HONG KONG.- With Valentine’s Day approaching, Phillips will present My Kawaii Valentine: Online Auction offering works that explore the themes of cuteness, companionship, self-appreciation, sexuality and depictions of flowers that are the classic symbol of love. Open for bidding from 14-22 February, this thoughtfully curated gift guide is designed for seasoned collectors, millennials, and Gen Z to celebrate their quest for innovation and passion for pop art. The sale not only features paintings and prints by in-demand artists such as Yoshitomo Nara, Mr.Doodle, Tomoo Gokita, Katherine Bernhardt, and Edgar Plans, but also offers 6 NFTs of art created by artists from diverse backgrounds including MonoC, Maciej Kuciara, Lili Tae and Pomme Chan.

Among the NFTs in the sale is Drowning in Love, the world’s first NFT created by a virtual artist, MonoC, using real-time auction data. As bids and views come in for Phillips’ My Kawaii Valentine: Online Auction, a minimum of 100,000 data points will drive algorithms rendering the NFT. This means how each lot performs during the auction will directly influence the final form of MonoC’s artistic vision. During the 7 days of the online auction, Drowning in Love will be seen as a live tele-cast embedded into the Phillips website, from which viewers can witness the work being rendered by unique datapoints as they are gathered. For this ground-breaking artistic endeavour, Phillips works with Hong Kong’s homegrown BrandTech firm Gusto Collective who created MonoC, as well as leading Hong Kong composer Terrence Ma (T-Ma) who composed generative accompanying music for Drowning in Love, whose final form will similarly be dictated by a data-driven algorithm. With an opening bid of HK$1,000, Drowning in Love will be sold as a 1/1 unique NFT in the format of a video (approximately 2.5 minutes) on 22 February 2022 to the highest bidder. The carbon footprint of the work will be offset via a donation to Agrocortext Forest and Wildlife Conservation in Amazonas, to be calculated by Offsetra.

Other NFT highlights of the sale include Her Body is Metal by Polish digital artist Maciej Kuciara, who has established his artistic style and process, merging cutting edge 3D graphics with traditional art and animation aesthetics that result in a unique visual experience. Her Body is Metal is the second NFT to be released from Kuciara’s Showtime Universe series, a culmination of the artist’s decade long experience as an award-winning Hollywood film designer, his lifelong passion in art and his constant pursuit of artistic and filmmaking excellence. Drawing inspiration from her subconscious mind, Lili Tae is a Bangkok based illustrator who transfers her experiences through mellow strokes and soothing yet vibrant colors. Tae’s Love, Me offered in the My Kawaii Valentine sale is inspired by Japanese schoolgirl magazines that showed girls giving their crushes cute confections that felt special. The girl depicted in this piece represents all the love, gifts, and feelings that Valentine’s Day represented for the artist.

Also highlighting the sale is a unique work by Tomoo Gokita, Fake Cezanne #1, which masterfully captures the acclaimed Japanese contemporary artist’s aptitude for observation. As alluded to by the present work’s title, the composition pays homage to post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne, whose still-life works have long been recognised as amongst the most distinguished lines of artistic inquiry in the history of modern painting. New York-based artist Gina Beavers is celebrated for her punchy, tactile work inspired by images culled from the internet. Painted in 2019, Ultimate Smokey Eye is a prime example of the artist’s exploration into the performative aspect of make-up tutorials and how people choose to portray themselves online.

In 2021, online sales assembled by Phillips Asia saw an exceptional 96% sell-through rate, with more than a third of lots sold above their high estimates. The auctions set world records for artists such as Edgar Plans and Joan Cornellà. And it only continues to grow, as the total sales surpassed 2020's by 74%. The online sales have also significantly expanded Phillips Asia’s client base, with over 40% of the buyers in each online auction being new to Phillips.

Bidding for My Kawaii Valentine: Online Auction begins on 14 February 9pm HKT and will begin closing on 22 February at 6 pm HKT.