Press | Phillips

Groundbreaking Artist Cassils Revealed to be Creator of $HT Coin, the Durational Performance Piece and NFT Series Previously Attributed to ‘White Male Artist’

NEW YORK – 27 JULY 2021 - Phillips is pleased to announce the true identity of the creator of the NFT art project $HT Coin. Initially launched by the anonymous and critically acclaimed White Male Artist (WMA), the project is the brainchild of Cassils, a Guggenheim Award-winning, transgender, Canadian-American performance artist. In an irreverent fashion rooted in a history of artists using technology in a critical way, $HT Coin questions how art engages with commerce and creates a dialogue around consumption.

For the entire month of July, Cassils has been eating a series of meals based on the diets of the most financially successful white male artists. Produced daily, each tin contains nutritional labels detailing the contents of what Cassils consumed within a 24-hour cycle. From July 1-28, a single can has been minted on the Ethereum blockchain and auctioned each day on the NFT marketplace Snark.art. On July 29–30, over a 24 hour period, Phillips will offer 5 NFTs and accompanying physical cans through an online-only auction for Banksy, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, and Cassils themself. Prior to the sale closing, the cans will be on display at 432 Park Avenue from 26-30 July.

Cassils, Photo Credit: Robin Black

$HT Coin directly refers to the Italian conceptual artist Piero Manzoni and his most famous piece, Merda D'Artista (Artist’s Shit), 1961, which is well known for its salacious satire of consumerism. Manzoni’s piece consisted of 90 cans, each filled with 30 grams of stool and were sold for the same price as 30 grams of 18-karat gold, which was about $37 at the time. Echoing Manzoni, the starting bid for each $HT Coin will be set at the weight of the shit in gold—30 grams, roughly $1,800 at today’s prices.

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ABOUT PHILLIPS

Phillips is a leading global platform for buying and selling 20th and 21st century art and design. With dedicated expertise in the areas of 20th Century and Contemporary Art, Design, Photographs, Editions, Watches, and Jewelry, Phillips offers professional services and advice on all aspects of collecting. Auctions and exhibitions are held at salerooms in New York, London, Geneva, and Hong Kong, while clients are further served through representative offices based throughout Europe, the United States and Asia. Phillips also offers an online auction platform accessible anywhere in the world. In addition to providing selling and buying opportunities through auction, Phillips brokers private sales and offers assistance with appraisals, valuations, and other financial services.

Visit www.phillips.com for further information.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium; prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium.

ABOUT SNARK.ART

Snark.art is a digital laboratory and innovative NFT marketplace that collaborates with international artists, curators, and artistic partners to explore creative possibilities of emerging technologies such as blockchain, AI, AR/VR, among others.

PRESS CONTACTS:

PHILLIPS – Magda Grigorian, Chief Communications Officer mgrigorian@phillips.com +1 212 940 1384

PHILLIPS – Jaime Israni, Public Relations Director, Americas jisrani@phillips.com +1 212 940 1398

CASSILS - pr@whitemaleartist.com

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VISIT US AT: www.phillips.com

27 July 2021

Groundbreaking Artist Cassils Revealed to be Creator of $HT Coin, the Durational Performance Piece and NFT Series Previously Attributed to ‘White Male Artist’