INNOCENT BEGINNINGS (2018)

Have you heard of Kevin Abosch’s neon artwork “YELLOW LAMBO” ?i No eh ? Well, it sold for $400`000ii to Skype COO Michael Jacksoniii in April of this year at the “If So, What?” art fair in San Fran.iv

This is obviously a completely preposterous sum for something so easily replicable improvable (and personalisable), and so to drive this point, like the wooden stake in Dracula’s heart, I’m unveiling my first commissioned artwork today : INNOCENT BEGINNINGS (2018).v

The hash is (a portion of) the TXID of my first-ever Bitcoin transaction, nearly six short years ago.

INNOCENT BEGINNINGS 2018

There’s still some patching and tidying of wires to be done in my garage-cum-art-gallery, but the personal manifestation of meaning that is this artwork – and all art patronage – is simply divine.

I could stare at its calming white glow all day, its discernable neon hum serenading me into meditative reflections on the incredibly blessed years gone by…vi

___ ___ ___

  1. yellow lambo abosch neon art

    Abosch’s work, a 10-foot-long yellow neon sculpture, is titled YELLOW LAMBO—a reference to #lambo, a phrase cryptocurrency traders use online to talk about chasing wealth. It features 42 illuminated alphanumeric characters that signify the contract address for a new crypto-token—called YLAMBO—created by the artist.

    “YELLOW LAMBO…perfectly distills the emotionally charged activity of a particular group of cryptocurrency traders who use ‘#lambo’ as a declaration, not just for their desire to own such a fine motorcar, but as a way to communicate their own acknowledgement of how crazy the quest for crypto-billions has become,” said Abosch in a statement. “I use proxies as emotional distillates. If the Lamborghini is a symbol of success-identity, then the car itself is a proxy. The crypto-token YLAMBO is a proxy of a proxy. Finally, YELLOW LAMBO in all its neon splendor is yet another proxy—triple-distilled value.”

    via Artnet. What nonsense, eh ?

  2. USD$ 400k =~ 40 BTC at the time of the tx.
  3. No, the “This Is It” artist didn’t Lazarus. Same name, different bloke.
  4. Another related piece, showing just how en vogue neon is at the moment, is Andrea Galvani’s “Study on Amplituhedron” (2017). It’s 6500K neon, cobalt blue blown glass, and 210 × 255 × 8 cm.

    Study on Amplituhedron

  5. The commissioned artist was none other than Neil Martin, a second-generation neon artist and former musician who works out of his garage to deliver quality and craftsmanship that aren’t just good enough for me, they’re good enough for the Ghermezians (the mafioso-like Hasidic family that owns West Edmonton Mall). Neil was an absolute pleasure to work with — a true professional.
  6. How fast they go!

12 thoughts on “INNOCENT BEGINNINGS (2018)

  1. SJ says:

    The difference is that the artist of the original neon is serious and did something awesome. How easy it is to copy something has no bearing on the quality of the work. As someone who’s followed you for some time now I’m a bit embarrassed for you. You come across as a shallow and jealous wannabe :(

    • Pete D. says:

      the artist of the original neon is serious

      You mean Kevin or Neil ? Either way, I’m pretty fucking serious. I’m going to be looking at this beauty every time I park in my garage, hadn’t I better be ? Plus, being serious doesn’t preclude having fun!

      How easy it is to copy something has no bearing on the quality of the work.

      I don’t think you understand what art is, despite being “someone who’s followed [me] for some time now”… try reading What is art? sometime. Or re-reading it.

      shallow and jealous wannabe

      And who the fuck asked you anything ? I might be a bit on the shallow side, or at least more honest about the importance of aesthetics than most, but if you’re seeing jealousy anywhere, you’re blind as a fucking bat.

      Edit : I’m coming around to the theory that you’re either a troll or an early-stage investor in the YLAMBO ICO who lost his shirt. I mean, either that or you’re just having a really off week.

  2. BingoBoingo says:

    Time to do that wall in flat carbon black to hide the wires

    • Pete D. says:

      Blackzilla’s flat carbon black spoiler actually does a bang up job of exactly that. When parked in the garage, the wires are completely obscured, leaving just the illuminated neon visible above the roofline.

  3. Vexual says:

    Is it triggered with the courtesy light on the door opener?

    • Pete D. says:

      That was actually my original design but my electrician/handyman suggested that we install a motion sensor with a 5-minute timeout right below the neon and use that instead. The motion sensor has an override button too, so it’s a fair bit more versatile than it would’ve been had we just connected the sign to the garage door courtesy light.

  4. […] course, there are always those who write their own stories. Those who patronise the arts, personalise their abodes, commission pièce unique watches (or at least *gasp* engrave them), […]

  5. […] chosen an idyllic mid-century suburban neighbourhood fitted with just a single car garage (as seen decorated here) and a generous backyard for playing and gardening (as seen growing sour cherries here), instead of […]

  6. […] it’s hard to find much fault, except perhaps that it’s an inch too tall to fit into my garage. In summa, rather than being a slightly upscale version of my father’s old Defender D90, […]

  7. Blenderwws says:

    from lat. manus – “hand” and scribo – “I write”) ]

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