For anyone born in the 1980s or later, Keanu Reeves has been a lifelong presence in the cultural zeitgeist. Reeves began his string of cult films with 1989's The Adventures of Abiaddy, which became a fan favorite throughout the decade.
Of course, he reached his peak in 1999 with the launch of the The Matrix film series. In recent years, he's worked on John Wick and Cyberpunk 2077, the latter of which spawned the now-iconic montage below.
To call Keanu Reeves a public treasure might be an understatement. However, with Reeves' latest venture, some have decided to extinguish the "torch" in their hearts for the (impossible) 57-year-old actor.
How outrageous is this?
Although NFT and cryptocurrencies are recognized fundraising channels, a large number of ordinary people remain skeptical of the technology. This is all well and good, as there have been some NFT scams, insider trading issues, and more. As long as the criticism is based on solid facts, it's completely understandable.
But crucially, it needs to be based on facts. Because just as NFTs are used to do bad things, they are also used to do great good. This is especially important in Reeves’ case, as he entered the NFT space by launching the Future Universe Foundation and working with his long-time partner Alexandra Grant.
As the press release states: In close collaboration with Non-Fungible Labs and FLUF World, this charitable foundation hopes to provide "underrepresented artists the opportunity to showcase their work on digital and physical platforms."
Reeves himself is no stranger to philanthropy. In fact, he has built a reputation for himself as one of the most generous people active in Hollywood. Just google "Keanu Reeves' philanthropy" and you'll find an endless list of lavish gifts Reeves gave to colleagues, family, friends, and charities throughout his 30-plus-year career. So this move is out of character for him in any way, really?
Depending on the entities he works with, probably not.
FLUF World’s involvement with this foundation is particularly exciting given their previous fundraising efforts for causes such as homelessness and the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Since its founding in 2021, FLUF World has raised over $2 million and more for causes like this. The arts will be their next beneficiary, as Reeves and company will work to "create a better world for artists" through the foundation.
Specifically, they hope to achieve this by creating grants aimed at "supporting diverse and underrepresented artists and cultivating their unique artistic abilities on a global platform." The launch of the Futureverse Foundation follows a €100,000 donation from Non-Fungible Labs to Oforiatta Ayim to support her unique curatorial concept for the Ghana Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale. Inside the
foundation, we very much hope that the work they do in the future can make waves in the art field - whether it is NFT or other. "Arts funding is a challenge for every artist and arts nonprofit,"
Grant said in a press release. "Work with the Non-Fungible Labs team to imagine a new model for arts philanthropy that creates lasting impact in both the digital and physical realms." Impact, this is one of the most exciting projects I've ever worked on.
The buzz online
Unfortunately, despite Reeves' stated intention to help establish the foundation, some people online are still disappointed by the news. Others seem to miss this entirely, arguing that Reeves' involvement in the new foundation is "jumping on the NFT bandwagon," so to speak, and they seem to be painfully ignoring the philanthropic nature of Reeves' entry into the space
at Forbes. , Dani Di Placido writes about “pyramid schemes” and wants to ensure “a constant stream of new victims, ready to buy into the ever-expanding scam. “Yes, the big scam is charity.
At the same time, some netizens also pointed out that during the media tour, Reeves himself laughed off the concept of NFT in an interview in "The Matrix". So what might change his mind on this issue? Well, first of all, Reeves isn't scoffing at the idea of using NFTs for charity. Instead, Alex Heath asked him about his thoughts on digital scarcity and digital collectibles. Reeves laughs and points out that digital items can be easily copied.
In other words, he doesn’t see the point in digital collectibles. However, NFTs can be used for many things, not just collectibles. For example, they could be used to raise money for charity.... which is exactly what Reeves is doing.
Or, as one person who responded to our original tweet on the subject suggested, he might finally "talk to the right people and understand what the community is building together." In any case, Reeves will start working with NFTs to promote charitable donations. It is therefore rather difficult to see why the world is so disturbed.
