The Currency Exchange period is now closed.
One year ago Damien Hirst and HENI released The Currency. This project gave NFT holders one year to make a choice between the NFT and a corresponding physical artwork. Today at 3pm BST the exchange period for The Currency closed. The choices made by The Currency holders can not be changed.
The HENI team are full of gratitude and joy, after what has been a wonderful year of this project, filled with emotion and excitement. This project has brought so many traditional art lovers to the NFT world and opened up the traditional art world to NFT natives. What we have built together is incredible, and we're thrilled to be on this journey with all of you.
Today starts the next chapter of The Currency, and we look forward to the years ahead with this amazing community!
"The year is over - boom that was quick! and we have all had to decide: NFT or physical?
The final numbers are: 5,149 physical and 4,851 NFTs (meaning I will have to destroy 4,851 corresponding physical Tenders).
I have been all over the fucking shop with my decision making, trying to work out what I should do. In the beginning I had thought I would definitely choose all physical. Or most physical haha. Then I thought half-half and then I felt I had to keep all my 1,000 as NFTs and then all paper again and round and round I’ve gone, head in a spin.
I believe in art and art in all its forms but in the end I thought fuck it! this zone is so fucking exciting and the one I know least about and I love this NFT community. It blows my mind.
I have been in the physical art world a long time and I expect people to have agendas and shit, and I’ve seen a lot of bollox and I’m amazed at how this community breeds support and seems to care about shit so in the end I decided I have to keep all my 1000 currency as NFTs otherwise it wouldn’t carry on being a proper adventure for me and so I decided I need to show my 100 percent support and confidence in the NFT world (even though it means I will have to destroy the corresponding 1000 physical artworks). Eeeeeeeeek!
I still don’t know what I’m doing and I have no idea what the future holds, whether the NFTs or physicals are going to be more valuable or less. But that is art! the fun, part of the journey and maybe the point of the whole project.
Even after one year, I feel the journey is just beginning. I have already learnt so much and it’s only been a year and I am so proud to have created something alive, something mad and provocative and been a passenger (along with all the other participants in the currency) and to help build a fantastic community on HENI. Long may it last and I can’t wait for the next twists and turns.
The road is long and the world’s our oyster and all that! Who knows where but here we go!"
- Damien Hirst
