Fans can now own a piece of MF DOOM’s legacy by purchasing one-of-a-kind art pieces.
On Thursday, Illust Space announced a partnership with Rhymesayers Entertainment and DOOM’s wife Jasmine Dumile. Together, she and the marketplace are auctioning off a series of signed, augmented reality MF DOOM masks in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFT).
NFTs are a blockchain standard that uses digital contracts to assign attribution rights to artwork, digital collectibles, and unique items. Each NFT/mask can be purchased, sold, and traded like a physical object yet still retain its certification of provenance as the object changes hands.
NFTs have become a trend for certain entertainers. Christie’s Auctions sold one for a record $131,250 in 2020 and Paris Hilton a digital painting of her cat, Munchkin, in the same year. And just this week, the digital artist Beeple sold one for a staggering $69 million at Christie’s. Because of their success, experts believe NFTs could be the future of monetizing art.
“We are living in this ubiquitous digital layer now,” Illust Space’s CCO Tim Prochak said to Decrypt. “We don’t quite realize it, but if you look at the numbers of people using augmented reality every day, this is happening.”
MF DOOM first introduced the concept to his fans shortly before his passing in October 2020. The first edition of augmented reality DOOM masks was a hit when initially auctioned around the world leading his wife to revamp the idea.
The auction for the new DOOM AR masks will begin at 4 p.m. PST on Thursday and will end on Friday at 10 p.m. The pieces are expected to be worth $15,000-$75,000. Ten percent of total proceeds will go back to MF DOOM’s estate in the form of royalties to fund future projects along with individual donations from current holders of the mask.
