What if collecting digital art felt like opening a pack of TGC cards?
With 40 artists, 117 artworks, seven rarity levels and physical cards linked to digital originals, Kento is experimenting with a new way to discover, own and collect digital art.
Digital art you can hold in your hands
The idea behind Kento is surprisingly simple: collectible cards, but for digital art.
Each pack contains physical cards featuring works by digital artists. On the back of each card, a scratchable QR code gives its owner the possibility to claim the corresponding digital artwork as an NFT.
Collectors therefore face an interesting choice: keep the physical card untouched, scratch it to claim the digital work, or hunt for duplicates and do both.
It creates a fascinating tension between the physical object and its digital original, while bringing the familiar rituals of card collecting into digital art.
Rarity, Grails and mini-collections
Kento isn’t a trading card game. The TCG influence is primarily about the collecting experience.
The first season features 117 artworks from 40 artists, divided across seven rarity levels, with the rarest category appropriately called “Grail.”
Some artists have created several cards, creating mini-collections within the larger set. Collectors can therefore chase a particular artist, complete a series, search for rare cards or simply collect the artworks they love.
The theme of this first season is “Web Nostalgia.”
Can collectible cards onboard the next generation of digital art collectors?
Kento deliberately chose Kickstarter rather than a token launch or a traditional Web3 drop.
The objective is to reach beyond the existing crypto community and introduce digital art to people who already understand the pleasure of collecting cards.
And that strategy appears to be working: according to the team, much of the community built ahead of the Kickstarter campaign came from outside Web3, helping Kento reach around $100,000 in backing during its first 24 hours.
The Kickstarter cards are also being released as First Edition cards, making this initial run distinct from the future general release.
Ultimately, Kento is an experiment in bringing two collecting cultures together: people who collect cards and people who collect digital art.
Key quote of the episode
“It’s collectible cards, but for digital art. Imagine Pokémon, but you actually get digital art inside the packs.” — Brian
More details
Kento Kickstarter campaign
(the campaign funds the First Edition release of the cards)Objkt.com
The Tezos digital art marketplace co-founded by Brian and the ecosystem from which Kento has evolved.
