Experimental animator Jake Fried will present a new solo exhibition at Superchief Gallery NFT in New York City, on view from July 10th-16th. Titled 'Maximum Effort: Something Out of Nothing, Into Nothing', this exhibition challenges the stigma surrounding NFT-based artwork — that crypto-art as a genre is defined by low-effort creators churning out low-quality work. 'Maximum Effort' features his wildly popular short animation Raw Data as well as 2 brand new works to be minted as NFTs, Still Life with Lemons and Goodnight Moon.

Serving as the show's centerpiece, “Raw Data” (2013) has appeared on Adult Swim, in Juxtapoz Magazine, as part of Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase and screened at dozens of international film festivals. Now fresh off its installation via Neo Shibuya TV's giant billboard screens in downtown Tokyo, Jake is releasing "Raw Data" as his Genesis NFT. The piece examines humanity's relationship with the internet, hyper-connectivity and overconsumption -- some extremely relevant themes, considering we're just emerging from a long period of social distancing & self isolation. Jake views "Raw Data" as a prescient portrait of both the NFT creator and collector --- and our increasingly digital existence.

In the case of his 2 newest works, “Still Life with Lemons” and “Goodnight Moon”, Jake finds inspiration in fatherhood. Slowing down to a more domestic existence, “Still Life with Lemons” muses on the extraordinary aspects of everyday life, while with Goodnight Moon, we get a glimpse at the artist living in relationship to his young daughter Margot.

Known for his hand-drawn, experimental animations, Jake is a meticulous, process-focused artist with a ritualistic drawing practice --- instead of using traditional animation stills, he creates what he refers to as "moving paintings" -- in which an image morphs and evolves, building each frame upon the last. Each animation is made on a single piece of paper -- which he adds white-out, gouache, ink, and even coffee to, scanning the image after every application. So while creating each new drawing directly on top of the last drawing, he's also obliterating the drawing below it.