Art Blocks is a first of its kind platform focused on programmable on-demand generative content that is stored immutably on the Ethereum Blockchain. Portal is a limited series Art Blocks project by the artist Jeff Davis, the Chief Creative Officer of Art Blocks. The project contains 10 pieces, making it the most limited Art Blocks project to-date and the most limited piece for collectors who are trying to build an AB 101 set (the first 100 projects after project #0).
Portal debuted at the Bright Moments gallery in Venice Beach LA, where 9 of the 10 mints were sold via auction at this hybrid virtual-physical event. Bright Moments Gallery is a leader in the space of in-person physical minting, and this exhibition provided a very unique way to experience the Portals. From the artist, Portal was originally "designed with the Bright Moments screens in mind in a vertical 9:16 format" but were then decided to be made to "fit to any size/orientation display", so they can be viewed as a square or rectangle of any infinitely expandable size. The best way to view Portal #6 is in the Art Blocks live view, where you can watch as it slowly changes colors (https://api.artblocks.io/generator/94000006). In Jeff's words, Portals are a "digital/generative tribute to light and space artists" and heavily inspired by the work of James Turrell, a prominent figure in light and space artistry and design.
In addition to fractionally owning a piece of Portal #6, ownership of PORTAL token is used as a community token for The Portal DAO (https://discord.gg/hkEjZQa9Aa), a social DAO focused on building a community around apprecation of the purple-y Portal. Participation in The Portal DAO provides access to a private channel for Portal lovers, as well as opportunities for meme contests, NFT giveaways, and whatever else the social DAO determines is best in the future.
To date, no Portals have been sold on the secondary market, outside of the initial auctions from the artist Jeff Davis himself. One Portal has exchanged hands, in a trade of an Eternal Pump, by Dmitri Cherniak, for a Portal. While pricing NFTs is always difficult and should be done with caution, due to this lack of secondary market data purchasers of PORTAL should only collect a fractional amount of the NFT that they are comfortable with.
Cryptocurrencies are inherently risky, and emerging asset classes like NFTs are no exception towards the rule. In fact, as a whole, this asset class may carry even higher volatility than other crypto assets. While the NFT space has seen strong momentum, that may not always be the case; research accordingly and proceed with caution.