When The Matrix actor Keanu Reeves was asked about what he thought about NFTs, he playfully laughed at the concept. But lo and behold—Reeves announced that he is joining his partner, Alexandra Grant, for an NFT-related project.
“I am honored to be joining Non-Fungible Labs’ efforts in cooperation with Alexandra Grant for the extraordinary program and opportunity of the Futureverse Foundation, in support of artists and creators globally,” said Reeves in a statement.
Grant is an artist whose work has been featured in several exhibits. She’s also an advisor to the Non-Fungible Labs foundation, and appears in a video to explain the initiative.
According to Grant, she talks about how NFTs can be used to bring artists into “a new possible economy”. They also aim to build “a metaverse where anyone can access and create in an open, rich, and diverse world”. The initiative’s first charitable grant gave art historian Nana Oforiatta Ayim EUR 100,000 to help her curate Ghana’s exhibition at an international art show in Venice.
“Funding for the arts is a challenge for every artist and arts non-profit. Dreaming up a new model for arts philanthropy with the Non-Fungible Labs team that can have a lasting impact in both the digital and real realms has been one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on, that has already had real impact… Our creative future is going to be lived between the real and the digital, and it’s our responsibility to include more people in that creative space,” said Grant.
Grant’s partner, Reeves, who is also an iconic actor, previously laughed in an interviewer’s face when being asked about NFTs. He remarked that NFTs, even if they “can’t be copied” can be “easily reproduced”.
NFTs, if you aren’t too familiar with the concept, are “non-fungible tokens”—and you need crypto to be able to purchase them. They are one-of-a-kind items you can’t get anywhere else, but technically (especially if the NFTs are just of jpegs or videos), people can still have copies of them. You can find out a little more about them through my feature.
However, NFTs are popular in the art community as more opportunities are given through NFTs than if artists were to sell art traditionally. NFTs can also be used for charitable reasons, so Reeves teaming up with his artist partner for this NFT-related project makes some sense. It’s just so interesting that he changed his mind about them really quickly.
Someone on Twitter even asked the foundation about Reeves’ change of heart. The company responded, “more than an NFT“.
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