Draft:Candlestick Art

Candlestick Art is a novel digital art movement that emerged in 2022, credited to the ingenuity of Sri Lankan architect Yugan Silva. The movement finds its roots in the convergence of Pixel art aesthetics and the visual language of Candlestick charts commonly used in stock trading.

Origins
Yugan Silva, an architect with a penchant for incorporating the latest trends into his artistic endeavors, embarked on a journey to merge the world of finance with digital art. Fascinated by the patterns found in Candlestick charts, he began experimenting with ways to integrate them into a unique art form.

After more than a year of trial and error, Silva successfully developed a technique to stack and stagger candlesticks with varying tonalities, resulting in recognizable and intricate patterns. His inaugural success in this genre was a portrait of Tintin, the beloved character created by Belgian comic artist Hergé.

Growth and Recognition
Encouraged by friends impressed with his Candlestick art, Silva ventured into the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by publishing his creations on the Opensea platform on the Ethereum blockchain. The initial reception was lukewarm, given the unprecedented nature of Candlestick art.

Despite an initial lukewarm reception, a turning point occurred with his work titled Leadership on the Sand, which was selected for the "Dream On, Dream Big!" exhibition at the renowned progressive art space, Foundry Downtown Dubai.

Leadership on the sand

Leadership on the Sand, a monochromatic portrait of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum against a Burj Khalifa on a waxing crescent moon nigh as the backdrop. Unique candle sticks with varying lengths and widths showcased the grandeur of the Burj Khalifa and distinct features of the Sheik. The warm white glow, a nod to the unique climate of the emirate, added a touch of color to the artwork.

Motivated by this breakthrough, Yugan created 40 additional one-of-a-kind artworks exploring unique personalities and the fluidity of human movement. Three artworks from the collection, namely Wolf of Wall Street, Trump Card, Latin Dances, and Leadership on the Sand, were minted as digital assets.

2023 Ransomware attack.
In early 2023, Yugan Silva fell victim to a ransomware attack, resulting in the loss of the majority of his work, including his complete collection of one-of-a-kind pieces. Undeterred by this setback, he persevered and continued to explore the possibilities within the realm of Candlestick art. This led to the creation of over a thousand unique pieces, culminating in the formation of the "Dead NFT Collectors Club" NFT collection.

Dead NFT Collectors (DNC) Club
Shortly after 2023 attack, Yugan Labs, founded by Yugan Silva, initiated the "Dead NFT Collectors Club" project. Hosted on the Polygon blockchain using the Mintable launchpad, this NFT collection features portraits of skulls, each possessing an individual persona representing various characters. The collection includes 1000 unique candlestick skull art pieces, and Yugan introduced a signature element in the form of a gold coin to add contrast and enhance features. Portion of the proceeds gained from the sale of the collection was dedicated to providing essential school supplies to over 150 children residing in orphanages in Sri Lanka.

Candle Veylon
As part of the charitable initiatives of DNC Club, an art competition was organized among children to encourage art as a creative expression medium. Sixty-five outstanding artworks from the submissions were selected and transformed into digital artwork to be showcased in a Metaverse art exhibition named Candle Ceylon. The Candle Ceylon exhibition was planned and organized in collaboration with VAVORTEX, a renowned AI Art community based in Europe, marking the first Metaverse event in Sri Lanka. The exhibition featuring 65 Children’s art along side 25 pieces of Candlestick art crafter by Yugan Silva, commenced on March 25, 2024, and successfully concluded on April 1, 2024.

Founder
Yugan Silva, based in Sri Lanka, is not only a licensed architect and experimental artist but also an avid investor in both crypto and stock markets. His keen observations of candlestick charts in trading inspired the creation of Candlestick art, showcasing his ability to amalgamate diverse elements into a cohesive artistic vision. Apart from his contributions to the built environment as an architect and his digital creations as an artist, Silva engages in charity work, sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience. He plans to continue creating and educating people about Candlestick art through a series of digital space and gallery exhibitions, starting with his home country, Sri Lanka, with the hope that Candlestick art will gain wider adaptation.