Latin American art just went virtual.
The Domonos project is a collection of 100 hand-drawn artworks that have been coined on the Ethereum network as NFTs (a non-fungible token that digitally represents any asset). Each Domonos NFT is a distinct piece of Latin American digital art history.
Miky Fábrega, an artist from Latin America, is responsible for its creation, while House of Attention was responsible for bringing it to life.
At the height of his career, Fábrega has recalled the well-known Argentine cartoon character Mafalda as inspiration.
The comic-strip “Mafalda” was created in the 1960s in Argentina by Quino, but its fame traveled to Europe, Asia and Canada and was eventually published in 27 languages. The voice of Mafalda, which was connected to Fábrega’s sense of defiance, served as a symbol that stood in opposition to the corruption that plagued Latin America at the time. Mafalda was a rebellious little girl and through her, the author explored issues of class identity, modernization and state violence.
Her identity was subsequently incorporated into a number of humorous paintings created by Fábrega. These works were decontextualized and used to recreate the artist’s wistful recollections of his own childhood.
On the collection’s website, Fábrega details his background and how it has impacted his work: “I grew up in Panama in the 1980s. It was a bloody time for our nation. Riots every day. Police shooting rubber bullets at kids in the streets. People just disappearing.
“I remember because I was there. In the midst of it all we’d watch the new cable networks, like MTV, ESPN and WGN from Chicago. Watching TV in English, listening to Rush and Iron Maiden while our country floundered under a brutal dictator, it all seemed super normal.
“Growing up, everything seemed to me like any other kid’s life. In hindsight, I realize how magic and tragic my childhood was. All of these memories, all of these colors and brands and bands, everything that made me who I am today, is amalgamated in these 100 images. This is the Domonos collection.”
All proceeds from the sale of the collection go to two organizations that empower young women.
The non-governmental organization Vital Voices plays an important role in the mentorship of young girls. In addition, the female-led nonprofit Surge is focused on onboarding the next generation of women into the Web3 industry.
Following the acquisition of the initial 100 Domonos pieces, the Domonos Initiative, with the support of ONETRIBE, will purchase 100 hectares of Panamanian Rainforest in an effort to lessen the negative impact the project will have on the surrounding ecosystem.
Two other ways to access the Domonos Collection are: Twitter: twitter.com/domonosnft and Discord: discord.com/invite/Twu66RusFB
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