Hidden artist Mr. Black has been part of a controversy as his social media profile on X faces a ban. The enigmatic figure has gained recognition in the crypto community as a street artist and the main figure behind the highly expected 21,000-piece ordinal collection created on top of the Bitcoin network, the Messianic Age.
According to Mr. Black, the efforts to promote the collection on the Elon Musk-owned social media X (previously known as Twitter) failed. Several users have been reporting difficulties finding posts about the collection, raising questions and controversy towards the Tesla CEO and X owner due to the potential censorship faced by the artist and the potential implications for digital art worldwide.
Mr. Black has been attracting attention with his work. The artist has presented pieces across some of the most important cities worldwide, such as Rome, Mexico City, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Paris, where the art scene enjoys a vibrant scene.
His latest work, the Messianic Age, has received interest in the crypto space due to its ambitious objective of ushering in a new age of peace across the globe. The 21,000-piece collection will be unveiled, as stated by Mr. Black, once all of the items are fully minted on the Bitcoin blockchain.
What’s The Role of GARM In The Controversy?
Using his official X handle, Mr. Black has been disclosing further details on the X ban and attempts to reach an understanding with Elon Musk and the team behind the social media platform. The images below show that the artist has been very vocal about the current situation.
Mr. Black believes that the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), a cross-industry project created by the World Federation of Advertisers to protect consumers and their advertising rights, might be behind the controversial measure. GARM has received several accusations of acting “anti-democratic” and attempts to silence certain political and artistic figures.
The initiative has been the subject of a congressional hearing in the US as accusations against their practices increase.
Mr. Black Raises QuestionsAs Mr. Black continues the fight against GARM, several issues have been raised by the artist:
- Why is X blocking Mr. Black’s effort to advertise on the platform?
- Is GARM behind the controversial decision to block the highly expected collection?
- Are the powerful images of the collection the reason behind the decision?
- More importantly, how far is Elon Musk involved with GARM, and how much is this organization influencing X?
The questions have also led many to wonder about the unfairness of blocking an artist from spreading their message and how influential GARM is in dictating X’s advertising policies. The social media has a privileged role in the global efforts of Mr. Black to spread the message of universal peace and knowledge to be achieved by the Messianic Age collection. Thus, any attempt to silence Mr. Black has serious implications for the global art scene.
ConclusionThe crypto space and its users are paying close attention to the conclusion of this case. It is undeniable that the ban has brought more mystery around the figure of Mr. Black, and users remain on the edge of their seats, waiting to see the vision of the Messianic Age come to fruition. The world waits as Mr. Black takes on a David versus Goliath endeavor. Will the artist rise victorious?
Cover image from Mr. Black