Good news is that I’ve just minted my latest NFT artwork on the hive blockchain at nftshowroom.com. This will be the 13th in my range of original handmade paper collage artworks to be minted here. I use found pictures which I cut out with scissors and then glue onto a piece of hard paper to make an original collage artwork. I then scan the picture into digital format which can then be uploaded and minted as an NFT (non-fungible token) on the blockchain.
I prefer using the Hive blockchain because there are much less fees, compared to the terrible Eth system at present which charges massive gas fees if I want to launch my gallery at OpenSea, for example. Since I already have an active Hive account where my daily blog posts are going on to the blockchain, I have simply continued to place my creative output there.
This particular art piece is called “Shaman carrying the gods” and is a familiar theme in my usual iconographic style. In other words I use primarily – though not exclusively – religious iconography from all the various world’s religions throughout history. I then combine them in a hybridized picture that transcends doctrine or dogma, but tells a universal story which may be akin to the common thread found in all cultures and periods of history.
In today’s NFT you can see the recurring theme of gold on black, which is present in some of my prior works. I use the gold to indicate spirituality, as seen in many historic works on religious icons throughout western and eastern religious traditions. In fact the images I use in this work show spiritual leaders in their traditional attire and it’s mostly in gold. The patriarchs of the various traditions seem to like to wear gold robes in their religious practices.
For example, the central figure is a Tibetan shaman, and he is in full regalia, which is all gold. Similarly the patriarchs from the Eastern Orthodox Christian church can be seen to the left and right of the image, looking in at the center point of focus, and their attire is also all in gold. They also wear gold robes when participating in their formal religious rituals and ceremonies. The only figure not in gold is a hermit to the bottom left of the picture, who is in humble robes and barefoot.
The shaman in the center of the image holds in his one hand a golden staff and in the other a shield, and these symbols are masculine and feminine features in my opinion. It suggests that the shaman is one who has both aspects within his personality and is in balance in that regard.
But the most important and actually the real subject of the scene is the deity seen held up on the head of the shaman. It shows the Vedic supreme god and goddess together, named Krishna and Radha. The deities are actual current icons from an old temple in India from a few hundred years ago. They can still be seen today on the altar of the temple in India, having been worshipped for centuries already.
The philosophical conclusion being conveyed here is that the godhead comprises of both a masculine and a feminine deity. This is how it has been in India since ancient times going back millennia. Both have been worshipped and respected since time immemorial. It’s only the relatively modern western religions that presume god is only a man.
So this NFT artwork today has imagery from Christian, Tibetan Buddhist and also Vedic Hindu religious traditions. Even the snake symbol at the very top of the picture may be Celtic but is a common theme in India, where the deity Krishna or specifically Vishnu, is seen backed by his serpent carrier, which represents his support, known in Sanskrit as Ananta Shesha, or Shankarshan. The Buddha is also usually depicted with his serpent couch upon which he sits.
I have minted only two tokens of this artwork, one for my collection and only one for sale, since scarcity is important in original artworks and ownership thereof. The NFT market has cooled down quite a bit lately in past weeks, since the hype of last month, so I don’t expect a mad rush to buy my artworks. Still, I continue producing them and minting them as NFTs for my overall portfolio of creative output for posterity. You can purchase this one at my gallery at www.nftshowroom.com/julianhorack if you’re inspired.