Blake Finucane (@blakefinucane) • Hey

Context Podcast with Boys Club

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I can’t NOT share this video to this group. Bonkers collab between Post Malone x Visa x Louvre Museum Posty inspiring a new generations of art historians 😅 https://youtu.be/AAM0SwzNkX8?si=DTRfOkGclNRBwbV-
The trailer for “Here” really felt different to me. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright are “de-aged” throughout the movie with a generative AI tool called Metaphysic Live. The director claims that the story couldn’t be told without this, as the plot follows Hanks and Wright over multiple decades. It’s fascinating to see how AI is being applied directly onto actors (not just as complimentary characters, background settings, etc.). It will be interesting to see if this technology becomes distracting or really enhances the storytelling, allowing for things never done before. https://youtu.be/I_id-SkGU2k?si=Xysl2fbK1YiZ-heE
BlackBerry Smart Phone 7280, 2003 (This blue model was specifically designed to be marketed to Wall Street firms) I went to the Royal BC Museum yesterday and they have this displayed (behind glass) as one of the first objects in their Canadian Modern exhibition. BlackBerry was one of Canada’s most successful companies in history…until it wasn’t. A reminder that most (all!!) tech products become obsolete.
I really wanted to share this video I made a while ago about Fidenza by Tyler Hobbs. If you’ve ever been confused about or don’t know how to engage with Generative Art, this vid is for you!
Just claimed my Blast airdrop! I staked a small amount of ETH over 3 wallets, gave out a couple of referral codes and farmed extra points via Spacebar, a Blast App. I always get a little overwhelmed dealing with the Blast ecosystem as I find the point system incredibly confusing. But, the whole claiming process did leave me feeling bullish. Before you claim, a very professionally made video pops up where Pacman (Blast + Blur co-founder and CEO) speaks about the future plans for the platform. He’s actually reallllly good on camera. He highlighted that Blast is the 6th largest on-chain economy atm and their goal is to be the biggest. To achieve this, they will become a “full stack chain…” I’m not sure what that means but sounds compelling lol, especially when Pacman says it. To actually claim the airdrop you had to install the “Blast app” on your phone, a smart UX choice, as this automatically moves the user on to the next stage (Phase 2) of Blast…Pacman loves multiple stages! There’s a screen shot of the interface below, no Blast Gold for me yet 😔 The app is impressive, it gamifies the points system even further, as now, you can constantly check your phone to see how your Blast points have grown throughout the day (or hour or minute), as they are constantly increasing (as long as you have $BLAST or ETH in the Blast ecosysyem). I’ve decided not to sell my airdrop so I can participate in the next stages of Blast and farm more points! There is no one better at crypto economics (ponzinomics 😅) than Pacman! He’s got me hooked! The token is also doing surprisingly well, up over 10% on the day, which suggests my sentiment is echoed by other users.
This video is the final look from the Balenciaga couture show in Paris today. The soundtrack was a guided meditation. Demna, creative director of Balenciaga (and co-founder of Vetements) poses a classic Duchampian question with this show, “What and how do we ascribe value to things?” In this case, why we consider certain types of clothing to be more important or precious than others. This dress is made from 47 meters of black nylon normally used for lining couture ballgowns. It was wrapped on the model shortly before she walked out and can only be worn once. It’s “ephemeral couture,” that will come with 3 Balenciaga staff members to assemble it for those who buy.
Visited a Woolly Mammoth today 🦣
Sotheby’s Metaverse latest auction “Grails: Property from an Iconic Digital Art Collection Part V” just closed…the most shocking lots were BAYC #8552 which sold for $264,000 USD, 2x its high estimate and MAYC #27105 which sold for $28,000, 6x its high estimate. As a BAYC holder from the beginning I can’t help but feel good about these results 😅(even if in the last year the floor price has fallen more than 75%)
Unboxing a Bitchcoin!! Thought this was a fun video to compliment my previous one :) Maybe this is one of the first unboxings on Orb?! 😅
blakefinucane.com 🇺🇸😀vs. blakefinucane.ca 🇨🇦😔
Reading all the recaps from Digital Art Mile (which ran concurrent to Art Basel last week and was the city’s first digital art fair) this quote from IXShells stayed with me. She highlights the energy, vision and hope that artists bring to the world. I think this is especially true atm with new media artists, who can (and must!) reimagine how emerging technology can be applied to offer new ways of seeing and engaging 💘
He’s really him!! (If you don’t know who this is, you’re probably not Canadian and that’s absolutely fine)
I can’t believe I get to be featured 😭❣️ from Kirs Jenner quotes to $DJT updates to Orb art exhitbions, the newsletter will leave you smarter, more inspired and make you laugh. I’m always blown away by MP’s thoughtfulness, insight and humour - it’s a must read!!!
