Crypto can have its fair share of problems, but it continues to stand up for freedom and justice.  Julian Assange and X Pak collaborating on their “Censored” NFT collection. 

Beacon of Freedom

Issue #74 was released on Sunday 13th February, at the end of what was a significant week for NFTs.

Crypto can have its fair share of problems, but it continues to stand up for freedom and justice. The cover reflects the big event of the week: Julian Assange and X Pak collaborating on their “Censored” NFT collection. The concept for this cover was immediately clear but we still wanted to give it a twist.

The portrait of Assange consists of 2000 words from the Censored Collection. These were carefully selected to resonate with the freedom of speech movement, justice, NFTs and life more generally. The portrait shifts and “glitches” with stark censorship lines blotting out words, phrases and vast portions of the text as the animation develops.

The rest of the cover is minimalistic. A soft grey background puts all the emphasis on Assange. The issue number and Redlion Gazette labels are both struck through with a black line, a poignant representation of censorship. 

In what was a busy news week, #74 also covered the bizarre tale of a Bitcoin hacker (turned rapper) finally tracked down by law enforcement. Melania Trump’s dubious blockchain activities put in an appearance, as did a warning about whitelists. The enduring story, though, will always be Assange, X Pak and the sociopolitical potential of NFTs.

Issue #74’s ArtDrop was a striking piece of photography from Roberto Pazzi. It shows Dani tribesmen and women singing traditional songs in an absorbing scene. 

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Artdrop #74