Japanese beauty brand Shiseido is teaming up with Art Blocks Engine for generative digital art project Future Reflections, unveiled over Art Basel Miami.
Guided by an algorithm based on the key ingredients of Shiseido’s Future Solutions LX collection (including the enmei herb and ahoy pearl shell extract), buzzy digital artists Hannah Yan, Jen Stark, Kaoru Tanaka, and Robert Hodgin have created 1,872 unique generative works to be minted as nonfungible tokens.
The number 1,872 is a nod to Shiseido’s founding year. The works will be available free of charge via shiseido.com from December 7. According to the brand, the idea is to democratize access to the work of generative artists and underscore Shiseido’s commitment to art and science.
Stark for example, known for her optical illusion-inspired art, is the first female artist to feature on Foundation’s list of the top 10 highest-selling nonfungible token creatives. 20 of the tokens, selected at random, will also come with products from Shiseido’s Future Solution LX collection.
The Future Reflections collection is powered by Art Blocks Engine, a subsidiary of Web3 platform Art Blocks which promotes contemporary generative art. Art Blocks Engine licenses Art Blocks’ generative technology to brands, organizations, and artists enabling them to create their own generative art projects.
“For over 150 years, Shiseido has cultivated and supported art in all its forms,” Shiseido Executive Vice President US Marketing Alessio Rossi said in a statement shared with Forbes. “Our partnership with these visionary artists and Art Blocks Engine respects our rich heritage while embracing the evolving intersection of beauty and technology.”
It’s an intersection where Shiseido Group has previously found success. Earlier this year Shiseido brand NARS Cosmetics partnered with non fungible token marketplace SuperRare on an auction of digital collectibles to celebrate NARS cult classic shade Orgasm. It commissioned five digital artists to create NFTs drawing on the colors and textures of the NARS signature.
Erick Calderon, Art Blocks Founder and CEO dubbs the project, “an exciting milestone in the way brands embrace generative art.” He adds that it also “connects customers to a broader community.”
Both the NARS and Shiseido’s new Future Reflections projects were supported in concept and execution by women-led creative innovation agency ULO founded by Snap
SNAP
Future Reflections launches December 7 on shiseido.com, debuting during Miami Art Week at NFT Now’s “The Gateway” Event from December 6.
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