Artist Kelly van Tonder has painted the world’s first miniature art-NFT collection of all the winner’s jerseys from the 2021 UCI World Tour road cycling season, each measuring the size of a 50c coin, which will go on auction on November 19, 2021.
Van Tonder, a South African artist now living in Spain, has included all the World Tour races, including the Tour de France, the Classics and the Monuments, as well as the Olympics and some of the women’s winner’s jerseys in her work. Each of the winner’s jerseys has been crafted in extraordinary detail in watercolour, with the design, logos and sponsors of the different teams captured with Van Tonder’s passion as a lover of cycling and her eye as an artist.
“I decided to take on the 33 UCI World Tour races as I wanted to tell the story of a series over time,” said Van Tonder. “This was a perfect project as it was open to the person on the street, whether they be fans or cyclists. By choosing a sport and basing it over the entire season, it also spoke to the deeper essence that miniature art and cycling both hold dear, the need for patience and dedication.”
Through these works, Van Tonder has also managed to convey the emotion of the jersey, in a form that perhaps forces us to consider their true value and meaning now that they have been captured as works of art. Each work measures 30mm in diameter.
“By taking the jerseys and turning them into a miniature piece, it makes hanging them a little more interesting. Let’s talk about it. What is it? Who was it? Why is it special?,” said Van Tonder. “It’s all about stirring the emotion rather than depicting it in a bigger piece of art. Miniature art allows and teaches us to learn a little more, see more and appreciate more.
“That is what I was aiming for. I longed for people to talk about a piece, without having to talk about the artist. People tend to do that when life size becomes a mini. There is an attraction. Is it because this world is consumed by bigger must be better? Perhaps.”
Van Tonder says she has been “completely and utterly fascinated by miniaturists for years. I admired their patience and diligence in the work, and I loved the fact that they could still leave their little mark.” Her first miniatures were “customized and individual. A special jersey that a cyclist had earned, or a set of team jerseys throughout a career. One special individual had me paint her jerseys that she had lost in a wildfire in California.”
Van Tonder and her family, moved to Girona, Spain, in February 2020 and had planned to stay for a year. Then the pandemic hit and Spain went into lockdown, forcing their stay to be an extended one that is set to be permanent. Girona is well known as a cycling haven, with many professional cyclists having made their base there. Her next project will focus on women’s cycling. She specializes in custom miniature works for clients and is available for commissions.
The works will go on auction separately from noon on Friday, November 19, 2021, with successful purchasers obtaining the ownership of both the original hand-painted and framed work, as well as the non-fungible token (NFT), which will allow them ownership of the piece as a digital asset.
For further information, go to www.kalvt.com (@thisiskalvt)
FAQS.
- What is an NFT?
An NFT, is a digital certificate of ownership representing the purchase of a digital asset, traceable on the blockchain.
- Where will the auction be hosted?
The auction will be hosted on the Opensea Website. The Art is viewable on the site now. https://opensea.io/collection/procycling
3.When will the auction start?
At 12pm Friday 19th November 2021
- What is OpenSea?
OpenSea is a leading marketplace for non-fungible tokens. The website lets you buy and sell a variety of NFTs, such as domain names, digital art and collectibles using your Ethereum wallet. To use OpenSea, you’ll need to use an Ethereum wallet that can connect to decentralized applications.
- What happens to the original art piece when I buy the NFT?
The purchaser will have the option to have the Original Framed Artwork couriered worldwide at their cost.
- Where is the art on physical display?
The @velodrom.cc shop in Girona, Spain.
- How big are the pieces?
Each measures 30 mm in diameter on a 100 mm x 100 mm cold-pressed professional watercolor page. The medium used is watercolor.
- What frames will be used for them?
The purchaser will be able to choose between the two options of wood for the frame, either Teak or Wenge if not specified as some Jersey are already framed. The smallest frame measuring 11 x 11 cm; with the large frame measuring 33 cm x 33 cm (as per the pictures on the kalvt.com website).
The glass is of the highest quality- virtually eliminating as much reflection as possible and filtering up to 70% of UV rays.
