The first NFT-powered MetaHistory Museum Of War
An interview with VK, one of the founders of Ukraine’s MetaHistory NFT platform
In Ukraine, the acronym “NFT” no longer stands just for Non-Fungible Token but also for “Never Forget This”. Earlier this year, the Meta Museum: History of War project, with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture, was launched to document the Russo-Ukrainian war while raising funds for Ukraine’s defense and humanitarian efforts. It’s been done by dropping NFT art collections that feature the works of both local and international visual artists chronicling the war in sequence, with each token going for 0.15 ETH. Since its first NFT drop, the platform has raised more than $1.2 million for the Charity Foundation of Serhiy Prytula and Aid For Ukraine, the crypto fund established by the country’s Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, KUNA, and Everstake. The primary “Warline” project also joined MetaHistory’s other NFT collection, Avatars For Ukraine. Launched in May, the charity collection features symbolic representations of “the spirit of Ukraine in its fight for existence” that have been created by several video game designers.
“Lions in the wild have no name. I am nobody special, just a faceless avatar – VK, who wants to draw needed help to his motherland and hopefully set an example of mission and values as well as change NFT culture worldwide.” VK, one of the founders of Meta Museum: History of War, opens up in a sincere conversation with Arterritory.com about a project that caused a stir in the arts and tech community worldwide.
Meta History Museum of War
What is your background?
My professional background is in traffic arbitrage, but I have many areas of expertise. I have even written political speeches and worked as a stylist. I haven’t met anyone more intelligent than me [laughs].
My mother thought I was a bit weird as a child. I hugged trees, talked to the sky, ran marathons with the wind and myself, and read books. A lot of books.
You seem just fine to me.
It is hard to be me, but I am at peace with myself.
There is a poem by English novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling titled “If”’, and it finishes with the following lines:
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!
Simply put, I’m trying to be a human being.
Serhii Holtvianskyi. Courtesy Meta History Museum of War
Are you in Kyiv at the moment?
I am now, and so is most of our team. For a few months at the beginning of the war, I left Kyiv with my family and went to a forest village in the Vinnytsia region. There I focused on the MetaHistory project.
I had a difficult six months before the war began. I had no reason to have a heavy heart; I’m young, healthy, and pretty much everything is OK in my life. When the war started, everything clicked; all these months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I felt foreboding, and I wasn’t just depressed. It was all about sensitivity.
What about the 2014 annexation of Crimea? Did you feel alarmed then too?
No. On February 24, mostly everyone felt it would be much more severe this time.
Vlada Hladkova. AZOVSTAL. Courtesy Meta History Museum of War - Avatars For Ukraine
“Meta” is a word that pops up daily in one context or another. It’s clear to me that your team is contributing to the history of writing about history. Tell me about the beginning of the MetaHistory project.
Meta has nothing to do with Meta by Zuckerberg; it is based on the notion of metanoia or the change of perspective.
On the second day of the war, I took the train from Kyiv to Lviv with a friend. The train was so packed. Unimaginable. It was an unprecedented experience. Unique. The Latin word experior means I go through. Someone who wasn’t there on the train cannot fully understand or imagine the circumstances we were confronted with.
My companion and I started to generate ideas on how to be helpful.
As you know, Ukrainian men have been banned from leaving the country and have been urged to join the army. I have never fought with another person, neither as a boy or a man. I am not a warrior; I’m not someone who can take a weapon and kill someone, but I work with large data sets and am well connected, so I approached competent, like-minded people to establish a group with a common aim – to tell the truth through visual creatives. While brainstorming, a friend of mine, a bright mathematician, called me, and there were not just unfortunate circumstances connecting us but synchronicity as well. That’s how it arose – the idea to create something unique with blockchain and NFTs, and reach millions inside Russia and worldwide.
Erlikh Dima. New Russian war crime with a tweet from @DefenceU. Courtesy Meta History Museum of War
Unique? It seems that the NFT “gold rush” has swept the art world.
Do you know the feeling of a pure, untouched blanket of snow under your feet?
