Monaco's royal family commissioned..."Michelangelo in the 21st Century" carving for 10,000 hours. > NFT_News KDCA(한국데이터공인인증원)

Pope John Paul II, who also has close ties to Korea, has been reborn as an irreplaceable token (NFT). It is at the Seoul exhibition of the 2022 Frieze, an art fair that completed on the 5th. An American writer named Barry X Ball created it using LG OLED TV. His exhibition was also ranked among the "10 Must-see Exhibitions" by the famous art media Artsy. Oil paintings and brushes were also innovative tools that were never seen before about 500 years ago, he said at the exhibition booth. "NFT may be unfamiliar now, but I think it will serve as an opportunity to open a new art world in the digital era."

Barry X Ball's main field is sculpture, especially an automated machine tool called CNC milling, which precisely cuts and trims various materials from molds to stone. It is not a relatively common material such as marble, but unique stone materials are used in various parts of the world, including Mexico, Iran, and Greece. Inspired by classical works, he has produced works created with modern technology. The CNC milling of Michelangelo Buonarotti's posthumous work, "Rondanini's Pieta," was a hot topic not only in the United States but also in the European art world. It was because it was hard to tell what Michelangelo was when the two works were set up. It deserves to be called 'modern Michelangelo'. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) praised his project as "bold and intense."

"I wanted to send a message that the distinction between original and copy was ambiguous in art," the author said. "(Peter Paul, German painter who was active in the Netherlands) Rubens also practiced Michelangelo's ceiling painting and honed his talent." According to the WSJ, the project took about 1 million dollars (about 1.3 billion won) and a total of 10,000 hours of work. This is because not only the cost of purchasing materials but also the process of processing are very difficult. Having been active in New York since 1978, he has set up a huge studio in Brooklyn, covering 20,000 square meters (about 6,000 pyeong) and is working with 20 staff members. It is said that there are Koreans are among them. The writer said, "I was born and raised in Korea and just came to the United States, and I trust the staff because they are very competent and calm," and praised, "Koreans seem to have excellent artistic talents."

Among the clients who request his work are business tycoons, but the royal family. Prince Albert of Monaco commissioned him and his wife, Princess Charlene. There was once a rumor of discord, but it is interpreted that Barry X Ball wanted to convey the message that the relationship between the two is solid to the world through his work. In addition, there are several other influential collectors who commission his works. An Italian collector commissioned a portrait of Pope John Paul II, which was presented on the NFT at the Frieze Seoul exhibition.

 

What's interesting is that they chose a three-dimensional method of plating images that represent the pope after stacking them in layers, not just representing the head. John Paul II, who actively visited Sorok Island in his two visits to Korea, won the hearts of Koreans, but according to the author, the pope also enjoyed various sports such as skiing and confronted communists in his home country Poland. In the work, he made various devices, such as making a cross with an actual ski board. "I think everything in the world is not a fragmentary meaning, but a combination of meanings on multiple levels," he said. "I enjoy carving out the meaning hidden inside." It is a daunting task to conceive and actually process the pieces in layers. The NFT video vividly captures the detailed section of the work and the pre- and post-plating scenes.

It is surprising that this is his first NFT work. It is said that it started after receiving an offer from LG. He said, "I thought it would be better if I did NFT properly and with high quality guarantees, but if not, I would rather not do it," adding, "As I am creating good relationships with Korea, I want to produce works with the theme of Korea in the future."

But why is there an "X" in his name? The writer smiled and brought up a rather heavy story. "I had a bad relationship with my stepfather as a child, and when I eventually left my house near Los Angeles (LA) and settled in New York, I regained my birth father's "Bowl," which means "ex," the Roman "X," and the medieval bride's "X" sign was like a seal of authority," he said. Like his work, his name also has a multi-layered meaning.

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