The First Artist with Down Syndrome and Autism to Release An NFT Collection of 1,000 Unique Artworks: Santiago Releases His ABSTRACTO Collection on December 9th At just sixteen years old, Santiago is a non-verbal artist with Down syndrome who is changing the face of modern art. On December 9th, the pioneering artist launches his large-scale NFT collection, ABSTRACTO by Santiago. With the launch of ABSTRACTO, Santiago becomes the very first artist with Down syndrome and autism to release an NFT collection of 1,000 unique artworks. This collection champions the Down syndrome and autism communities, and shines light on new opportunities for artists with disabilities. Santiago is non-verbal, but his art speaks loud and clear. At a very young age, Santiago began using art as a means to express himself. “Santiago embraced what makes him different,” says Santiago’s brother. “Instead of looking at his disability as a weakness, he turned it into his greatest strength. Santiago’s uniqueness is exactly what gives him a distinct artistic perspective, and what makes his art special. We wanted to give him a platform for him to shine on his own, and to leave a legacy through his art.”To create the ABSTRACTO collection, Santiago painted over 200 paintings over the course of 5 months. He used a diverse range of materials, including oil paint, acrylic paint, gesso, oil pastel, and charcoal. Next, Santiago’s 200 canvas paintings were all scanned to digital format. Then, following an algorithmic editing technique, different elements of the paintings were combined to createbrand new digital artworks. As such, Santiago’s 200 physical paintings yielded 1,000 unique digital artworks comprising the complete ABSTRACTO collection.

Santiago is the first artist with Down syndrome and autism to release an NFT collection of 1,000 unique artworks.

ABSTRACTO by Santiago (Down Syndrome & Autism Artist)

ABSTRACTO by Santiago (Down Syndrome & Autism Artist)