· The series of 21 COLLECTIBLES
· 196 PIECE PUZZLE + POSTER + BOX
BUY NOW
At the beginning of 2024, I was invited to create the opening artwork for the Cypherpunks Mailing List chapter in the book Smashtoshi. I contributed a photograph of a disassembled puzzle featuring portraits of cypherpunks who laid the foundation for Bitcoin. The key missing piece? Satoshi Nakamoto—who never appeared on the Cypherpunks mailing list. This image is the result of a thoughtful and multi-layered creative process, all of which is captured in the video ⬆︎ and described in the text and gallery ⬇︎
THE IDEA
While sketching the concept for the Cypherpunks mailing list, I imagined history as a puzzle, where every path eventually leads to Satoshi Nakamoto. Inspired by this metaphor, I visualized the mailing list as a jigsaw puzzle, with the anonymous Satoshi at the center, surrounded by real portraits of well-known cryptographers—framed within a collage of key milestones from cypherpunk history. I explored the Cypherpunks mailing list archives, the Bitcoin Wiki, and searched the web to find 28 portraits of key figures in the movement. Since many images were hard to find, the final selection was based on what was available. Here's a list of the 28 cypherpunks I portray in the collage, Satoshi wouldn't have created Bitcoin without their innovations. And my apologies to all the cypherpunks I didn't include...
| Jon Callas Whitfield Diffie Vince Cate Paul Kocher Steven Schear Derek Atkins John Gilmore |
Eric Blossom Werner Koch Bruce Schneier Timothy C. May Eric Hughes Zooko Wilcox Phill Zimmerman |
Hal Finney Michael Froomkin Nick Szabo Wei Dai Perry Metzger Ian Goldberg Julian Assange |
David Chaum Adam Back Hugh Daniel Martin Hellman Robert Hettinga John Young Johan Helsingius |
CREATING AI PORTRAITS
The portraits were generated from existing photos using artificial intelligence and rendered in a vintage engraving style. To keep the look consistent, the rest of the collage elements were also created with AI using the same prompt.
FROM AI TO GELLI PRINT
To balance the sterile feel of AI-generated images, I used Gelli printing—an analog monoprint technique that transfers xerographic prints onto paper, adding textured imperfections. Each piece of the collage was printed using the Gelli method, giving it a handmade authenticity
PHOTO FOR THE SMASHTOSHI BOOK
The final collage was digitally printed in 70 × 70 cm format and cut into puzzle pieces using a plotter. The assembled version was photographed and will be shown when the Smashtoshi book is released. This could have been the end of the project—but after seeing the first physical prototype, I felt inspired to create a limited screen-printed edition of 21 pieces.
SCREEN PRINTING THE PUZZLE
Due to the limitations of the plotter, I divided the motif (27,5x27,5 inches / 70x70 cm) motif into 9 segments that fit on 2 print sheets. While the digital version was in full colour, the silkscreen required a simplified palette of 8 colours - meaning that a total of 16 screens had to be prepared, exposed, washed, printed and washed again. Finally, the Prints are glued onto thick cardboard and precisely cut with a plotter into the individual puzzle pieces.
THE POSTER
Usually the finished puzzle is shown on the box so you can see how the pieces fit together. Since this was not possible when screen printing directly onto the cardboard box, I created a double-sided poster (19.6 × 24.8 inches / 50 × 63 cm) instead. The front shows the finished puzzle; the back includes educational text about each cryptographer, along with their number of contributions to the Cypherpunks mailing list. During the final review, I realised I had mistakenly included David Chaum, who wasn't actually part of the mailing list—but I decided not to reprint the puzzle. Each poster is hand-numbered, screen printed in a 8/1 color on glossy paper in 21 copies.
THE BOX
The front of the box features a collage of cryptographic milestones. The bottom is numbered and includes a secured QR code sticker linking to a digital certificate of authenticity. The box is sealed in clear plastic, allowing the contents to be verified via QR without opening it—preserving its value as a collector’s item.
PACKAGING COLLECTIBLES
Each puzzle is assembled, signed, numbered and photographed for certification. Then all 196 puzzle pieces are wrapped in custom paper and placed together with the poster in a box.
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY
The certificate is recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain via Verisart.com and includes photographic documentation of all the contents: the video documentary, the assembled puzzle (signed and numbered), the front and back of the poster, and the bottom of the box showing the certificate number. Issued directly by the artist, the certificate ensures a secure and verifiable transfer of ownership to the current collector.
