ViciNFT, a blockchain startup looking to fulfill on NFTs for the common good, launched an NFT collection in collaboration with transformative artist Dr & Master Zhi Gang Sha, reaching $10 million in sales. The collection ranked among the top 30 on OpenSea in 2021, with resales listed as high as 500 ETH – well into the millions of dollars – on OpenSea.
Dr & Master Zhi Gang Sha, popularly known as Master Sha, is one of the world’s leading Tao calligraphy artists and decided to partner with ViciNFT to provide calligraphy enthusiasts with the option to acquire a digital image of the “Tao Ye Chang Sheng” and a video of the creation process. The NFT is the result of bringing the latest blockchain technology and millennia of tradition which Master Sha first learned the ancient form of single-stroke Yi Bi Zi calligraphy from Professor Li Qiu Yun. Professor Li had learned the art from Tai Shi, the teacher of the emperor’s and royal family’s children during the Qing Dynasty, the last imperial dynasty in China.
“One stroke” calligraphy is a favorite among connoisseurs due to the attributes that Taoist lore attributes to it, such as purity, positivity, and more. Now, personalities like entrepreneur David Meltzer are known for having their own Tao Calligraphy sharing the benefits, which has encouraged others to be part of the blockchain taking the concept of “art beyond art” even further.
Cofounded by famed literary agent, Bill Gladstone, back in 2021, ViciNFT guides creators and enterprises through the process of developing and distributing their NFTs in a manner that is carbon neutral and helps charities by donating 25% of the profit. Mr. Gladstone said about the partnership between Master Sha and ViciNFT:
“I have worked closely with Master Sha for more than a decade and become enamored with his art. Great works of art such as Picasso’s Guernica and Michelangelo’s statue of David are transformative for the viewer. That is why they are timeless and priceless. I experience this same level of awe and enjoyment when viewing Master Sha’s calligraphies. With the release of this first calligraphy NFT, the secret within his transformative art, art beyond art, will no longer be a secret.”
In an interview with Grit Daily back in May of 2021, Mr. Gladstone talked about the relevance of NFTs in the content economy, as well as about how his unique experience as a literary agent has provided him with unique insight when it comes to implementing the technology to help artists succeed in the NFT ecosystem.
With NFTs becoming increasingly relevant in the art world, concierge services like the one provided by ViciNFT are likely to become more popular among artists and collectors looking to transact without recurring to cryptocurrencies, especially as regulators continue to closely monitor the entirety of the ecosystem. This demand has allowed the startup to grow rapidly since its founding as more authors and artists entrust their creations to the ViciNFT team, which in the case of Master Sha also led to more than $1.3 million being donated to charity.
