Bitcoin Magazine opens exhibition in honour of Silk Road founder

Bitcoin Magazine открыл in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, an exhibition space dedicated to the founder of the darknet marketplace Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht.

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The exhibition forms part of the Bitcoin Magazine Art Gallery (BMAG) — a platform for artists and creatives from the crypto industry. Among the works are the marble sculpture "Awakening" by sculptor Brekkie von Bitcoin and Trevor Jones’s piece "Architect (Satoshi Nakamoto)".

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The exhibition for Ulbricht is arranged as his Tucson prison cell. The space with iron bars includes letters and paintings by the Silk Road founder, a biography, a copy of the verdict and information about the fight for his release.

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“The installation depicting Ross’s cell and showcasing his remarkable work serves as a compelling reminder that this outstanding man and pioneer is sentenced to death in custody if nothing changes,” said Lynn Ulbricht, Ross’s mother.

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Reproductions of the darknet founder’s paintings are on sale. Proceeds will go to FreeRoss.org. The original painting by Bitcoin Magazine artist Tommy Marcetti can be bought by anyone who donates 183 million SATS to the Ulbricht Freedom Fund. That is the amount in dollars the court ordered to pay the Silk Road founder as restitution.

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“We aim to creatively stimulate donations and raise awareness of the efforts to free Ross Ulbricht and restore the rest of his life,” Marcetti said.

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BMAG coordinator Dennis Koch added that the gallery’s aim is to create a space for meetings and exhibitions. He described selling artworks for SATS as “a form of mining for artists”.

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In 2015, a court found Ulbricht guilty of running the Silk Road darknet marketplace and other offenses, including drug trafficking and conspiracy to launder funds. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

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In 2019, venture capitalist Tim Draper urged Ulbricht’s release. In March 2020, a petition with a similar demand gathered 275,000 signatures.

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Later, Elon Musk called it an overreach of the Silk Road founder’s sentence. He said the reasons for punishment “were certainly there, but the sentence seems excessive.”

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Earlier, in November 2021, the Silk Road founder announced that will auction off his NFT collection. It was acquired by the decentralized autonomous organization FreeRossDAO for 1,446 ETH (~$6.2 million at the time).

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