Blade Running

In a dystopian future, retired cop Rick Deckard is brought back to his old job of hunting down replicants, genetically engineered beings designed for off-world exploration. As he tracks down a group of replicants who have come to Earth illegally, he begins to question his own humanity and the morality of his actions. Blade Runner was released on June 25, 1982 and explores themes of identity, empathy, and the consequences of scientific advancement. 39 years later, Dangiuz mints his first artwork on SuperRare titled 'Grand Challenge' and begins an exploration in the kinds of worlds foretold by Blade Runner.

Let's explore a few 2023 editions by Dangiuz before revisiting one of my favorite 1/1s and his most recent mint.

Conquering My Fears

If you feel vertigo while being drawn into looking upwards in  'Conquering My Fears', you are not alone. Vertigo is the point. Vertigo is a feeling of weightlessness, of being detached from any meaningful grounding. Yet here the main character surfs the digital waves despite the hundreds of peering red eyes looking down.

447 frens picked up at least one of the 529 editions of 'Conquering My Fears' as part of the Noble Gallery Drop. I don't often mention price, in MintFace articles because it is not the thing that matters, yet I'm compelled to mention that being able to own a Dangiuz edition for less than 0.03 is a gift. If you look closely, you might recognise an 'Afterburn' by XCOPY nestled in the middle right of this futuristic scene.

"My fears are the only thing that stand between me and my dreams" Dangiuz

Bloodbath

A girl looks out to the horizon and contemplates the world she inhabits, filled with cataclysmic messaging and a dusting of sexual innuendo. What do we make of this? She appears positioned safely away from the edge of an upper deck hotel swimming pool. Her drink and straw is balanced on the pool edge untouched. Maybe the message here is one can look on at the bloodbath of crypto from afar and be undeterred.

Dangiuz x Babylon is a 78 edition artwork minted on 15th February 2023 as part of the relatively new Babylon Collection by P Azuro. Neither of these editions contain the element of Dangiuz art that garners the most attention.

The black cat.

A Breath of Fresh Air

The black cat peers towards the viewer in an acknowledgement of our presence. If feels us and expects as to respond in kind. The dulled tones dispense with the bright neon lights in favour of a leafy green yet firmly futuristic sky suburb.

The apartment manages to feel clinical, further honing in the emotive draw of Dangiuz' black cat. Such is the beauty of contrast and comparison with the smallest smidgen of a hint.

4,695 editions of 'A Breath of Fresh Air' exists so it is the most accessible edition of the six Dangiuz has released in 2023 on his own contract. There are five more all with meow meow black cat, that together make a beautiful set.

Ok, so up unitl now it has all been editions editions. Wen 1/1 Dangiuz szn? Now.

Bridge of Death

The night sky lights the way as the city lights go dark on the three main subjects. Hands on hips, they seem to be pondering a decision. "What now?" "How to cross over?" While the upper bridge that was being built has now collapsed, taking its travellers with it, the group seem marooned.

Below is a bridge of the old days. It remains intact. A jetty is also present albeit in the heavenly shadows of Rome's fallen angel. Maybe the path to cross to the other side is not the high risk bridge in the sky....but instead... it is to clamber down to the traditional bridge and make the longer yet more durable crossing. Dangiuz suggests his views in the description of Bridge of Death:

""Whether the sun is absent or blinds me with its rays, the only compass for my travels is the night sky." Dangiuz

Congratulations to the collectooor Spartan Black who picked up Bridge of Death for 30 eth merely 24 hours after Dangiuz minted it on April 6th 2023.

Act of Kindness

By far my favorite of Dangiuz, perhaps having invested so much time curating the Futuristic themed galleries in OM... is 'Act of Kindness'. The aqua and vermillion color palette melds into each other perfectly, letting the violet whale float freely in the upper right. Yes, I did just mention fancy color names for green, red and purple. Can you see the three people again? The narrative may shift, yet the symbolism Dangiuz dances with reappear in subtle new ways.

The bridge isn't yet built here in Act of Kindness minted on February 2nd 2022. There are many hovercraft ready to pick up passengers...and maybe that is the metaphor here. The people are not waiting to cross the bridge, they are waiting for their hovercraft to arrive.

In near focus we see the cat and her likely feline owner in silhouette against the panes of glass reflecting a long day of rain, blurring the distant scene into a otherly glow. The absolute vibes of this piece has to be studied on zoom. Look at those cat whiskers. Meow indeed.

“It’s late night and I’m coming back home after meeting my schoolmate. I couldn’t help noticing a stray cat in the entrance hall, right out of the elevator. There are bowls with food and water, but it’s so cold and humid... It looks so neglected. Poor thing. I can’t leave it here... You'll come home with me and you’ll sleep next to me tonight. And tomorrow. And forever.”

This is the world of Dangiuz, a 26 year young artist who imagines our Cyberpunk inhabited future long before we inhabit it.