{"id":11440,"date":"2022-06-08T19:41:21","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T19:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nftandcrypto-news.com\/art\/these-queer-artists-are-subverting-roles-with-reverse-nft-utility\/"},"modified":"2022-06-08T19:41:26","modified_gmt":"2022-06-08T19:41:26","slug":"these-queer-artists-are-subverting-roles-with-reverse-nft-utility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nftandcrypto-news.com\/art\/these-queer-artists-are-subverting-roles-with-reverse-nft-utility\/","title":{"rendered":"These Queer Artists Are Subverting Roles With Reverse NFT Utility"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The NFT space, like many societal domains, isn\u2019t necessarily known for its diversity and inclusion. This is especially true when it comes to the representation of LGBTQ+ artists and individuals.\u00a0As we enter Pride Month though, LGBTQ+ artists are taking center stage. While diversity should be celebrated year-round, these exhibitions and projects by queer creators remind the community of the importance of representation. <\/p>\n

Two artists who have made a name for themselves in both the NFT and LBGTQ+ communities are Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti, an award-winning art duo and a married couple who run the art house Operator. This week, the pair will release \u201cLet me check with the wife,\u201d an NFT project paired with a physical exhibition that forms a playful commentary on the institution of marriage, queer relationships, and the debate surrounding utility in the NFT community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The exhibition is part of the ICONS X SuperTrans<\/a> series of physical exhibitions happening under the banner of SuperRare\u2019s SUPERQUEER<\/a>, a guest-curated art initiative from trans artist Laurel Charleston taking place over the next six weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Catherine and Ti\u2019s exhibition will take place at SuperRare\u2019s pop-up gallery in Soho in New York from June 9-15, with the NFT auction running from June 15-20. The NFT\u2019s reserve price will be set at 11.38 ETH, conceptually reflecting the 1,138 rights granted to married couples in the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Queering the structure of marriage<\/h2>\n

In a video interview with nft now, Catherine and Ti described the excitement that comes from being a part of an initiative that involves queer artists who are engaging in the blockchain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a historic and unique moment,\u201d says Catherine. \u201cUsing our marriage as an empty container for us to both design our creative practices and our romantic relationship within this thing that we were never supposed to inhabit together historically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Credit: Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s queering the structure of marriage,\u201d continues Ti, \u201cbecause it was never designed to be a social and romantic contract between two women, it was a tool of oppression. The collector [of this NFT] isn\u2019t going to be \u2018buying our marriage,\u2019 they\u2019ll be buying the marriage as an object of art in an ironic way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much of that irony stems from the way the couple has flipped the script concerning the debate surrounding utility in NFT projects.\u00a0While the project centers around the couple\u2019s physical marriage license and its digital copy, that NFT is attached to another smart contract the duo custom-designed themselves. To access this contract, the user scans a QR code stamped on the marriage license.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat QR code is an Etherscan link that goes to a secondary smart contract that we custom-built. We put the metadata in the SuperRare contract as well, so these two contracts are forever linked,\u201d explains Ti. <\/p>\n

The prospective collector who wishes to buy the NFT won\u2019t immediately see a representation of the second dynamic NFT, but as soon as they purchase it, it will appear alongside the marriage license in the user\u2019s wallet or collection.<\/p>\n

Reverse utility in NFTs<\/h2>\n

The second contract is called \u201cMarital Obligations,\u201d which contains an on-chain transcription of the certificate in plain text and a dynamic NFT that the couple can update on demand. The key feature of that dynamic NFT is that the collector will be taking an active role in the project as the owner of the artwork.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve set it up so that every year on our anniversary, which is July 19, the collector may be given some direction or request for anniversary gifts or something else. We might ask them not to go out on a Wednesday night, [reflecting] the non-romantic aspects of being married as well,\u201d Ti says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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