Vico is an award-winning artist whose paintings have captivated the art scene in the Philippines with his unique eye. Diagnosed with autism as a young boy, Vico has been able to use his fondness for art as a way to express himself. As it turns out, it’s also become a lifelong advocacy.
Vico had always loved to sketch on scratch paper. His sketches involve stick art of different people he’d see throughout his day and collected in shoeboxes by his mom, Cathy. As it turns out, this collection of sketches that Vico has been quietly working on for the past few decades might be one of the most significant pieces of his career.
“Shoebox Sketches” now numbers in the thousands, spans decades and continues to grow organically to this very day, as Vico draws these sketches on his time off every day. These sketches offer a glimpse into how Vico’s evolved throughout the years but also how he’s somehow found a way to stay consistently true to his unique style.
And in true Vico Cham fashion, this latest collection explores a new medium: NFTs. The choice of digitally adapting these sketches into the metaverse was an easy one to make and one look at the collection perfectly explains why.
The sketches are of a large volume with one cohesive style, all with their own unique traits.
While the sketches are all of the same theme, none of them are exactly the same.
In a world where rarity and unique characteristics are valued, this collection fits right in.
It’s as if these sketches were made specifically to be on the blockchain. Except they weren’t.
While most large NFT collections are generated by algorithms, the shoebox sketches are all hand drawn. The intent to create unique pieces to form a large collection was non-existent.
It was just a young boy’s way to pass the time and unleash his creative energy.
The “Shoebox Sketches” will be sold as “phygital” pieces, NFTs with a physical counterpart.
In addition, six paintings entitled “Cleopatra” will be sold with the collection. Future utility for Vico Cham NFT holders is also planned in the future, with access to giveaways of Vico’s past works as possible benefits for token holders. Proceeds of the sale will benefit Vico’s Artism Gallery and the No One in Need Movement Foundation.
