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

NODE opens first CryptoPunks exhibition in Palo Alto

The new Palo Alto nonprofit art foundation NODE opens 10,000 on Jan. 23 to 25, 2026. The exhibition is the first art show devoted entirely to CryptoPunks, the 2017 pixel portraits created by Matt Hall and John Watkinson of Larva Labs. 

The exhibition shows how the project works under the hood, including a live display of marketplace activity recorded on Ethereum. 

Visitors will be able to see how 246 lines of code generated 10,000 PFP portraits, how the five core types of Punks shaped the collection, and how color, attributes, and ownership updates change what appears on the walls as activity happens. The show treats CryptoPunks as a living artwork by putting this blockchain data on view alongside the collection. 

The schedule includes early access previews for Punk holders, curator-led walkthroughs, public artist talks, live installations that update as new collectors buy and sell their art onchain, and informal meetups like coffee receptions, brunches, and evening parties.

Neynar takes over Farcaster operations after five years

Neynar, a company that builds infrastructure to run blockchain based apps, is acquiring Farcaster and will take control of its core software, main app, and related tools in the coming weeks, according to a statement by Farcaster co-founder Dan Romero. 

Farcaster is a social network where user accounts and posts are recorded on a blockchain, which works like a shared public database that lets multiple apps display the same social activity. 

According to Romero’s post, Neynar already supports much of the technical infrastructure developers rely on to build Farcaster apps and will now handle day to day operations as the original builders step back after five years. 

Romero said Neynar plans to share its direction for developers as soon as Farcaster enters its next phase.

Vitalik Buterin pushes decentralized social as 2026 priority

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said decentralized social media will be a top priority for him in 2026, stating in an X post that social platforms built on shared public databases can support healthier online communication.

He said he has been posting on decentralized social apps, which store user accounts and posts on open networks instead of inside one company, so multiple apps can show the same conversations. His comments come as the decentralized social platform Farcaster shifts leadership to Neynar.

Buterin also said it’s time for a redesign of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). In an earlier X post, he argued that as more everyday online systems start to rely on DAOs for uses, he pointed to examples like handling insurance claims, deciding outcomes in disputes, and vetting trusted applications, the structure of each organization should be customized.

He argued that the current model, where thousands of people vote on everything, breaks down at scale and leads to burnout or manipulation. Instead, he said DAOs should be designed around the job they are meant to do, with some acting like committees and others allowing clear leadership with limits, so online systems can function well.

Steak ’n Shake adds Bitcoin bonus for hourly workers

Steak ’n Shake will start paying hourly employees a small bonus in bitcoin (BTC) beginning March 1, according to a recent company post on X. 

The company said workers at company-run restaurants will earn $0.21 per hour in BTC, with payouts available after a two-year vesting period, using payroll software from Fold. 

At a full-time schedule, that adds up to about $436.80 per year based on current prices, Decrypt reported. 

The bonus follows a series of bitcoin-related experiments by the restaurant over the past year, including accepting bitcoin payments and creating a bitcoin-themed burger.

Jiwa announces solo digital art show in Berlin

Digital artist Jiwa announced that his solo exhibition, Counterspace, will open in eight days at the Berlin-based Galerie Met.

The four-week show will include works displayed in the gallery alongside a digital release.

The show is the gallery’s first exhibition of 2026 and the launch project for Met Digital, a new program focused on digital art publishing. 

Jiwa is known for code-driven artwork and was recently an artist in residence with Art Blocks and OpenSea.

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