One of the top contemporary Chinese artists working in Web3 is set to drop an Ordinals NFT collection. In April, the Beijing-based artist Yue Minjun is launching his first Ordinals collection with LiveArt, a global Web3 platform for art and culture.
‘Human’ consists of 1,200 unique works inspired by human history. The NFTs were created by combining pixelated backgrounds of iconic scenes from the past, including the Bitcoin logo, Wall Street’s charging bull, the Pyramids, and Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” with Minjun’s characteristic laughing man motif in the foreground. For the work, Minjun drew heavily from “A Study of History,” a book by historian and philosopher Arnold J. Toynbee.
Minjun’s oil paintings displaying himself frozen in laughter across a myriad of settings are widely recognized, and he’s exhibited at Christie’s and galleries and museums across the world. He’s often categorized as part of the Chinese Cycle Realist art movement, but he’s also a major artist working in Web3.
His NFT collection ‘Boundless’ was launched with LiveArt in October 2023 and consisted of 999 digital NFTs bound to unique signed physical prints. The drop sold out in less than two hours. According to reports, his previous NFT works have traded over $150 million in global sales.
In regard to the upcoming release, Minjun said he became interested in Ordinals inscriptions about six months ago, and that he’s excited people in Web3 are “building a new world.”
Boris Pevzner, the CEO and co-founder of LiveArt, believes that Bitcoin is the best place to showcase Minjun’s work. In a statement, he said that LiveArt was releasing Minjun’ Ordinals collection because the world’s top artists belong on the “world’s most ‘blue-chip’ blockchain.”
Human is expected to drop sometime in April — though the exact date has not yet been announced. There will be a pre-sale for LiveArt members and partners, and the drop will have a tiered sale format.
The Advantages of Bitcoin Ordinals
When Ordinals inscriptions first burst on the scene in January 2023, many people wondered if NFTs on Bitcoin would last. Fast forward a little over a year, and it’s clear Ordinals are here to stay. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve been here to watch the rise of Ordinals, from dozens of top artists minting work to new marketplaces and even memecoins springing up on the OG blockchain.
Ordinals is gaining traction in the space, and it’s no surprise, since minting NFTs on Bitcoin has several benefits. Here are some of the top reasons people choose to mint NFTs on Bitcoin:
- Security. Bitcoin Ordinals are secured directly on the Bitcoin blockchain, while most NFTs store data off-chain.
- Liquidity. Bitcoin is the largest crypto in terms of market cap and transaction volume, making Bitcoin inscriptions easier to sell.
- Exclusivity. Because Bitcoin’s max supply is capped at 21M, the NFTs minted on individual satoshis are limited and more exclusive.
- Immutability. Once inscribed, Bitcoin Ordinals cannot be altered.
These four benefits make Bitcoin NFTs appealing to creators, especially those interested in creating scarce, immutable “digital artifacts” on the world’s most trusted blockchain. As time goes on, we’ll likely see the use-cases of Bitcoin NFTs expand to other sectors.
But for now, LiveArt and Yue Minjun are innovating with rare art on Bitcoin, and considering the reputation of the artist and the growing popularity of Ordinals, we expect the project will be a success.
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