Welcome to the OpenSea digest. Let’s look back through the biggest NFT and web3 news of the week.

Sam Spratt's debut art show lights up Venice Biennale

An ancient Italian city celebrated digital artist Sam Spratt this week during the Venice Biennale, one of the world’s longest-running international culture exhibitions. Among Venice’s historic palazzos, Spratt debuted his first-ever art show, “The Monument Game.”

The exhibition showcased a series of ten digital artworks displayed on lightboxes, giving them a glowy, shadowy effect. The pieces feature detailed depictions of apes and ape-like human hybrids existing within Spratt’s lore-driven fantasy world. 

Notably, the art show invited spectators to participate in an interactive game. Collectors who pre-purchased one of the 209 NFTs released before the show could become “players” who made observations about the digital paintings. The observations were then submitted to a community of existing collectors known as “The Council of Luci.” The Council voted on the observations, and the top three as determined by the vote will be rewarded with exclusive NFTs handpicked by the artist.

Spratt studied oil painting at Savannah College of Art and Design. He describes his work as combining elements of Renaissance and Baroque aesthetics.

mmERCH releases new apparel line of NFC-enabled hoodies

Some 1,000 trendy people will soon be able to wear their wallets. On April 16, web3 clothing company mmERCH launched its collection of 960 hoodies that blend style with smart tech. Each colorful hoodie is embedded with an NFC chip that functions as a wearable digital wallet. The drop includes 15 monochrome hoodies and 100 luxurious Italian cashmere versions, with the rest made of high-quality French terry fabric.

Claim windows opened on April 22 for those who minted one of the mmERCH pre-claim NFTs. Owners can now connect their wallets to choose their size and enter shipping details. Completing this claim process will prompt owners to “burn” their NFTs in exchange for receiving their one-of-a-kind physical hoodie in the mail. 

Once claimed, holders can also gain access to a virtual mmERCH Noodle wearable for metaverse environments like OnCyber and Mona, plus receive a receipt token featuring artwork by artist Toad Swiback.

Louis Vuitton introduces phygital varsity jacket

Louis Vuitton dropped the latest product of its ongoing Via Treasure Trunk project: a Western-style phygital varsity jacket that will be exclusively available to just 200 holders of the item’s digital twin. 

But there’s a catch: Only owners of a VIA Treasure Trunk, a soulbound NFT that sold for $39,000 in June 2023, will be eligible to purchase one of the phygital varsity jacket NFTs. It’s not clear exactly how many Via Treasure Trunks exist, but sources suggest there are likely more than 200.

The physical jacket was designed by musician and producer Pharrell Williams, who became the luxury brand’s Men’s Creative Director in February 2023. The suede buckskin coat retails for €7,900. Collectors can expect to receive their jackets between November and December 2024.

Faraway acquires HV-MTL and Legends of the Mara

Bored Ape Yacht Club creators Yuga Labs announced the sale of its HV-MTL and Legends of the Mara brands to Faraway, the team that’s been helping Yuga build Dookey Dash Unclogged.

This deal integrates these Yuga brands into Faraway’s gaming products. As part of the acquisition, Yuga chief gaming officer Spencer Tucker will join Faraway to ensure a seamless transition and continued innovation.

News sources report the gamebuilders will maintain a close tie with Yuga and Otherside. 

DuskBreakers launches on Forge

DuskBreakers, the latest web3 game from Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, has launched. The roguelite shooter game has already started attracting users with its fast-paced gameplay and community-driven elements — not to mention, rich sci-fi lore.

Built on the Ethereum blockchain and powered by the Forge gaming platform, DuskBreakers offers unique NFTs that players can collect, buy and sell. The game received a solid $24 million backing from major investors like a16z in 2022. Players can join a squad of 10,000 “recruits” who must navigate a mysterious alien spaceship and build out a shared outer space world. The game is free to play, and player activity shapes the gameplay in surprising ways. 

FVCKRENDER opens beta version of his new immersive digital art platform

‍LVCIDIA, a new fine art platform created by prolific 3D digital artist FVCKRENDER, launched its beta on April 25. Similar to a virtual museum, the platform will deliver an immersive token-gated platform experience. The site is powered by Unreal Engine 5, the computer graphics creation tool behind today’s leading video games.

According to posts on X (Twitter), FVCKRENDER will grant exclusive access to select online visitors during the beta launch. Holders of the “Admit One” NFT by digital art investor and thought leader gmoney are among the first to gain early entry.