NFT proponents say that the new technology is a revolutionary force that will democratize art and force gatekeepers out. The truth is that NFTs are still out of reach for many people. JPG, a new website that seeks to be the Tumblr of the cryptocurrency realm, aims to change that.
JPG users can construct their own gallery by importing and displaying any NFT accessible on OpenSea, one of the major NFT platforms. Fernandez and cofounders Trent Elmore and Sam Spike founded the website in July, and it recently acquired $3.8 million in venture funding.
Existing JPG galleries serve as organized exhibitions focusing on topics such as deep time, alchemy, and virality. JPG galleries have been seen in person on occasion. Sofia Garcia and Kate Hannah, who work on the generative art NFT platform ArtBlocks, produced a display about on-chain generative art on JPG, which was exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach.
The display “Blockchain Aesthetics” on JPG was curated by Gabe Wise, who works for artist Sarah Meyohas and the crypto-art-focused consultancy GAC. With the help of FingerprintsDAO, the Museum of Crypto Art, and the NFT platform Zora, the exhibition was shown at NFT.NYC, a conference held in New York last year.
Despite all the buzz surrounding the project, JPG has a long way to go. Its possibilities are at the moment limited, and this round of seed funding might help bring about improvements such as creator pages, a new exhibition interface, and more.
It’s expected that in the future, JPG users will be able to import NFTs from other platforms, including ones based on cryptocurrencies like Tezos. JPG’s ultimate goal is to be able to map curators, producers, and collectors’ networks.
