Apl.de.ap collaborates with local artist for new ‘phygital’ art collection

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American rapper apl.de.ap teamed up with contemporary artist Bitto to create a brand new "phygital" art collection.

Phygital art is a mixture of traditional art and interactive digital elements, meaning the pieces can be appreciated both physically and on a virtual space.

Apl.de.ap and Bitto's collaboration, "Agents of Peace and Love," which bears the rapper's initials, was created with the help of GCash arm GCrypto.

"Agents of Peace and Love" officially launched last January 18 in an event in Apotheka Poblacion, Makati, where guests got a digital glimpse of apl.de.ap's NFT music and Bitto's artworks.

An auction coordinated by homegrown NFT (non-fungible token) marketplace Likha and art gallery Vinyl on Vinyl was held to bid off an exclusive 4x5ft canvas painting by Bitto, accompanied by an original unreleased track "Turnaround" by apl.de.ap.

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The winning bid was P310,000, more than twice the starting bid offered when the event began.

Other art collectors got their hands on limited-edition sculptures that had music embedded on them as well a signed event-exclusive art prints.

All proceeds from the auction and art purchases will go to the Apl Foundation, which provides resources and support to global youth especially with grant opportunities through arts, technology and healthcare.

Apl.de.ap, whose real name is Allan Pineda Lindo, previously had an NFT collection with a 10-year-old artist with autism who was a beneficiary of the First Mint Fund at the 2022 Philippine Web3 Festival.

The rapper capped off the event with performances of popular Black Eyed Peas songs, such as "Let's Get It Started," "Bebot," "The APL Song" and "I Gotta Feeling."

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