Downs & Towns 📷

gm, for everyone who couldn't make it to Artblocks Marfa 2026 this is the next best thing I guess. Watch the final episode of Marfa FOMO and let me know if you spot any familiar faces.

Found brothers in @MattKaneArtist @natealex @cryptopeng1 @DownsandTowns and @dutchtide Literally fell in love with so many brilliant creatives but these lads are on another level.

GM Creatives & Collectors ☕️ Wild wings. Frozen worlds. Life in motion. “Life” by @DownsandTowns

It was really nice spending some quality time with @downsandtowns and feeling the passion he has for his work! I’m super proud of his accomplishments and can’t wait to see what the future brings for this talented young man! One of my most memorable parts of Marfa !!!! @artblocks_io

So long & thanks for all the fish s/o @LazerErik for the invite & hospitality in Marfa - from meeting a month ago in NFT NYC & having you join us at DeStefanos for dinner, to meeting up in the middle of nowhere Texas - this is what community & culture are all about! Big big vibes at this table that night, what an amazing week & can't wait until next year / until next time we cross paths!

This man is a fucking legendary photographer @HoustonVa184141 it was my pleasure to hang out & vibe with you all week out in Marfa my dude, until next time!

Loved hanging with these two legends!! @DownsandTowns @GTSewell - Photo by @OmarZRobles

Post Marfa Thoughts: I don’t think I can put into words how truly remarkable my 2026 Marfa experience was. With that said, in typical Mada fashion, I am certainly going to try. Simply put, it comes down to three key elements: Art, Warmth, & Connectedness. Art: From breathtaking documentaries to VR sculpture masterpieces.. from combining generative art with music to exploring the intersection of time, photography & algorithmic art.. the creativeness and execution witnessed over three days was vast and beyond expectations. I was taken on a journey that encompasses exactly what makes art so special. The expression of so many feelings in so so many unique ways. I don’t mean this hyperbolically, but on many occasions I was so moved with emotions I was brought to tears. Not that I was sad, but rather that I became overwhelmed with so much feeling. I know it sounds bizarre but I felt empathetic towards the art I experienced. Lived experiences expressed through art in a way that felt incredibly personal. Bravo to everyone that presented their work. Thank you thank you thank you. Warmth: In reflecting, the key difference from quite literally any other experience I have had is the warmth and kindness of everyone in attendance. I know it sounds cliche but I can’t help but feel that Marfa has simply become a magnet for the best people in the world. The distance and difficulty of making it is undoubtedly a feature and not a bug. I have not hugged so many people in such a short period of time. Strangers becoming friends in the course of a conversation. The fact that this happened over and over and over is simply not normal. It is a product of the high density of amazing individuals that called Marfa home this past weekend. Openness, acceptance, warmth. Something I discussed with many people and will desperately try and figure out how to replicate. Connectedness: I recognize much of what I described in warmth also applies to connectedness. However, with warmth the emphasis is on new relationships. For connectedness, I want to double down on the relationships I have curated over the last four years. The bonds I have are so strong I truly believe they are unbreakable. A hobby that has transcended into a launchpad of lifelong relationships. I feel so privileged to have somehow made it to this very position. I have found in recent times the quote “I am all alone, but not lonely” has represented my life. However this past weekend, I was most certainly not alone or lonely. Thank you to every friend I embraced, I love you. So here is to another Marfa in the books. It might be over but it will live with me forever! Much Love, Mada

Grateful for all the artists and patrons that make this weekend in Marfa feeling like a movie. Making deeper connections and slowing down to enjoy all the hard work the artists put into their practice. I’m a big believer in this space and everyone in it. We came here with a budget of 15k and ended up spending the entire @fndzionaversano treasury of 50k. There was so many great events and artists who show up in the middle of the Texas desert. We see you and appreciate you and honor you with the beautiful works you are creating. I’m just an artist who believes in this space and wants to build a permanent collection of all my peers and hopefully we can continue to do this initiative every year! We collected many prints, physicals, paintings, sculptures, photographs, and lots of NFTs not pictured in this image. I love you fam, and most importantly thank you for the love you pour into your art. Hopefully someday we will have a permanent building to house and display all these works. In the meantime, it will go up on the studio walls to remind us how far we have come and who we are becoming through the works we create and collect. Thank you @artblocks_io for putting together this wonderful event for us to all come home to every year.

It’s always been the friends we made along the way. If I saw you this weekend, thank you for spending time with me. We made some great memories.