Hashmasks could decenter the art world, upend DeFi, and trigger a dramatic transfer of wealth. Will it?

Hashmasks are the future and you saw it here first.

Last week, an anonymous collective of artists released Hashmasks, a set of 16,384 “unique digital portraits” that are now permanently stored on the Ethereum blockchain. Hashmasks landed during the boom in the market cap of many DeFi projects—and most attention was, and is, firmly fixated on the financial sector within the cryptocurrency economy—and yet, even by DeFi standards, Hashmasks was a prodigal success: raising more than $14 million with a refreshing, authentic aesthetic. Single hashmasks have since sold for as high as $650,000. See current market action at OpenSea.

To tell you the truth, my imagination has been captured by Hashmasks—so much so that I had trouble sleeping last night (which is rare for me)—that’s why I feel compelled to explain why you’ll soon be seeing Hashmasks everywhere.

Hashmasks are alpha.

Hashmasks are at the edge of the edge of the edge.

Most people are still struggling to grasp cryptocurrencies. Fewer still are comfortable navigating Ethereum. And fewer than that are experienced with valuing art on Ethereum. Furthermore, Hashmasks are not just art—if they were only an art project then I wouldn’t be rushing to write this article—Hashmasks are interdisciplinary. Their design is influenced by the key innovations driving decentralized finance and the art world.

Hashmasks will have a significant financial and aesthetic impact on the world.

As such, it is reasonable to assume that few will grasp the significance of the Hashmasks project until it has grown exponentially in market cap and celebrities flex by loaning their collection to virtual museums. By then, the most common Hashmask will be far too expensive for most people to dream of owning—after all, there are only 16,384 in existence and there are structural reasons to believe their value will increase rapidly.

Hashmasks are a perfectly executed multifaceted creation. There isn’t time now to explain every feature of Hashmasks, so let’s…