Perhaps because their existence has been threatened by man’s assault on the environment and we know them to be vulnerable and gentle, it’s easy to see the panda as a prophet. In his first NFT, Rob Pruitt deepfakes a panda verbalizing these words of wisdom to the viewer: “Some humans are not very good at being humane.”

This NFT was created using low-tech software and that feels just right to Pruitt, “This is just a starting point for a project I intend to grow and develop. Soon I imagine the bear will be jumping off the screen and talking non-stop.” Over the last two decades, Pruitt has used the panda in painted form as an avatar to tell stories of friendship, family, equality, and environmentalism. He hopes the talking panda will grow technically by embracing more sophisticated digital processes and by engaging in the ever-changing cultural conversation. Rob Pruitt works across a variety of styles and mediums to create playful and thoughtful reflections on popular culture. His work is in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Hirshhorn Museum.

This NFT uses a Fair Trade Art Certificate and 18% of the purchase amount will be personally donated to the American Civil Liberties Union.