A digital artwork that has been described as a “surreal collision between the past and the future” with its image of a dilapidated Soviet-era sanatorium in the famous western Georgia resort of Tskaltubo , became the first NFT coin obtained by popular actor Jim Carrey.
The Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated comedian and actor revealed on Twitter on Wednesday that he got Dedicationa piece from the series by artist Ryan Koopmans The savage withinas its first non-fungible token coin.
In her tweet, Carrey thanked the artist for “gently capturing the exquisite and relentless reimagining of nature” with the image.
Koopmansa Dutch-Canadian creative, worked with Alice Wexell to introduce digital vegetation into a photograph of an interior of the abandoned sanatorium space, while altering the lighting and structure of the building. Erik Thome produced sound for the visual space, completing the multimedia piece reflecting the passage of time.
This one stops me. James Joyce said it was a good thing. Thanks @ryankoopmans to gently capture the exquisite and relentless reinvention of nature. BTW you are my first NFT. @Super rare https://t.co/jyFoD7nKSC pic.twitter.com/hXEoQ639Py
—Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) June 1, 2022
It’s the final work of the The savage within series that sought to breathe new life into abandoned Soviet-era buildings, with its depiction paying homage to Tskaltubo’s heritage as one of the USSR’s premier spa resorts that hosted state dignitaries and ordinary citizens between the 1940s and 1980s.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the tumultuous decade that followed, the station’s facilities were partially dismantled and left without maintenance, leaving their once-eye-catching classic architecture in disrepair.
While the sanatorium buildings have enjoys popularity among international visitors and Online media publishing on the ‘New East’, their condition has so far prevented the venue from resuming its former role, but new plans have recently been drawn up to revitalize the former resort town.
The latter included a presentation on Tuesday of the latest updates around a project to renovate the site and boost tourism in the region, involving architects and designers and organized as part of the annual celebration of design and Italian architecture in Tbilisi.