From “Twin Flames” to Tarot: Justin Aversano Shows “Smoke and Mirrors” Photo NFTs

Justin Aversano set the standard for NFT-based photography projects with “Twin Flames”, a collection of 100 images of twin siblings tokenized on Ethereum blockchain. The project has captivated collectors, racked up millions of dollars worth of sales, and came to Christie’s auction house and collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

On Saturday, Aversano will present his follow-up collection, “Smoke and Mirrors” at the Gabba Gallery in Los Angeles.

First launched last year as Ethereum NFTs, “Smoke and mirrors” is Aversano’s interpretation of a tarot deck, with a different portrait to represent each individual card. Aversano took the photos over a three-year period between 2018 and 2021, after the creation of “Twin Flames”.

Aversano told Decrypt He got the idea for the new series while sitting in Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan’s East Village, then a man wandered into the vision with a tarot deck in hand, ranting angrily about black magic. Aversano had recently noticed a growing interest in tarot cards, and that in line with his own interest in mystery and magic.

“He gets right in front of me and he throws the tarot cards in the air,” Aversano recalled. “They’re all raining down in front of me and I’m like, What’s going on right now? And I looked at him, and I looked at the cards, and I asked him, ‘Hey, can I have these? Do you throw these away? And he says, “Yeah, fuck that black magic shit. I don’t want this.'”

The interaction gave him a physical tarot deck – and more importantly, the inspiration to create his own “deck” of images.

Aversano took on the role of “Knight of Staffs” himself, as it was the only card missing from the set that rained down on him in front of him. He then shot other artists, mystics and Web3 builders from around the world, including author Neil Gaiman, musician Nadya Tolokonnikova from Pussy Riot, and even the Winklevoss twins.

An image of Neil Gaiman in “Smoke and Mirrors” (cropped). Photo: Justin Aversano

“Smoke and Mirrors” consists of 78 black-and-white photographs, each of which was minted as Ethereum NFTs and sold last year. The original images were also converted into silkscreens on papyrus, which will be exhibited at the Gabba from 25 March to 8 April.

They are all eye-catching black-and-white portraits, but one in particular stands out from the crowd: a photo of Aversano’s father standing next to the gravestone of the photographer’s mother.

A picture of Justin Aversano’s father from “Smoke and Mirrors”. Photo: Justin Aversano

“There is a lot of confrontation of fear and death in this [collection], and I honor this project to my father,” he said. “It is no coincidence why the death certificate is from my father next to my mother’s grave. It is, to me, the purest and best picture I have ever taken, because it is the most honest and true. […] It stops you in your tracks when you see it.”

Aversano originally planned to hold four shows for “Smoke and Mirrors,” but reduced it to two: the first Los Angeles exhibition and a follow-up at Expanded.Art in Berlin from April 25 to May 14, curated by Anika Meier.

He has shown his art in major venues, but described the Gabba show as “the one that means the most” because it is his first LA exhibition. He has spent the last two years creating the screen prints at the back of the Gabba Gallery with owner and curator Jason Ostro. “I’ve never seen a gallerist show up for me like Jason has at the Gabba, in my entire life,” Aversano said.

Given his rising profile and name recognition over the past two years, Aversano could have shown “Smoke and Mirrors” to a bigger name gallery. But Gabba feels at home with the project, saying it was the “most honorable thing to do.”

Examples of the “Smoke and Mirrors” images screen printed on papyrus. Photo: Justin Aversano

“It’s not Gagosian, it’s not Pace—it’s actually real. It’s not a fancy gallery, it’s a community gallery, Aversano said. “What we have here is the truth, and down to earth, and the reality is: you just need a place to exhibit, and it doesn’t have to be the best room in the world. It just has to be what feels right.”

After the shows are over, accompanying book is released (via NFT redemption tickets), and the project is finished, what does Aversano do next?

“I’m going to disappear,” he said Decrypt. “It’s my last magic trick after ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ – I’m going to do a disappearing act.”