Uncharted Waters by Dave Pollot

Dave Pollot is NY based artist and former software engineer known for his seamless addition of contemporary life/pop culture icons into traditional backgrounds (most often using oil paints and found/thrifted paintings). What initially began as a joke between him and his wife in 2012 quickly became a desire to answer a question: Could he change the meaning of an unwanted piece of artwork without drastically altering its aesthetic and make it wanted again? Since that time he’s completed hundreds of paintings and his work has been displayed and found in homes, galleries, businesses, and private collections in all 50 states and in over 40 countries around the world. His work has attracted attention from the media both in the U.S. and abroad, including Business Insider, Instagram, Hypebeast, HiFructose, the SyFy Channel, and more. His corporate clients include SONY, Instagram, McDonalds, New Balance and others.

About the collection: 'Although I started drawing/painting at a very early age, I’ve always loved the tech space and ultimately chose to pursue a degree in computer science - after which I spent fifteen years writing software for a living. In early 2018, I left the tech space to focus on my art full time but have always dreamed of connecting the two worlds. The NFT/crypto space has provided the framework I’m using to build that bridge. '

'Uncharted Waters' is my first release with Nifty Gateway. The collection was created using a mix of traditional and digital mediums and is meant to capture my introduction and navigation through the crypto/NFT space as a creator while trying to reflect the collective experience of collectors and observers. All three pieces (and the variants) are new works in a series I’ve been creating for a few years now called 'Oil and Water' wherein I’ve added graffiti tags to the sails of vintage sailing ships. In this collection, the tags all relate to the crypto and NFT space.

Each piece represents a chapter of sorts - 'Embark' (drawn digitally) captures my experience refamiliarizing myself with the underlying technologies and pays homage to the early innovators upon which this new world was built. 'Navigate & Explore' (painted first with variants drawn digitally) focuses on the artists and collectors (both known and newly discovered to me) that truly defined the ecosystem and fundamentally shifted the contemporary art paradigm. 'HODL the Course' (drawn digitally and then painted) is a playful commentary on the general mood shift through the troubled waters of a volatile market (e.g., tags suggesting that Judas may have paperhanded Jesus for 30 pieces of silver). It’s also meant to capture my experience trying to better understand the market as a whole.

Each NFT includes a physical, limited edition print, signed and numbered. (excluding 'Navigate & Explore' 1/1 which includes the original painting). The top bidder on the silent auction, 'HODL the Course', will have their print be hand embellished in oil paint. Those holding an NFT on June 4th (2 weeks following the release) will be eligible for the physical print (no additional charge). Artist will arrange shipping directly with clients via e-mail - holders must respond in order to receive print. Shipping will be covered, however, VAT/duties may be due on international shipments and are the responsibility of the buyer.

The collection is also meant to start a larger story which subsequent releases will continue…