Art, Propaganda, and Cryptocurrencies: welcome to the universe of hodlcrypto
By: Lucho Poletti
Tags: Crypto, Artist, Bitcoin, Propaganda, Cryptocurrency

Crypto artist, hodlcrypto

“He is a self-described cryptocurrency advocate, and despite having a master’s degree in science of finance, his current job has one objective: to convince as many people as possible about the potential of cryptocurrencies through art. To do this, he has developed an artistic propaganda project promoting the use of cryptocurrency, under the pseudonym hodlcrypto.”

Published in spanish by CriptoNoticias and authored by Javier Bastardo (criptobastardo).

CriptoNoticias had the opportunity to talk with artist Luis Poletti , who said that despite having completed high-level studies, nothing he studied then is part of what he does now. “It’s pretty ironic,” he said.

For him, this training taught him that economies need central banks for stability, while his own research showed him that these institutions are “the root of evil in this world”.

“I would say that more importantly, everything I learned opened my mind to the idea of ​​Bitcoin, ” he said. He currently lives in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he settled in order to better develop his cryptocurrency art project.

Before devoting himself completely to this crypto art and propaganda project, he developed a line of similar designs, but with an eminently political theme named “pololitics“: “My career in digital art and previous projects focused on political issues such as media manipulation, conspiracies, and the banking system, “he said, assuring that the art inspired by propaganda also “matches well” with his personality.

One of his emblematic designs combines the masks of Guy Fawkes and Fsociety with Bitcoin. (Source: hodlcrypto.)

“It’s important to take risks as an artist and not be conventional, as long as it’s authentic. My art, besides being my work, is my life project. I’m consumed by it. This is not something I’m doing to seek short-term rewards or gratification. I am doing this because I believe firmly in the future of cryptocurrencies, and if I devote my energy to this, the effects will remain even after my physical death.” Luis Poletti Cryptoartist, Aka hodlcrypto

According to him, he began using Bitcoin in 2015 but his first investment was made in early 2017. For him, Bitcoin is the central currency, which opened the way for the multiplicity of cryptocurrency projects that currently exist.

“For me, Bitcoin is king (…) Every other coin and token owes Bitcoin something for the creation of the blockchain, ” he stressed, although he was also interested in other projects such as IOTA due to the potentialities of the Internet of Things and its relationship with the cryptocurrencies.

Power to the people, Decentralize, and Be Your Own Bank (Source: hodlcrypto)

In addition, blockchain technology and its operation at the service of Bitcoin has proved to be a success, especially after 9 years of the implementation of the project designed by Satoshi Nakamoto. On the latter, Poletti affirmed what he “constantly glorifies” through his works of art.

“Satoshi is the anonymous father of the cryptocurrency movement and demonstrated tremendous foresight in the way he built the economic incentives into securing the Bitcoin network (i.e. mining) and wrote a code that has survived 10 years now without a successful attack. In my opinion it is the “digital gold” that backs the value of all other cryptocurrency.” Luis Poletti Cryptoartist, Aka hodlcrypto

ART AND INFLUENCES

Source: Shepard Fairey, Obey

The artist said that his influences are varied, taking the best from different thinkers and academics from different areas of knowledge.

Thus, his work has been influenced by philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche , propagandists such as Edward Bernays , linguists such as Noam Chomsky , psychologists such as Carl Jung , and even comedians such as George Carlin , who coexist in the artist’s imagination with writers such as George Orwell , Aldous Huxley, and Ayn Rand .

In addition, regarding the propaganda style , he claimed to have used Shepard Fairey, aka OBEY: “The ideas obtained from these works always go through my mind when I conceptualize images,” Poletti said.

Advertising and war propaganda (especially that of the World War 2), the word art of Barbara Kruger , the Russian posters of Rene Mederos , and more recently Eugenia Loli are among the references in the pantheon of his crypto propagandistic inspiration.

“Eugenia Loli does a great job juxtaposing different images in a way that provokes thought” explained Poletti. Source of the Image: Eugenia Loli .

As for cryptocurrencies, he explains that John McAfee, Charlie Lee, and Dan Larimer are currently his main references, qualifying McAfee as “the face” of the ecosystem.

With all these influences to to draw from, hodlcrypto constitutes a positive propaganda movement in favor of cryptocurrencies, where the handling of colors, symbols and composition are interspersed with words, since, according to Poletti, a “great part “of his inspiration comes from written word:” I use words as a central communication vehicle and images are the complement “, he emphasized.

“I find the word ‘HODL’ quite versatile, in addition to its ability to capture the attention of outsiders.

“In a way, ‘HODL’ is my version of ‘OBEY’, and I found it to be the perfect command to use in propaganda designed for the cryptocurrency movement,” he said.

“One of my main ideas is to use direct language and join these phrases with the command ‘HODL’ or ‘HODL CRYPTO’ to force people to confront the subject of using cryptocurrency. Also, it reminds current users of cryptocurrencies who are concerned about short-term price fluctuations to think long term.” Luis Poletti

Recall that HODL is a word originated within the bitcoin community, derived from a typographical error of the word “hold”, in reference to the strategy of not selling the cryptocurrencies that are owned in spite of price corrections over time. In his work, it has become as important as Fairey’s OBEY, being the “perfect command” for the case of cryptocurrencies.

