2021 Oscar Gift Bags Include NFT Eternalizing The Late Chadwick Boseman
Image via Cubankite / Shutterstock.com
The 93rd Academy Awards took place on Sunday, and it seemed like the world had already jumped a few years into the future. Not only was the red carpet back, but the much-anticipated gift bags for guests were packed with what has been the most trending product of 2021 so far: a non-fungible token (NFT).
Noting the opulent, and oftentimes ridiculous, goodies given to celebrities at the Oscars each year, the heartfelt piece of crypto art could be the most meaningful gift in awhile. It’s a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, most recognized for his lead role as T’Challa in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther.
As ScreenRant reports, Black 3D artist Andre Oshea was commissioned to create an NFT homage to Boseman, and some copies were inserted in the gift bags for 2021’s Oscar nominees.
The animated piece depicts a gold bust of Boseman, similar to the head of the Oscar statuette, encased in a glass dome and surrounded by 3D greenery.
Outside of the awards, a copy of the NFT has been put up for sale on crypto art marketplace Rarible for a purported US$1.2 million and will stay up for auction until April 27, 2021. 50 percent of the proceeds will be dedicated to the Colon Cancer Foundation to aid colon cancer research.
“The way to immortalize an artist, is to honor them with art…” Oshea detailed. “Bringing this piece to life has been one of my most challenging and rewarding experiences as an artist.”
Having been confident until a week before his death that he would recover in time for shooting of Black Panther II, Boseman unfortunately died on August 28, 2020 after a private four-year battle with colon cancer.
The artwork will not just honor the actor but also seek to overcome the disease that impeded the last four years of his life. According to Oshea, the objective behind the auction is “to donate 10,000 colorectal exams to underserved communities.”
[via ScreenRant, images via various sources]
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