Orb observations: I’m loving the in-app minting! There are so many different ways to use this function and suit it to your needs - from sharing a cool photo you took of a sunset to releasing a series of art works. You can easily tailor who is eligible to mint too, it can be open to anyone, members of a specific group or just your followers, and the prices can range from free to 1000’s of $BONSAI. It’s such a powerful community building and engagement tool and can’t wait to see how people continue to use this creatively (and for me to try it out myself!) There is so much opportunity with this functionality!
A v rare example of a non-drake affliated Toronto rapper, she’s definitely gone under the radar because of this and just released her debut album. This is the standout track and I’ll be playing it all summer! ☺️
Prada’s Spring Summer 2025 Men’s Fashion Show was inspired by French Post-War painter + sculptor Bernard Buffet. According to Prada’s website, the collection “offers a discourse around contemporary notions of truth and pretence, the real and unreal.” Buffet’s paintings of clowns and flowers are featured on t-shirts, perfectly incapsulating the “surreal” themes. Clowns have been used throughout art history to highlight a multifaceted identity, reflecting asymmetry between interior and exterior life, they are chameleon’s shifting their performances from one audience to the next. The set even featured a disproportional dollhouse that the models emerged from to further highlight this idea of distorted realities. The flowers paintings highlight what Buffet is best known for: cartoon-like images, bright colours, strong black lines and flatness. These aesthetic values are repeated throughout the show’s styling… neutral tones of brown and black paired with bright neon pinks, yellows, greens and blues. The thematic through-lines of the show are consistent and clear, and of course, there is no better inspo for a fashion show than an art historical reference :) Raf and Muiccia rarely miss.
Just claimed my Layer Zero ($ZRO) airdrop…process was pretty simple and I like that you were able to choose which chain it was sent to (i.e. ETH, ARB, etc.). It did take a while for $ZRO to land in my wallet, but very understandable considering network volume today. I’m curious about everyone’s thoughts on the mandatory donation to the Protocol Guild (to fund ETH developers). Since users are getting “free money” I’m not sure it’s fair to object to having to donate, especially to a good cause that supports $ZRO and the entire crypto ecosystem (but I’m not sure it’s fair to have to give away a portion of your airdrop, especially if you thoughtfully engaged with the protocol over months/years). Would be much trickier if they chose a foundation that was more politically polarizing. I wonder what the sentiment around the donation will be as time goes on and if any other protocols/tokens will adopt this mandatory donation model (could get tricky depending on what causes are chosen).
My holy grail. In constant fear of running out…I keep at least 5 of these in my fridge at all times.
What is Bitchcoin?! And yes…I wrote that correctly ☺️ Watch to learn more about one of the OG crypto art works and why it’s important…it’s cannon!
I went to my fave gallery in the whole world over the weekend! The Audain Art Gallery is located in Whistler and primarily showcases artists based in British Columbia. I know I’m biased, but I truly believe that BC is home to some of the best artists in world from Indigenous carvers to Photoconceptualists to landscape painters, there is so much to work with my in my province! Highlights from the collection include Butterfly Transformation Theme by Jack Shadbolt, 1981, The Dance Screen (The Scream Too) by James Hart, 2010-2013 and my personal favorite Dzunukwa Mask by Beau Dick, 2007. I had the privilege of taking a class from him at the University of British Columbia as part of my master’s degree in 2017. He was one of the world’s great carvers (and so much more!) and it was genuinely healing just to be in his presence.
Does anyone still care about digital fashion!? I made a video about what I think people are getting wrong about this 😇
Just claimed my $ZK airdrop ☺️before you were allowed to claim, you had to make a choice to delegate your votes to a DAO (there were several to choose from with a little write up for each) or to yourself. This is a great reminder of crypto mechanics that most people don’t consider (that tokens are actually used for governance sometimes!) I know the price has been underwhelming but impressed with the claiming process. Also - I❤️Pudgy Penguins. No other NFT community is as engaged with the crypto ecosystem and no better NFT investment for airdrop eligibility 🐧
Touched grass in the Whistler mountains this weekend 🗻
Some of my top picks from Maya Man’s FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT series, one of my fave art block projects this year. It lightheartedly and humorously highlights the absurd expectations of social media, particularly “feminine” aspirational posts that are common from lifestyle influencers. I love the focus on generative text (vs typical generative art work on-chain which usually features abstract images).
