Oliver Laric x Zien

DigitalIMG

Physical

Opalescent sculpture

01 / 10

Oliver Laric

Rock Hyphen Orchid Wasp

DigitalIMG

Physical

Opalescent sculpture

Rock Hyphen Orchid Wasp extends Laric's ongoing exploration of metamorphosis, which began with his seminal 2014 video work "Untitled". In this latest project, Laric moves beyond a single morph dimension for the first time to reveal a non-linear, decentralised and interconnected relationship between classical categories. Rock Hyphen Orchid Wasp is a spectrum of 100 hybrid forms. Each work is available as an NFT that can be redeemed for a physical sculpture—3D printed, finished with opalescent paint and wall-mounted on a custom stainless steel structure.

Contract Address:: 0xd15d...70ea (ERC-721)

Redeem

Redemption deadline: Unrestricted

About the artwork

Laric’s grid of 100 uncanny forms are derived from the four nominal elements, creating combinations like:

⁠⁠Rock: 77.78%,
⁠Hyphen: 22.22%,
⁠Orchid: 0.0%,
⁠Wasp: 0.0%

⁠⁠For Mondrian and Malevich, the grid symbolised order and abstraction, breaking from traditional art. Later critics saw it as representing modernist rigidity. Today, the grid permeates digital life through pixels, interfaces and databases.

The orchid and wasp reference comes from a popular Deleuze and Guattari metaphor. Certain orchids mimic the appearance and scent of female wasps, luring male wasps to attempt mating. The orchid becomes-wasp and the wasp becomes-orchid. This concept of "becoming" demonstrates how entities redefine themselves through relationships, challenging static identities. In crypto terms, the blockchain “becomes” a community embodying trust and shared rules, while the community “becomes” a machine by operating a decentralised, algorithmic framework. In Laric's project, the rock (an unofficial icon of NFTs) and the hyphen (a digital blip and symbol of hybridity) reinforce connections to ideas of decentralisation and tokenisation.

Rock Hyphen Orchid Wasp is a complex development of Laric’s continued interest in metamorphosis, initially manifesting in a 2014 video revealing the history of transformation within a 100 year span of animation.

Laric has been working online since 2006, when he cofounded one of the first art blogs vvork.com (2006-2012), took part in the first internet pavilion at the Venice biennial organised by Miltos Manetas in 2009, wrote the “Incomplete timeline of online exhibitions and biennials” in 2013 and founded an online archive for copyright free 3D models in 2012 (threedscans.com). His work has been exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, OCAT Shanghai, S.M.A.K. Ghent, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, Guggenheim Bilbao, São Paulo Biennale, Tai Kwun Hong Kong, ICA Boston, Secession Vienna, Centre Pompidou Paris, Whitechapel Gallery London, Palais de Tokyo Paris, New Museum New York and Saint Louis Art Museum among others.

Laric’s works is held in public collections such as M+ (Hong Kong), Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN), Nouveau Musée National de Monaco (Monaco), MUMOK (Vienna), Ferdinandeum (Innsbruck), Kunsthaus Bregenz, Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, The Collection Museum (Lincoln, UK), Philara Collection (Düsseldorf), Museum für Moderne Kunst (Frankfurt), Cleve- land Art Museum, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Washington, D.C.), Frac Bretagne (Rennes), The German Federal Art Collection (Bonn), Fortress House (Gibraltar), Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, Fondation Galleries Lafayette (Paris), KAI 10 | Arthena Foundation (Düsseldorf), Musée de la Romanité (Nîmes) and Kadist Foundation (Paris and San Francisco).

Digital

Medium: ERC-721

Dimensions: 4000x4000 px

Physical

Opalescent sculpture

Medium: Opalescent 3D print sculpture

Dimensions: Within 55×50×20 cm

Price to redeem: ($7,900)

Production timescales

Artworks will be ready to ship approximately 4 weeks after order placement. Each sculpture comes with a custom stainless steel structure for wall mounting and installation instructions.

Authentication

High resolution photographs of final artworks and authenticating features, including a serial number to the back of the sculpture, are appended onchain when artworks are redeemed, alongside a condition report.

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