serhii makhno launches NFTs of ceramic sculptures depicting ukrainian folklore ‘beasts’

‘meta dido’ by serhii makhno rolls out as his first nft series

Ukrainian architect and interior designer Serhii Makhno from MAKHNO Studio rolled out ‘META DIDO’, his first NFT collection of ceramic art. The digital tokens reinterpret a series of zoomorphic sculptures created and released by Makhno in 2019 under the name ‘DIDO’. Reflecting ancient Ukrainian folklore, the real-life ceramic objects depict animal-like figures or ‘miracle beasts’, each part of a large family with its own legend.

‘DIDO characters are redefined fantastic beasts that live in Ukrainian cities and towns: laughing bears, mustached lions, dreamy sheep, and grasshoppers with curly tails. They tell stories about the traditions and realities of their land, their lives, and what troubles them and brings them joy. Each DIDO has its own life story, but its mission is the same — to protect,’ writes the architect/designer.

Exploring endless animalistic forms, Serhii Makhno completed the sculptures in his workshop, crafting each as a single copy living in family collections. The first DIDO series recreates the Carpathian family residing in the Lanchyn village of Frankivsk, with ten members composed of bears (owners of the waters), lions (guards of time), and sheep (symbolizing fear and its overcoming).

DIDO Chub | all images courtesy MAKHNO Studio

encoding ukrainian traditions to the blockchain

Elaborating on his ‘META DIDO’ NFT collection, Serhii Makhno writes: ‘Rethinking the ancient Ukrainian traditions in architecture, interior design, and decor, and translating them into a modern interpretation was a part of MAKHNO Studio’s mission. And today, we can confidently say that we have made another step in the future: we have encoded the Ukrainian identity [to] Blockchain.’ That said, this collection will be the first to implement his plans of creating a digital art series that transfers a part of Ukrainian craft to the virtual world, immortalizing it within Web 3.0.

To maintain the value of each token, Makhno limited the launch to only 8 DIDO NFTs. In addition to the collectible token, each NFT holder will get a ceramic copy of the sculpture that will be shipped to them directly, to any part of the world. Each sculpture is also distinct in coloring and engraved with a token smart contract address. Since all copies are unique, subsequent owners will have to contact the previous buyer and discuss shipping terms. 10% of each token sale will be transferred to support the Ukrainian people.

The project was carried out in collaboration with Bogdan Agafonov, a known NFT artist for the Ukrainian NFT museum of war, whose works were sold for more than half a million dollars. Interested buyers can check out and purchase the collectible on 1stDibs.

DIDO Isho