Canadian National Exhibitions pulls from the archives to launch crypto collectible

TORONTO – The Canadian National Exhibition is getting in on the crypto art craze.

Organizers of the Toronto fair launched a non-fungible token titled “Finding the Balance” on Tuesday.

The CNE says it commissioned Canadian-Polish artist Voitek Pendrak to create the blockchain-backed collectible.

The NFT features an archival image of a tightrope walker that has been altered to show the performer balancing a visual model of the novel coronavirus on one side and COVID-19 vaccine on the other.

The CNE says the 3D NFT, which also shows an animated Canadian flag, “speaks to the balance that Canadians must strike in this time of continued pandemic-related ambiguity and change.”

“Finding the Balance” is up for bids on the digital marketplace Rarible, alongside a NFT of Queen’s Freddie Mercury performing at the CNE in 1980.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 30, 2022.