Seeing a few footprints seems to ruin the magic. Making those first fresh footprints in the snow is a great feeling. You’re an explorer blazing a new trail, and frankly, I’m not a follower.
At the NFT conference in Kyiv, I saw the death of art. In my opinion, these first pages of digital attempts to monetize art seem childish, ugly, and frankly, disappointing. Art is essential to me. My favorite painter is Mark Rothko. Rothko was interested in the big emotions – tragedy, ecstasy, doom. Today, serious people – business people, investors, and art collectors – are buying CyberPunk Apes. This is not serious; it’s not responsible. We at MetaHistory aim to preserve the artworks of the war in Ukraine and beyond – immutable, on the blockchain, and forever – for future generations. We want to honor actual people, the real heroes defending Ukraine. This project is, for me, beautiful and meaningful on all levels.
Jona Schmidt. PROSPECT 100 #6. Courtesy Meta History Museum of War
What revelations has the project brought?
Tiffany & Co released CryptoPunk pendants, which are expensive and ugly trinkets. It seems that people are progressively losing both their taste and values. Moreover, what will be the future of the arts?
We have a new take on the role of art in society – it must be relevant, courageous, activist, and eternal. I’m asking why we haven’t had even bigger sales with such a beautiful and purposeful project like MetaHistory. I want an answer!
We offered Elon Musk a unique token of gratitude for providing us with Starlink satellites. However, there was radio silence from him. If he had accepted it, our NFT would blow up, and we could make a difference. Elon Musk is not intelligent. Without a doubt, he is a bright man. But no intelligent person would want to run away to Mars when Earth is crumbling. You should first make order here on Earth and help this home.
Anton Filyk. Courtesy Meta History Museum of War
To be intelligent means having the ability to read between the lines. Musk’s humor isn’t great, nor can he read between the lines. I can’t help but wonder, did he himself decide to share the Starlink satellites, or did his PR team tell him to do it… or maybe the US government...?
Everybody who cares about this world and has trust in NFTs must mint one NFT for supporting Ukraine. It’s not just about monetary help; it is more about the utilities of NFTs and purpose. You help restore us through donations, and we open doors to you through which to see the heritage, culture, values, and beauty we are fighting for today.
There have been people willing to invest money for me to expand, and I asked them – what do you mean by “helping me”? Have you ever been to a country at war? Stop being, for a second, a pragmatic businessman. At the beginning of the MetaHistory project, I refused to talk with Fortune and Bloomberg. Actions are more important than words in interviews.
Besides MetaHistory, are there any other projects you are currently developing?
Ideas are my treasure. At some point, we will launch the VR Ukraine project – travel without moving, and it will be the first visual travel platform of the present moment. VR Ukraine will not represent tourism in the classic sense, but will show virtual travelers what the Russian army has done here.
Is it easy to think about the future these days and plan ahead?
Artists and creators are becoming slower, but also, steel does have a breaking point. Ukraine will regain its land, and I do not doubt our victory.
I put all my energy into this project, together with many smart and motivated personalities on our team. Thanks to their priceless involvement, we are going further.
Today I minted a collection for the Ukrainian musician who made “Chervona Kalyna”, the most famous song of this war, so that it goes viral for him and his fan base making money for Ukrainian ambulances. It’s pure joy to work with people who care; we are all in this together.
I don’t know how long I’ll live, but I’ll beat Beeple’s $69 million sales with meaningful content. Beeple, a pioneering face for this NFT market hype, is like Ambroise Vollard in the art trade. Let’s not forget that this isn’t about art but the art market. There are no art centers in Kyiv. Neither the oligarch-owned PinchukArtCentre, nor its director, are worth mentioning. After this war, I will do everything to create a worthy art space for all creators contributing to the MetaHistory project and turn it into a real museum with a physical space. There is a beautiful building suitable for this purpose just across the street from where I am now.
Michal Klimczak. Against Z. Courtesy Meta History Museum of War - Avatars For Ukraine
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https://metahistory.gallery/
https://twitter.com/Meta_History_UA
https://www.avatarsforukraine.com/
Title image: Sadan Vague. ST JAVELINA 360. Courtesy Meta History Museum of War - Avatars For Ukraine
