Hackatao

Minted by Hackatao in 2019

Vk_crypto (acquired from the above in 2019)

Acquired by Maxstealth in 2021

The digital artist duo Hackatao, formed in Milan in 2007, originally produced sculpture but transitioned to digital art in 2018, when they started minting animated GIFs on SuperRare, making them self-titled “OGs” of crypto art. Their name refers both to the practice of ‘hacking’, or the pleasure of discovering what lies beneath, and to the Yin and Yang of Tao. They have attracted a huge following in the NFT community for their playful and colorfully illustrated characters that reference historical and pop cultural phenomena, all with some element of the pair’s signature black and white line drawing pattern. In 2020, MaxStealth acquired Peepers, a standout work for the strange, monstrous figure’s overgrown head filled with eyes, all darting back and forth to stare at one spinning eye at the center. The message of the work is personal to its creators, who commented “when you do something out of the ordinary (like Cryptoart), everyone looks at you. It’s often embarrassing, but with time you get used to it.” In January 2021, MaxStealth expanded his collection of works by Hackatao, adding My Personal Monolith, a reference to Stanley Kubric’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Warhol Thinks Pop6, a tribute to the originator of Pop Art.