Non-Fungible Castle 2022 explores how blockchain technology can be used to rediscover, share, and preserve our cultural identities. The exhibition created and exhibited NFTs to represent different artistic forms of expression, serving as a permanent cultural record and fostered a platform to discuss how the art world can use blockchain technology to celebrate our heritage, build a community of cultural stewards, and encourage storytelling to reconnect with our cultural roots.
Devil Dancers by Nuwan Shilpa Hennayake 5400 x 3600 | 300 dpi |. jpg Created for the Non-Fungible Castle 2022 Exhibition Nuwan Shilpa is a self-described “devout disciple in seeking the sublime through psychedelics and visionary states of consciousness” based in Kandy, Sri Lanka. His artistic practice largely expresses his fascination with psychedelic rituals. With an interest in healing ceremonies and spirituality, Hennayake created a piece which portrays the Sinhalese exorcism ritual, Sanni Yakuma. Hennayake’s experimentation with psychedelics has allowed him to experience parallels to this ritual The name of this ancient practice comes from the Sinhalese work sanniya" meaning disease or ailmentand "yakuma" meaning demonic ritual. It is believed in traditional Sinhalese culture that demons cause a person's affliction— and the only cure is exorcism. The ceremony consists of an elaborate masked dancematched to a specific ailmentthat a shaman (yakadura) will use to banish the demon from the patient. Todaythis healing ceremony is still practiced among certain groupsbut is largely performed to entertain tourists visiting Sri Lanka. Hennayake believes that this offers only a clichéd depiction of Sinhalese cultureand therefore uses AI and other digital tools to explore this ritual from a new perspectivewhile staying authentic to it as a cultural expression."