“Language is a powerful tool and using it wisely can be crucial to awaken some emotion. Most of the time, words are the centerpiece of my work. ” Source: hodlcrypto.

In addition, he said he likes to give his own spin to catchy phrases or quotes , use sensational headlines or slogans, and sometimes even put words in people’s mouths, as in a recent piece he made in reference to the American investor, Warren Buffett calling Bitcoin rat poison .

The logic of US investor Warren Buffet, who described Bitcoin as “rat poison”. Source: hodlcrypto.

THE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE AND THE POTENTIAL OF CRYPTOCURRENCIES IN ART

He explained that Bitcoin has changed his life because it served as a means of investment to abandon his corporate career and pursue his two passions to “create art and promote the cryptocurrency movement.” Poletti said he was not afraid to take this risk, for something “I believe in and am passionate about”. “For me life is about creating and sharing, rather than acquiring wealth,” he said.

A Run on the Bank (Source: hodlcrypto)

His propaganda and activism reflect a conviction that cryptocurrencies have a promising future. The tipping point in the adoption and use of cryptocurrencies can come from a strong response to the financial monopoly of banking and the end of the economy managed by the Central Banks. That possibility is worth the effort. But we need to continue convincing more nocoiners “to HODL”.

For him, it is necessary that those who participate in stable and productive economies can see the current scenario of cryptocurrencies and understand the benefits to start using them: “this implies the understanding of how central banks work in the way of systematically devaluing the physical currency and how blockchain technology and decentralized networks can solve this problem, “he argued.

“Art can be used to effectively direct the public’s attention to cryptocurrencies and help them learn about them and how important they are. This is what I am mainly focused on.” Luis Poletti

But it is not a technological fever, nor a snobbish movement . According to him, one of the most important elements of cryptocurrencies is the possibility of exchanging value directly and among peers , which can facilitate the emergence of a new economy, as well as support for all artists around the world.

Despite his perspective on the future and the potential he sees in cryptocurrencies, the artist also weighed the difficulties facing his development. Poletti pointed out two main difficulties: “the first is the scalability of the blockchain technology and for that we already have the most brilliant minds in the world to solve it. The second is adoption. ”

Currency Independence (Source: hodlcrypto)

As he said, art becomes “an instrument, and in my opinion is necessary and vital” to encourage the adoption of cryptocurrencies . As he explained, people tend to be resistant to change, and “if they do not have a reason directly in front of their face to start using cryptocurrencies they will not do it.”

However he clarified that an exception to this may be countries like Venezuela, “due to their economic situation led people to use bitcoin and other types of cryptocurrencies to escape the effects of inflation,” he said.

Poletti said he uses bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies, and predicted that “in the next decade, all traditional currencies, including the US dollar, will be replaced by cryptocurrencies”, as these instruments solve many of the problems of fiat currencies, assuring that it is “a truism” that the time of the old paradigm of money is almost over.

In that sense, he said that he only has one doubt left, whether they will be decentralized cryptocurrencies or fiat-cryptographic currencies. “I only have one question left, and that is if the decentralized cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Monero, etc. they will remain at the top, or if the centralized fiat-equivalent cryptocurrencies will be created and ordered by global governments for all people to use.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES AND NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR ART

But just as art is a vehicle to encourage adoption, cryptocurrencies have also generated a transformation in art: “they have created a new way of appropriating pieces of collectible crypto-digital art,” as in the case of CryptoKitties . In addition, he said, is currently working with a crypto collectibles platform called ” Fan Bits “, where fans can get unique and limited pieces of art that are in the block of Ethereum and that are impossible to duplicate.

According to him, he has known the work of Pascal Boyart, aka PBOY and his system of collecting Bitcoins , complimenting the work he is doing in Paris, France, and adding that “the donation system is also very ingenious”.

He himself will undertake a street art project, with pieces aimed at the general public. “My idea is to create propaganda that will capture the viewer’s attention in such a way that it helps them to see the subject of cryptocurrencies in a new light, which will make them more likely to start using them. Once I start applying art to the streets, I will consider using a similar donation system for PBOY, “he said.

“I suppose that the users of existing cryptocurrencies will appreciate the art that promotes the movement of cryptocurrencies and that perhaps they want to donate”, he emphasized. In addition, he also said that he could soon work on Rare Pepe Art , highlighting the potential of the artistic community associated with this movement.

“The artistic community of Rare Pepe is paving the way for the blockchain art market. The artists that are getting involved now with the art of cryptocurrencies will be at the forefront as they gain popularity “, he emphasized.

Dimon, Buffet and other traditionally anti-cryptocurrency characters are part of the symbolic arsenal of hodlcrypto.

Finally, Poletti assured that “we are living a very important moment in art”. He added: “I believe that I belong to a generation of ‘warriors’ and we are in the process of challenging and changing the old system (…)

The interest that now exists in art has reached new levels. More people are relating art as a reaction to new technologies and certain negative elements that this entails “.

Poletti emphasizes in his designs and writings the need for users to investigate on their own. Art has served as a vehicle to carry this message.

DYOR (Source: hodlcrypto)

For him, despite the consumerist nature of today’s world, art still continues to move human beings, generating authentic and real feelings. ” People need creative experiences both physically and in the digital world that allow them to create a connection with art and help them feel something,” he said.

Originally published at hodlcrypto.co on June 4, 2018.