web3 landslide in opposition to the pro-censorship camp led by figures like Kamala. My issues are much less pronounced with Elon Musk, Ron Paul, RFK, Tulsi Gabbard, and more and more JD Vance after listening to him on Rogan. Whereas most visible artists sat this one out—even in Web3—the comedians have shifted the panorama, outpacing us 6-0 by way of relevance.
The factor is, even when Trump is responsible of lots, he and his crew of “X-men mutants” have turn out to be voices for Bitcoin, free speech, opposition to huge pharma, and maybe even psychedelics, squirrels, and the like. For the primary time in my life, a political marketing campaign is definitely addressing concepts that curiosity me. In fact, as I’m not a US citizen, you don’t have to fret about my vote even in the event you completely hate every little thing I simply wrote. None the much less, this election will drastically affect my life, and it’s addressed within the web3 citizen of the world spirit.
Let that sink in,
VESA
Crypto Artist, Speaker, Marketing consultant, Author
All hyperlinks to bodily, NFTs, and extra under
