Bengaluru-based artist Raghava KK’s work La petite Mort is up for auction at Sotheby’s in New York

Raghava is now one of the first Indian artists to launch an NFT at the international auction house
Raghava KK. Pic: Twitter
Raghava KK. Pic: Twitter

Bengaluru artist Raghava KK needs no introduction. He’s known for infusing life into some of the most creative pieces the world of art has seen in the past, and he’s at it again, with a bold concept that he’s named ‘The Orgasm Project’. Using Artificial Intelligence in art, Raghava is now one of the first Indian artists to launch an NFT — simply put, a digital file — at the international auction house Sotheby’s.

Displayed at Boundless Space, a group auction in collaboration with the Burning Man Project, his 
artwork ‘La petite mort’ is a phygital (physical and digital) NFT that has been generating much curiosity. Raghava has been working on the project for a few years now. He collaborated with neuroscientist Abhijeet Satani, data scientist Harshit Agrawal and material scientist Ben Tritt to create this piece that unabashedly depicts and explores how humans use their unique personalities to contend with love, loss, boundaries, truth, balance, introspection and perspective. ‘La petite mort’ is the first work in the series, which explores the future of art.

Speaking to CE from NYC, Raghava says, “I spent a lot of time imagining how the physical feeling of an orgasm can be interpreted in a digital manner. If everything now can be digitised, does that also mean everything is also commodifiable? I explore this deep ethical dilemma that the world is facing through the most intimate and personal of human experiences. I want us not only to use cutting-edge tools but also understand its ethical boundaries.”

Raghava worked with 100-odd people to generate these brainwaves and with the help of all the digital equipment, the artwork was finally completed, ready to be showcased at the NY auction. “I worked closely with Tritt, Agrawal and Satani to capture the brainwaves when one experiences an orgasm and eventually turned that into art,” says Raghava, adding that he blended the neuro-data and turned each neuron into individual brush strokes. 

“Each stage of the orgasm gave a different frame for me to work with. Special oil pigments were prepared in a material science lab to recreate the waves. I worked with Artmatr robots for my painting that helped create it on a large canvas,” he adds.  While he’s “super excited” about this project, Raghava is ready to visit France and Egypt next before returning to namma Bengaluru for more work. 

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