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Takashi Murakami calls off NFT auction! He firmly believes in the potential of NFTs, and after further research and optimization, he will reissue them.

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Takashi Murakami calls off NFT auction! He firmly believes in the potential of NFTs, and after further research and optimization, he will reissue them.

At the end of March, contemporary artist Takashi Murakami released the NFT artwork "Murakami.Flowers" on the auction platform OpenSea. However, after discussions with various experts and teams, Murakami felt that the release was too abrupt. He decided to take it down and reissue it after thorough preparation. He emphasized, "I still firmly believe in the immense potential of NFTs."

Murakami.Flowers

Takashi Murakami had originally planned to release 12 unique designs per day, totaling 108 signature Murakami flowers, each created in a 24 x 24 pixel art style reminiscent of the Famicom (Nintendo's Family Computer) to evoke nostalgia, with 108 variations made.

He mentioned at the time that this number symbolizes the 108 worldly desires in Buddhism.

NFT Release Postponed

Takashi Murakami announced this on Instagram, stating that he initially entered the NFT field with a "do first, talk later" attitude. However, after listening to advice from collectors and experts, and discussions with the responsible team, for the overall satisfaction and security of the holders, based on the following points, the decision was made to postpone the NFT release:

  • Evaluating the pros and cons of ERC-721, ERC-1155, and choosing based on the characteristics of the work
  • Whether an independent smart contract is necessary?
  • Whether their own auction platform is needed?
  • Whether to use IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) for storage

As a result, Takashi Murakami has taken down all NFT works on OpenSea and will reissue them after thorough preparation. He expressed his sincere apologies:

I apologize deeply to those who have already bid, but I hope you understand the intention behind the postponement of the release. What I want is for you to enjoy my NFT works with peace of mind in the future. After going through preparations and several discussions, I am more convinced of the huge potential of NFTs and am excited to invest in NFT artworks again. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey.

The original products of "Murakami.Flowers" on OpenSea have all been taken down, leaving only one NFT featuring an embedded emoji ๐Ÿ™‡โ€โ™‚๏ธ, named "We Will Be Back Soon."

Interestingly, this NFT has received five bids, with the highest reaching $10,126, but Takashi Murakami did not sell it.