About The Artist
“Bitcoin to the moon!” is one of the key phrases in every Bitcoiners lexicon, worth their weight in sats. After 1000’s of hours of seeing it on Bitcoin twitter, you almost become numb to it and it becomes automatic. So much so, that recently, they were the first words that escaped my lips when my midriff hit the unforgiving freezing cold Welsh sea after an impromptu midnight swim at Bitcoin Beach retreat 2021 (amongst some other high pitched expletives). Turns out I’m not the next Wim Hoff, however, if you stop and think through the four word meme carefully, something magical happens. ‘Bitcoin to the moon’ beautifully summerises the power of our beloved orange coin to propel us beyond our wildest dreams, open our eyes to a new world and to reach the impossible.
Why do I mention this? Because this month I want to introduce to you fellow plebs, an artist’s work that is the perfect accompaniment on our intergalactic journey. This month, I went cosmic with Petek.
Channeling Energy
"Petek has achieved something truly remarkable in her work by mixing art and science"
In my short interview with Petek, I can sum her up in a word – energy. Right from the start of our conversation, she exudes a warm aura similar to that of a good friend that you haven’t seen in years. Her positive radiation is apt, as delving into her background for research prep, I was intrigued to discover that Petek is a ‘qualified energy practitioner’.
Part of her practice is channelling spiritual energy “from higher dimensions”. Curious, I questioned if this vocation has in some way led her to Bitcoin? “The energy coaching goes hand in hand with sort of understanding money and Bitcoin and tapping into the energy of it.” she says with a warm smile. “It’s a really big part of the fabric of the universe. Bitcoin is the closest form to money being non physical that we’ve ever had.”
Channelling her energy aids and inspires her in the creative process allowing her to have a playful dialogue with Bitcoin: “The way I work with my art is on that level, I speak to the canvas, I speak to Bitcoin. I ask the energy of Bitcoin… ‘Hey Bitcoin, come play with me. Let’s see what we can create and show me what would you like me to contribute to the world and form of art?’”
Interestingly, calling out to the other cryptocurrencies doesn’t have the same effect on her: “When I tap into the energy of Etherium, or whatever other coin, I don’t get this incredible, universal expansiveness that I get when I tap into the energy of Bitcoin. I just don’t get it. Bitcoin for me, it’s just so expansive…. It feels like divine inception.”
₿eYour Own ₿anker” Ltd Edition
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Art vs Science
Traditionally art and science don’t mix but Petek has achieved something truly remarkable in her work by combining the two. As a former scientist and current artist, I can attest that the two worlds are traditionally at odds with each other with little dialogue in between. Using rare cosmic materials like meteorites, moon rocks and “stardust shavings”, as well as precious metals and minerals including 22ct gold, silver and diamond dust, she creates celestial canvases that challenge our perception of value, maths and economics, time & energy. “I like to combine the spiritual and the science… like flowers and spirals and all sorts of shapes in nature. They have perfect beautiful maths in them.”
"[Bitcoin] is a part of the fabric of the universe"
Time for Plan B
"Genesis’ is a piece that is breathtaking in its imagination and attention to detail."
Creating science/art pieces around flowers and spirals to explore the relationship between the two worlds is one thing. But how do you turn a graph, something associated with sweaty offices or oppressive classrooms into something aesthetically pleasing and thought provoking? That was the challenge that Petek faced when Plan B, creator of the Stock to Flow Cross Asset Model came knocking. “Well, it started when I had that first meeting with Plan B…I wanted to paint the background as the lunar landscape instead of just painting the chart. I wanted to interpret it and give it room for fantasy and imagination.”
After nine months, ‘Genesis’ was born – a piece that is breathtaking in its imagination and attention to detail. It takes the Stock to Flow chart and brings it to life. The use of moon rock in the piece adds weight and presence. “I mean, the stock flow is all about scarcity.” Petek says “The energy of scarcity is worked into bitcoin with the 21 million cap and the concept of preserving value over time. Just to bring that energy of the universe into the artwork, people pick up on it. There’s a vibration.”
The use of these unique and expensive materials is not lost on Petek. Indeed, there is a sense of reverence when she talks about it: “These meteorites have been flying through the universe for like, billions of years, and then it ends up in a painting. I mean, wow, I mean, for me, that’s still mind boggling. I mean, I feel honoured that this piece of rock is of my painting, you know? There’s something magical about it.”
Art Collection
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Blast off
My mind was truly melted both metaphorically from the interesting conversation and physically from the 30C Welsh summer heatwave. Before I end the conversation I want to know what Petek would be up to in the future? Having seen her instagram, I noticed she is trying her hand at pottery. Could we see some ceramics next? Teasingly she answers “I do have some quite cool sculptural projects, one of which it’s like, halfway there. But I’m waiting for the right moment to release it to the big wide world, I can’t talk about it really but it excites me”.
"Bitcoin for me, it’s just so expansive…. It feels like divine inception"
If Plan B’s Stock to Flow Cross asset model is correct, we could be seeing Bitcoin moon sooner than we think. In Petek, we have an artist in our community that is creatively mapping out our journey towards that destination, in what she describes as “the next era of humanity”. Her work, energy and subject matter are truly unique and otherworldly. Through her vision and work I feel I have had a window into what Bitcoin looks like on the moon. And it looks incredible.
Buckle up plebs, it’s going to be one hell of a ride.