Miami Art Basel in 2021 was my first ever art fair and cryptoart was booming. At that point, I felt a very strong calling for art curation and was eager to pursue it.

I was certainly expecting the great atmosphere, but was surprised to be a bit underwhelmed with the art I got to see, with one very notable exception. Via a timely Instagram story by a good friend, artist Harry Pack, whom I had just met at the event, I discovered Camilo Restrepo's Alias Collection. 

I could barely make sense of the drawings because the photograph was taken from a distance, but I was still distinctly drawn to them. When I managed to zoom my way in for a closer inspection, my jaw dropped. That feeling of excitement is precisely why I got into art in the first place. As I browsed what I could find from the collection, I felt like a kid in a toy store again, taken back not only by Camilo’s exceptional conceptual creativity but also by his raw and retro cartoon aesthetics.

Within the next few days I was able to get on the phone with Camilo, and to my surprise he was already thinking of halting the sale of the collection to keep it for exhibitions around the world. When I got to Camilo he was already well versed in web3 as he had recently minted his a ToN oF coke project in OpenSea. When I suggested we make Alias available exclusively as non-fungible tokens, he of course liked the idea. We agreed that having the collection exhibited around the world will allow the collection to continue to flourish and make an impact, while the token holders reap the benefit. 

It's a win for everyone involved.

This project is such a unique cultural gem that I get goosebumps knowing it will be offered exclusively through my gallery. A couple of years ago I promised Camilo we would find the ideal platform for it or we’d wait for GBLSTS to be fully operational and prepared to take on this gallery-defining project.

Being born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, I am all too familiar with the narco culture and its foundations in Colombia, making this drop uniquely special for me and GBLSTS. The stories and connections within the characters which we will be revealing and exploring makes this collection a fascinating timestamp that provides a unique glimpse into that world.

With the 503-piece Alias Collection the ingenious Restrepo shines a colorful and violent light on the impact pop culture and mainstream media have on the narcotics trade.

I look forward to sharing a lot more about the upcoming collection with all of you, leading all the way up to its drop in a few weeks.

I keep working.