The Bitcoin Bavacakra
Collaboration by Yonat Vaks, Chiefmonkey & Mosaic Rocks
Greetings! This week we present Yonat Vaks, an artist who works to bridge tradition with innovation through her art. She finds the threads of ancient narratives in our modern world, and weaves them into her work. “My work is an investigation of the essence that connects us all. It is a search of how ancient narratives echo in our contemporary world. * Through myths, symbols, metaphors, and the reinterpretation of archetypal stories – I tell my version of our modern life. * Through research, cultural artifacts and different mediums – I try to understand the human condition and the effects of rapid technological and societal changes.” ~ Yonat Vaks |   Details from Bhavacakra by Yonat Vaks |
A Short, Deep Interview with Featured Artist, Yonat Vaks
Which of your pieces do you feel most expresses your deepest feelings and/or insights about bitcoin, and why?
Bitcoin Bhavacakra.
First of all because it's a collaboration with other bitcoin artists and I think that's part of the essence of the peer to peer nature.
Chiefmonkey and I talked for hours and hours about every part of that piece. From the concepts, to the forms, the paintings and even the choice of colors. It is extremely elaborate and has many many layers to it – just like the original Buddhist Bhavacakra. It explains how the FIAT samsara or suffering, in Buddhist terms, affects people and how bitcoin nirvana can free you from that.
It was written about in both Bitcoin Magazine and Citadel21.
If you haven't heard of it or want to go over all it's teachings, you can read about it here:
Bitcoin Bhavacakra
What are you most looking forward to being different and improved when the world is fully hyperbitcoinized?
Hopefully less forced control. Less manipulation of the value of the money. More people in the world being able to protect themselves financially and through that protect themselves in a broader sense.
Why do you make art, and specifically bitcoin art?
I've always made art, ever since I can remember. It's my way of communicating with the world. It's a way of asking questions and putting thoughts and feelings into form.
Bitcoin inspired me to look at new questions, to really open my eyes to the world we live in in a different way. It's a paradigm shift and those are always extremely interesting points in history. I think art is a way to show it's promise to people as well.
What do you hope people see or understand when they look at your art?
That humanity evolves in spirals. That this story of revolution, change, freedom has happened before and we are now in a higher part of the evolution spiral, going through it again in a bigger and more profound way.
What was one of your biggest fears in life in general that you conquered, and how did you overcome it?
I'm not sure we ever overcome our biggest fears. At least not the ones that are profound. I think we learn that they are part of life and that the other side of them is hope. And we have to hold them both together.
Looking back, what single moment in your Bitcoin journey flipped your creative identity from “artist who uses Bitcoin” to “Bitcoin artist”?
When I made the harpoon.
I started making art about bitcoin ever since I discovered it. But, in the beginning my thought was to just do one series of paintings about everything I learned and saw.
When I had the idea of the harpoon, I realised that there is so much to say and continue in this art journey. I want to create stories and artefacts for this new civilization.
I have gone back now to also making art that's not 'purely bitcoin', but in its essence and idea, it still holds the same things.
Bitcoin Whaler Basque Harpoon, by Yonat Vaks
Regular Shows The Bitcoin Art Podcast and The Movement of Art Yonat sits down with artists, builders, and dreamers to uncover how ideas of sovereignty, decentralization, and hope spread through creativity. | Episodes are broadcast live from the Bitcoin Art Magazine account on Twitter and Nostr Past episodes are available on all major platforms: |
Vivant Reliquiae. Viva La Remanente.
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“Entering a world of post truth and possible postmodern surveillance dystopia, we must ask ourselves, ‘Who are our Oracles?’. What do we stand for and how do we make decisions? What kind of global civilization are we after and how are we using the technology and cryptographic tools at our disposal?”
– Yonat Vaks
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