Web3 goes hand-in-hand with counter-culture actions. One digital artist has embraced the place the 2 of them meet to change into one of the vital infamous NFT artists on the planet in the present day. That artist is XCOPY.
2025 will see XCOPY rejoice 15 years as a digital artist. From humble beginnings on Tumblr to a number of multi-million greenback NFT drops, he has solid a fame as one of the vital celebrated counter-culture artists within the NFT trade.
XCOPY stands as one of many main figures in each digital artwork and NFT artwork – however why is his work so famend, how did he rise to the highest of the trade, and what would possibly we see from him in future?
Right here’s our full information to the NFT artist often known as XCOPY.
Key Insights
- Pseudonymous digital artist based mostly in London
- First surfaced on Tumblr in August 2010
- Offered Proper-Click on and Save As Man for $7 million USD in December 2021
- Offered his Max Ache open version for over $24 million USD in March 2022
- Thought of to be one of many world’s main counter-culture NFT artists
Who’s XCOPY?
XCOPY is the pseudonym for a famend digital artist that’s based mostly in London, UK.
He first surfaced in August 2010, creating digital artworks on Tumblr that critiqued trendy society, with dystopian outlooks and a aspect of darkish humour. His artwork usually tackles themes resembling loss of life, trendy society, and the anxieties manifested by the digital age.
XCOPY’s work usually drawns from counter-culture concepts, with influences from punk, anarchism and horror. Throughout each static and animated items, you’ll discover a brooding atmosphere, darkish shadows, and vibrant neon accents. This type has change into his hallmark – and one which many have tried to mimic.
The visible impression of his work is hanging – although XCOPY is well known as a lot for the messages inside his works as their aesthetics. His items usually possess an unsettling nature, requiring viewers to confront this discomfort to search out the true that means behind his work.
XCOPY started to mint his works as NFTs in 2018. As one of many first notable artists to enter the NFT trade, he turned one in all its most outstanding faces virtually instantly. To this point, he’s created greater than 70 NFT collections, totalling over 13,000 particular person NFTs – a few of which have fetched hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
His NFTs might be discovered on numerous platforms, together with:
- SuperRare. XCOPY was one of many first artists to mint an NFT on SuperRare – house to his RΞMNANTS sequence and lots of early 1-of-1 NFTs
- OpenSea. NFT market OpenSea homes secondary market buying and selling for collections resembling FRESH HELL, DAMAGE CONTROL, and GRIFT SZN
- Nifty Gateway. Artwork-focused platform Nifty Gateway is house to XCOPY’s MAX PAIN, TRAITORS, DISRUPTOR and lots of burn-focused collections
- Async Artwork. Now-closed, Async Artwork held programmable collections of interactive NFTs resembling The Rabble and DOOM Social gathering
Alongside solo works, XCOPY has additionally produced a variety of collaborations. Via working with artists resembling @neonglitch86, XCOPY has produced the likes of RELICS and SPORES, mixing completely different artwork types collectively to create all-new distinctive works.
On high of his NFT gross sales, XCOPY has garnered reward for his help of different creators. He’s been an enormous advocate for creator royalties, and has been recognized to reward different high-quality works within the house – such because the guide CryptoPunks: Free to Declare.
The historical past of XCOPY
The rise of XCOPY aligns with that of the NFT trade itself.
XCOPY minted his first NFT on April 7, 2018. Titled Echoes of a Useless Earth, it was the primary of what would change into many 1-of-1 NFTs that he would mint on SuperRare.
Notable examples embody Some Asshole, which might later promote for 1,300 ETH ($3.9 million USD), A Coin for the Ferryman, which might later promote for 1,330 ETH ($6.0 million USD), and All Time Excessive within the Metropolis, which might later promote for 1,630 ETH ($6.2 million USD) – all of which have been minted in 2018.
One other 2018 piece, Proper-Click on and Save As Man, addressed the subject of digital possession. The piece was reshared by XCOPY in August 2020, including that “they stated it at $100 they’ll nonetheless say it at $100,000”. It was later bought to Cozomo de’ Medici for 1,600 ETH ($7.0 million USD) in December 2021.
March 2022 noticed XCOPY create two new NFT collections. The primary was Grifters, a set of 666 digital characters on Ethereum. As of January 2025, Grifters has a flooring value above 15 ETH ($48,000 USD).
The second was MAX PAIN, an 10-minute time-limited open version. MAX PAIN would increase $24 million USD – and change into the focus of future collections, resembling 2023’s DAMAGE CONTROL.
DAMAGE CONTROL had followers burn MAX PAIN NFTs to accumulate new NFTs. These new NFTs may themselves be burned to obtain rarer editions. The DAMAGE CONTROL burn section – which marked the conclusion of this experiment – ended on January 1, 2025.
August 2022 noticed XCOPY announce that each one of his prior and future solo works could be issued below a CC0 license. This meant that he relinquished all copyright claims to his works, permitting anybody to reuse or construct upon his works.
XCOPY has continued to launch common artwork ever since, and was particularly energetic throughout late 2024 and early 2025.
September 2024 noticed his 2019 art work Unhealthy Flavour promote for 280 ETH ($665,000 USD) – a powerful sale given the final decline within the NFT artwork market over the previous few years.
October 2024 noticed XCOPY launch Cope Salada – a set of 250 distinctive 1-of-1 NFTs on the brand new Ethereum Layer-2 blockchain Form. XCOPY describes this assortment as “stripped again, uncooked, unadulterated, undiluted, and pristinely offered grade-A copium.”
November 2024 launched the ICXN Assortment – XCOPY’s debut within the Artwork Blocks ecosystem. The gathering utilised the Artwork Blocks Engine – a code-based generative artwork platform – to create 500 distinctive 1-of-1 NFTs.
What’s subsequent for XCOPY?
With XCOPY’s historical past of success, there’s little doubt that he’ll proceed to push the boundaries of digital artwork, debate, and the NFT trade.
2025 will see the debut of XCOPY’s FRESH HELL assortment. It’s anticipated to be a 42-piece assortment – which is but to have an introduced mint date.
Some areas by which we may see XCOPY make future contributions embody:
- Interactive artwork. XCOPY has collaborated with 3D artists prior to now, together with his earlier releases on Async Artwork seeing excessive reward
- Artist advocacy. XCOPY has regularly supported artists over time – and if a possibility arises to do that once more, XCOPY will definitely be there
- World tradition. XCOPY has been the catalyst for dialogue not simply on Web3 matters, however on wider societal points too – and he’ll probably proceed to take action
XCOPY has had an impression on each NFTs and digital artwork that’s similar to that of figures resembling Beeple and Pak.
Along with his imaginative and prescient, type and revolutionary work, XCOPY is not only a reputation – he’s a motion. His work make us take into account the position of artwork in society – digital or in any other case – in addition to to forged a brand new mild on trendy life.
XCOPY is a reputation that has, does and can proceed to form the way forward for the digital artwork world.
