Ross Ulbricht, the apparent founder of dark web marketplace Silk Road, has sold his first NFT for $6.2 million or 1,446 Ether (ETH) at auction.
The auction kicked off at Art Basel Miami via the SuperRare platform. FreeRossDAO, the decentralized autonomous organization set up to help free Ulbricht from imprisonment, placed the winning bid. The FreeRossDAO website states that the DAO seeks to “advance prison reform” and to “share Ross’s work with the world and give everyone a exclusive opportunity to own a piece of it.”
The first NFT sold, called “Perspective,” was drawn in prison using graphite pencil and is part of a 10-piece collection of writings and artworks made by Ulbrict through his life. The collection also includes an animated video made by audiovisual artist Levitate and with a voiceover by Ulbricht about his time in prison.
All proceeds raised from the “Genesis Collection” will go towards the Art4Giving fund, a donor-advised trust created by the FreeRossDao as a legal entity to fund new legal proceedings and raise awareness, according to the organization.