Learn about the digital renaissance of onchain art through the visionary vantage point of Cozomo de’ Medici, a prolific and notorious anonymous collector. Mint on onchainsummer.xyz/fwb

"My story started by accident,” recalls the anonymous art collector known only as Cozomo de’ Medici. “I found this growing community of digital artists in the summer of 2021 like so many others. Back then, digital art was bundled together with all sorts of speculative projects. Two years later, digital art is its own category, with a growing ecosystem of collectors, artists and builders.”

Over those years, Cozomo has amassed a collection of art worth millions of dollars, donated notable works to the LACMA, and had his identity questioned again and again (at one point, Twitter was convinced he was Snoop Dogg — which Snoop Dogg teasingly affirmed). Yet beyond the speculation, Cozomo has proven himself to be a forward-thinking visionary who’s capable of recognizing the power of both the past and the future. "I'm grateful to stand on the shoulders of those who paved this path for us all,” says Cozomo, “The artists minting work that wouldn’t even sell for pennies at the time. Things like Cryptopunks that were free to claim. It’s those early creatives who are the real visionaries of this movement."

It’s because of this deep level of understanding in the art space that Cozomo was asked by FWB, a social community of creatives and artists, to curate their contribution to Onchain Summer. Cozomo commissioned DeeKay Motion, a master animator and one of the definitive stars of the digital art movement, to create ‘New Era’. “To commemorate the launch of such a significant step for the onchain space,” says Alex Zhang, the Mayor of FWB, “we wanted to bring together two major figures of the ecosystem.” Cozomo himself owns several pieces of DeeKay’s collection, one of which was acquired for $1 million dollars in April of 2022. "And now DeeKay has created something that everyone can have in their wallet," says Cozomo excitedly.

So what is Cozomo’s vision for the future?

"We’ve seen major museums embrace crypto art, digitally native artists sell works at major auction houses, traditional art collectors acquire digital works into their collection, and much more. So I see Onchain Summer as a manifestation of how far we have come."

Yet he believes we have a long way to go. "What is holding some artists and collectors back,” says Cozomo, “is the actual chain. Not too long ago, artists couldn't afford to mint new art, as the transaction fees on ETH were too high. That cost would be priced into the artwork. That’s what makes the idea of Base exciting: A secure chain that is affordable to millions of artists, that can be collected by billions worldwide. That is what will allow this movement to rise even further.”

Cozomo hopes that many more follow in his footsteps and participate in this burgeoning digital renaissance. "The odds of you being alive at the birth of a major art movement is close to zero,” says Cozomo. “If you are participating in Onchain Summer, you are not only here to see the birth of a major art movement, but you are actually able to help shape it. That to me is incredibly exciting."