From skincare to airdrops, so much alpha when you find the right groups on here :)
Marni, Margiela + Jil Sander coming on chain!! I think authentication technology embedded within clothing, shoes, accessories will grow to be the expectation for luxury consumers. https://decrypt.co/233986/jil-sander-maison-margiela-marni-fashion-on-chain-authentication?amp=1
Treats to start weekend off
My fave thing to read on Fridays ☺️
Orb is the perfect platform for emerging digitally native artists to find an audience. The “group” function in particular allows artists to have a dedicated space to tell their story, experiment with crypto as a medium and connect directly with their collectors via simple minting functions.
I started the Context group this week! The vision for the group is to post cool things connected to anything art, culture and crypto. There are no specific rules, just experimenting with interesting info and ideas around the intersections between culture and technology. I also want to discover some unique ways to utilize the group in relation to my podcast, which the group is named after :) Stay tuned and ofcourse, open to any suggestions too!
What is “Avant NFT”?! Learn more about the genre that Galerie Yeche Lange is pioneering and one of the most interesting artists making work today, Supermetal Bosch.
Godmin, the artist behind one of my fave crypto art works ever, Heaven Computer, just previewed a new project! She shared the url: https://sky.luxury/ which seems to be hinting at the release of a digital luxury apartment complex that’s fully interactive. Maybe she’ll be selling plots of land? Maybe it’s simply a concept where you can’t own anything? She so skillfully reframes the mundane task that we do 100x a day, visiting a website, into an artistic experience…that’s not easy to do! In her typical style, the website is done entirely in CSS and HTML (no javascript!). It’s a throwback to website interfaces in the 90’s and early 2000’s, featuring bright colours and simple text blocks. Her work is always drenched in nostalgia, romanticizing the days of a simpler internet experience. Instead of having your computer or phone become invisible while scrolling the website, her layouts always make the actual device your on a central part of the experience. She reminds us of the magic and mysteries that computers contain. I think this work is quite tongue and cheek, as she explains on one of the landing pages that she “wants to elevate digital opulence to new heights…” so we’ll see how that manifests with these new apartments. Can’t wait to see what she’s releases next. Some stills below:
DIEWITHTHEMOSTLIKES shattered his previous auction record this week during a Christie’s online sale….his painting “‘moderate decay” with an estimate of $2,000-4,000, sold for over $30,000!! I definitely though the estimate was too low lol I made video about how this work last week and his Beef Broth series, can watch below to learn more :)
So excited for everything to come :) Join the context group for the best info about the intersections between culture + crypto ☺️
In my first couple weeks on Orb I’ve collected 2 brilliant pieces (by @lens/wretched_worm and @lens/jimspindle) they’re both part of the debut show on the @club/galerieyechelange group channel. Imho, this is THE gallery to watch in the experimental digital art space. They’re defining what a “crypto art” gallery can be by pushing curatorial boundaries. They’re utilizing the “group” function on Orb in a genuinely interesting way, creating a dedicated natively digital gallery space to showcase natively digital art. It will be interesting to watch their next curatorial choices and how artists and galleries continue to carve out niches on Orb/Lens.
Will be fun to type with these for the next few weeks 💅🏻
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pepe up
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Remember Rare Pepes?! More context below on one of the most iconic memes of all time, how it impacts the crypto world and continues to inform the NFT collections of today.
Literally the best compliment I could ever receive 😭❣️
Context is everything :) :) Named after my podcast, this is a space to learn and be inspired by the cultural side of crypto. The tagline is “elevated crypto culture” because the group focuses on how (mostly) art and fashion intersect with crypto + other emerging technology, beyond simply economic applications. Post articles, videos, ideas, comments, etc. that might provide helpful info (ie. context!) on anything related to technology + culture. Context illustrates and illuminates, so come for the crypto and stay for the culture!
Saturday (almost) Summer 💘
The day has finallyyyyy come! The album of the summer has dropped 🙋🏻♀️
In honour of the first game of the NBA finals tonight... this is my fave Rare Pepe, I remember buying it back in 2018 as I was trying to figure out which one "suited me best" lol.
My article about the history of Rare Pepes on Outland Magazine is out now! What does the frog tell us?!!? Alot, tbh... (Re)learning about the emergence of the Rare Pepe collectible community (circa 2016) is so helpful in understanding the current NFT landscape + how memes circulate today. Context is everything ☺️☺️ https://outland.art/rare-pepes-ordinals/
Rothko vs. diewiththemostlikes…. What’s the difference though?!
Justin Bieber x Pudgy Penguins = no better combo imho!
I ❤️ good (great!!!) art I’m continually blown away by diewiththemostlikes…he is making some of the most relevant, interesting and visceral work on the market today. His art will make you question your existence while also making you feel less alone. More on his latest drop with Art Blocks below
a double treat 🥵