ABOUT

Javier Arrés’s ongoing Mech Army series brings his beloved signature “visual toys” style from 2D to 3D in the form of colorful, intricately painted 3D-printed robots, known as Mechs.

Much as we might see statues of ancient Greek and Roman heroes and gods or the religious artwork of Medieval and Renaissance Catholicism, the Mechs are integrated into his artwork as mythological figures, serving as a connection to an imagined ancient history and culture within his digital cities.

Understanding this parallel, Arrés encourages our imagination to muse over a society founded on the cultural significance of the Mech Army. Such an exercise allows us to see just how contingent our cultural mores and assumptions are, just how truly invented everything is, which just might open us up to being more bold when imagining what a more perfect society would look like. And maybe it’s one founded on Mechs.

The artworks within the Mech Army collection are defined by their ranks:

- Mech Army Troops: Static NFT

- Mech Army Captains: Animated NFT + Signed “Mech City” Limited Edition Print

- Mech Army Colonels - Hand-painted 3D sculpture, Signed “Mech City” Limited Edition Print, 360-Animated NFT, Collector Capsule

- Mech Army Super-General - Hand-painted 3D sculpture, Signed “Mech City” Limited Edition Print, 360-Animated NFT, Collector Capsule


COLLECTOR CAPSULES
Each Mech Sculpture is paired with a time capsule containing various Mech artifacts - drawings, texts, and more. The contents of each capsule varies and will remain a mystery until they are "unearthed" (date TBD) and hand-delivered to collectors by Javier during a special in-person ceremony in 2025.

Collectors unable to attend in person will receive their capsules via mail (shipping fees will be required).

T.R.A.C.E CHIPS
Each physical component is accompanied by a T.R.A.C.E. chip, powered by Transient Labs.

T.R.A.C.E. is a system of smart contracts and hardware that provide a digital Certificate of Authenticity (dCOA) backed by the blockchain for physical art or assets. T.R.A.C.E. chips are cryptography-enabled chips that have an Ethereum address and can sign messages. Interaction with the chip is accomplished via NFC technology.