The Currency: Chronicles Vol. 1

A curated collection of essays, artworks and personal anecdotes inspired by the first year of Damien Hirst’s The Currency. With a foreword by Stephen Fry and over 150 ‘Chronicles’ created by members of the HENI Discord community.

Initially composed of 10,000 NFTs corresponding to 10,000 unique paintings, The Currency posed the question through the involvement of thousands of collectors: which is more valuable, the physical or digital artwork? Collectors had to decide whether to keep their NFT or swap for the physical counterpart. Once swapped, the NFT would be metaphorically burned. Similarly, any paintings remaining at the end of the project in July 2022 will be destroyed.

On the day The Currency was announced, a moderated Discord channel was launched simultaneously. Since then, the enthusiasm and dedication of members of this community has developed a culture around the project, and this vibrant community composed of thousands of members worldwide have shared their thoughts on and experience of The Currency. These personal, organic narratives are the 'Chronicles’ which form the backbone of this book. This supportive tight-knit community debate the fundamental question of values and belief as well as sharing touching personal accounts of life experiences, stories of holidays, charity fundraising and memes of Elmo. Chronicles is a diverse record of the impact The Currency had on the lives of this community and the friendships and bonds it has created.

The project has spanned 6 years and culminates in an installation at London’s Newport Street Gallery where the discarded physical paintings will be burned.

This is volume one. The Currency Discord community continues to be very active. The next steps will be celebrated in future volumes. Join the conversation at discord.com/HENI.