System of a Down’s Serj Tankian Preps NFTs, Signed Prints for New Digital Art Exhibit

System of a Down’s Serj Tankian is taking his next art exhibition online, offering a mix of animated non-fungible tokens and archival giclée prints. 

Not for Touching — The Intangible Composition, presented by CurioNFT, comprises 21 pieces, which will be unveiled and go on sale on Dec. 6 via an interactive gallery. Viewers will be able to peruse simulated gallery rooms with large-scale animated graphics designed by visual effects master Roger Kupelian (The Lord of the Rings, Hugo). Music scored by Tankian will soundtrack the experience.

One animated piece from the exhibit, “Space Clock (Black),” is available to check out below.

In an email to Rolling Stone, Tankian says of the exhibit: “It’s true, in essence, that I decided to start painting so I can see my music. Music is not only intangible but has also become commoditized, undervalued, and deeply under-appreciated. That is why during exhibitions when people ask me if the music for each of my art pieces is available elsewhere I gleefully say no. The art, my art makes my music more exclusive. In other words, I enjoy the interrelationship between tangible and non-tangible creations. NFTs are the next step. Within NFTs we’re not just able to connect the music to the actual painting but we’re also able to make them dance. The more we interact with multiple senses the greater the artistic multiplier effect.”

Not for Touching will feature several one-of-one NFTs to purchase, and they will come with an accompanying signed giclée print. There will also be four series of one-of-25 NFTs with signed prints and four one-of-100 NFT-only releases. Tankian and CurioNFT plan to offset the environmental impact from the showing by utilizing “lazy minting,” a process that reduces emissions by minting NFTs when there isn’t much Ehtereum usage.

Not for Touching caps off a busy year for Tankian. In July, he released Cool Gardens Poetry Suite, in which he paired poems from his collection, Cool Gardens, with new classical music pieces. He also released Cinematique, a set of 25 compositions split into two collections that explore classical soundscapes and more modern ones, while he also released two film soundtracks for the documentaries, Truth to Power and I Am Not Alone.