Kevin Abosch & Dassai
Sublimata – Decoding Fermentation
For this collaboration, Kevin Abosch created a collection of unique and original 1 of 1 digital artworks, the result of the artist’s engagement with millions of data-points related to both the Dassai sake brewing process and Asahi Shuzo’s values. Inspired by Abosch’s art, AsahiShuzo then created a limited, corresponding run of this specially brewed premium sake. Previous limited editions from the brand have been highly sought after, one bottle fetching 843,750 yen ($8,026) at auction in Hong Kong.
As a renowned contemporary artist, Kevin Abosch is both a pioneer in digital art and heavily involved in the web3 space since 2016. His work embraces both traditional and generative methods, particularly AI and blockchain, and has been exhibited in many of the world’s most important museums, galleries and art institutions.
Embracing innovation, for this initiative AsahiShuzo combined the highest level of traditional craft with detailed technological insights, enabling them to brew sake of unprecedented refinement. By using complex, precision data, in tandem with the extraordinary skill and experience of their workforce, they manage and monitor the development of their sake at every stage of the brewing process to create a truly best-in-class product.
Artworks buyers received limited-edition physical bottles.
From the harvesting and polishing of the rice to fermentation and bottling, I witnessed a process that resembled the performance of a symphony: precise, layered, and expressive.
Using data I collected at the Dassai family brewery in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture, I engaged in an iterative creative process—moving between observation and computation, between the physical and the digital. Leveraging computers and artificial intelligence, I sought to manifest a visual emotional distillation of Dassai sake, as both seen and felt by me.
In my practice as an artist—and particularly in this collaboration with Dassai—I have employed machines and deep-learning algorithms in what can best be described as a feedback loop.
That is, insights gleaned from data collected through my first-person observation of the sake brewing process are interpreted, classified, and then recursively reintroduced into the machine. This cyclical methodology allows for a continual evolution of output—a dynamic exchange between human intuition and computational interpretation.
In this back-and-forth interplay, I strive to distill what I refer to as emotional value—an ineffable quality that resists quantification. Emotional value, as I define it, is that which one feels but cannot easily articulate. It exists not in a fixed or measurable state but rather in something akin to a quantum condition: imprecise, elusive, yet profoundly resonant.
Ultimately, my goal is to translate this value into a visual language—a morphology of entangled forms. In the context of Sublimata, these visual articulations serve as companions to the experience of drinking Dassai sake, amplifying its sensory and emotional dimensions.” KEVIN ABOSCH
Inspired by Kevin Abosch's artwork, Yamada Nishiki rice carefully selected in past contests will be used to produce a limited edition of the company's top-quality sake, "Dassai Beyond". A unique edition, "Dassai Beyond the Beyond" made from contest-winning rice sold at the 2020 Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong for 840,000 yen (7,800 USD) per bottle.
By combining both traditional and innovative brewing techniques, DASSAI has achieved an unprecedented level of sophistication in sake brewing. Utilizing modern technology to visualize data, DASSAI’s sake brewing team equipped with the technology, experience and mindset to interpret said data to create more delicious sake, constantly repeats technical challenges and evolution to create the finest sake.
Dassai fully understands the importance of “technique” and “human”. Dassai sake is made in small batches for its quality, and most of the brewing process is carried out manually by the brewers, from washing the rice to making koji. This attention to detail and aspiration for the highest quality results in an unparalleled taste.
KEVIN ABOSCH
Kevin Abosch is an Irish conceptual artist renowned for his interdisciplinary approach, integrating photography, sculpture, installation, blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, and film. His work delves into themes of identity, value, and human currency, posing ontological questions and addressing sociological dilemmas.
Abosch’s art has been exhibited globally, often in civic spaces, including prestigious institutions such as The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, The National Museum of China, The National Gallery of Ireland, Jeu de Paume in Paris, The Irish Museum of Modern Art, and the Bogotá Museum of Modern Art. In 2015, he gained widespread attention for his photograph “Potato #345,” which sold for €1,000,000, exemplifying his exploration of value and identity.
A pioneer in cryptoart, Abosch has created blockchain-based artworks that challenge traditional notions of ownership and value. Notable projects include “I AM A COIN” (2018), where he created 10 million virtual artworks as crypto-tokens on the Ethereum blockchain, and “Forever Rose” (2018), a virtual artwork that sold for $1 million. His collaborative work “PRICELESS” with Chinese artist Ai Weiwei further investigates the intersection of art and cryptocurrency, comprising two ERC-20 tokens on the Ethereum blockchain, one of which is forever inaccessible, symbolizing the intangible nature of value
Kevin Abosch Studio: kevinabosch.com
ASAHI SHUZO – DASSAI
DASSAI is a series of sake produced by Asahi Shuzo.
A brewery based in Yamaguchi Prefecture in the south of Honshu, Japan’s main island.
The name 'DASSAI' reflects the ancient name for this region of Japan. The brewery’s philosophy is founded on avoiding complacency to ensure that existing techniques are constantly reformed and revolutionised. Asahi Shuzo pride themselves on brewing sake year-round - something often unheard of in the sake industry - using only the finest quality Yamada Nishiki rice across their sake range.
Dassai is made using a careful combination of tradition and cutting-edge technology. At Asahi Shuzo, they have come to use what works and have left behind what does not, choosing what their experience dictates is best from both the old world and the new.