See Inside NFT Sensation Justin Aversano’s Mystical New Tarot-Inspired Photography Show in LA
On display
The works form Aversano’s new exhibition at the Gabba Gallery, which can be seen until 8 April.
At a Los Angeles gallery, photographer Justin Aversano recently debuted 78 new screen prints, each featuring a portrait of a person and printed on Egyptian papyrus. Ahead of the show, he also released each and every work in the series as one NFT on OpenSea, all of which quickly sold out.
The enthusiasm that has greeted the decline speaks to Aversano’s continued dominance of the photography NFT space, spurred by “Twin Flames,” recognized as one of the earliest photography projects on the blockchain. The collection has traded 5,900 ETH (about $10.7 million) in total volume to date, while the sale of Twin Flames #83 at Christie’s in October 2021 grossed a whopping $1.1 million, making Aversano one of the best-selling photographers of all time.
Justin Aversano, Queen of Staffs from “Smoke & Mirrors” (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Gabba Gallery.
The collection of works now on display at the Gabba Gallery, through April 8, is meant to evoke a full tarot deck, with the photographer’s sitters standing for cards from the Knight of Staff to the Eight of Swords, the Sun to the Moon.
As Aversano told Artnet News, the project, titled “Smoke & Mirrors,” took three years to complete, beginning in 2018 when he began photographing an assortment of artists, shamans, psychics, astrologers, family members, and famous figures like Winklevoss. twins.
Justin Aversano, portrait #53 from the series “Smoke & Mirrors” (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Gabba Gallery.
“There are all these people that are in the project because I either looked up to them or they are part of my everyday life and they represent that card,” he said. “It didn’t have to be magic or have a magical connection. It just had to be the true reflection of what that card means.”
The works are also a way to elevate the NFT medium: “Photographs are the ultimate imprintable,” said Aversano. And especially for “Smoke & Mirrors”, where the papyrus in use offers a tactile counterpoint or connection to the data written on the blockchain. It is through this mix of media, Aversano hopes, that the collection can develop layers of new meaning for the viewer.
The decision to screen print the portraits came down to the photographer’s desire to “evolve through the medium.” Just as his previous series have used traditional photographic processes – polaroids for “The birthday project” (2012), cyanotyping for “Twin flames” (2017) – so this new collection reaches for another analogue technique to add pigment to his monochromatic portraits.
Justin Aversano, The king of coins from “Smoke & Mirrors” (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Gabba Gallery.
“I like the idea of using color to make the photograph more than just the photograph,” he said. “It’s playing with media and what a photograph can represent.”
The colors for each screen print, Aversano added, are chosen by the portrait’s subject, who also had his choice of which photograph he ultimately used. “I, as a photographer,” he explained, “let go and surrender completely to the subject.”
Justin Aversano, portrait #72 from the series “Smoke & Mirrors” (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Gabba Gallery.
“It’s introducing people to tarot in a fun, new way with photography, just seeing the mixed media of how photography can exist. What is it—more of a painting or more of a photograph?” he said of the series and the exhibition. “It’s about transcending something basic to make it something more thoughtful.”
See more photos from “Smoke & Mirrors” below.
Installation view of “Smoke & Mirrors” at Gabba Gallery. Photo courtesy of Gabba Gallery.
Justin Aversano, Four cups from “Smoke & Mirrors” (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Gabba Gallery.
Justin Aversano, portrait #41 from the series “Smoke & Mirrors” (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Gabba Gallery.
Justin Aversano, World from “Smoke & Mirrors” (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Gabba Gallery.
Justin Aversano, Knight of Staffs from “Smoke & Mirrors” (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Gabba Gallery.
Justin Aversano, portrait #64 from the series “Smoke & Mirrors” (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Gabba Gallery.
Installation view of “Smoke & Mirrors” at Gabba Gallery. Photo courtesy of Gabba Gallery.
“Smoke and mirrors” is on view at Gabba Gallery, 3126 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, through April 8.
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