Artwork
CryptoPunk #6669
CryptoPunk #8557
CryptoPunk #2073
CryptoPunk #4153
CryptoPunk #550
CryptoPunk #2646
CryptoPunk #3990
CryptoPunk #635
Chromie Squiggle #7583
On-chain algorithm, NFT, and Ethereum blockchain, 2020
Toledo Museum of Art, Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, by exchange, 2025.18
Artist and technologist Erick Calderon, known as Snowfro, created Chromie Squiggles, a vibrant, playful series of 10,000 unique works that depict a flowing line of color gradients. All share the same visual language but are distinct from one another. Some Squiggles have rarer traits, like single-color or full-spectrum patterns or varying designs like “bold” or “slinky.” Every piece reflects Snowfro’s vision of joy and simplicity in digital art.
Chromie Squiggles introduced a process known as “long-form generative art,” in which the artist crafts an algorithm capable of producing a near-infinite number of unique outputs. Like the Autoglyph series (on view nearby), the works are generated at the moment they’re minted. Not even the artist knows exactly what each piece will look like in advance. This process requires the artist to think deeply about how the code behaves across a large number of potential outputs to ensure every possible result is both unique and visually interesting.
CryptoPunk #6649
Custom software, still image, NFT, and Ethereum blockchain, 2017
Private collection
CryptoPunks is a series of 10,000 unique digital characters, each generated by an algorithm. Matt Hall and John Watkinson of Larva Labs wrote a computer program that combined various traits—hairstyles, accessories, facial expressions—to create each Punk. The algorithm determined the combinations, but Hall and Watkinson defined the parameters, deciding which traits to include and how rare certain features would be (like the handful of blue-skinned “alien” Punks).
CryptoPunks was among the first works linked to blockchain technology and one of the first prototypes of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Each has a unique identifier stored on Ethereum, one of the largest public blockchain platforms. This ensures its authenticity, ownership, and ownership history can be verified and traced. A decentralized digital marketplace is built into the work itself, allowing anyone in the world to buy, sell, and track the punks’ value. CryptoPunks has become a cultural phenomenon, influencing how we think about digital ownership, online identity, and the value of digital art.