Crypto Gloss

Ringers

Ringers is an Art Blocks Curated generative art collection created by Dmitri Cherniak — 1,000 on-chain artworks released in January 2021, each depicting a string wrapped around pegs on a rectangular grid, with the algorithm varying peg placement, wrapping style, and color to produce dramatically different compositions from loops and curves to complex geometric patterns, achieving the highest average sale price of any Art Blocks Curated series with individual pieces selling for hundreds of ETH.

The Collection

Attribute Detail
Supply 1,000 NFTs
Blockchain Ethereum (on-chain via Art Blocks)
Launch January 2021
Creator Dmitri Cherniak
Platform Art Blocks Curated

Each Ringer depicts an elastic string wrapped around pegs positioned on a rectangular canvas. The algorithm varies:

  • Peg placement: Grid density and positioning
  • Wrapping behavior: How the string navigates the pegs
  • Color palette: From monochromatic to vibrant multi-color
  • Canvas background: White, black, or colored backgrounds
  • String thickness and opacity

The visual results range from simple clean geometric patterns to complex, dense wrapping that resembles abstract paintings.

Market Significance

Ringers achieved the highest average sale prices in Art Blocks Curated history:

  • Rare pieces traded for 500–1,000+ ETH at peak
  • Ringer #879 (“the goat”) — widely considered the rarest piece — has traded for extremely high prices
  • Institutional collectors hold Ringers alongside Fidenza as the Art Blocks “blue chip” tier

Dmitri Cherniak

Dmitri Cherniak is a Canadian generative artist who transitioned from software engineering to full-time generative art:

  • Background in mathematics and programming
  • Developed the Ringers concept over extended research into constraint-satisfaction algorithms
  • The “peg and string” concept is deceptively simple: the algorithm must find a wrapping path that visits each peg — a variant of combinatorial optimization
  • Has subsequently released work on other platforms and continues actively creating

History

  • January 2021 — Ringers releases on Art Blocks Curated; 1,000 pieces mint; early collector recognition of exceptional quality
  • 2021 — As Art Blocks grows, Ringers emerges as one of the two defining Curated collections (alongside Fidenza)
  • August 2021 — Peak: Ringers pieces in the hundreds of ETH; high-profile secondary trades
  • 2022 — Bear market; Ringers floor declines; relative premium over Art Blocks Curated average maintained
  • 2023–2024 — Ringers and Fidenza are the canonical Art Blocks blue chips; secondary market active among serious generative art collectors

Common Misconceptions

  • “Ringers is just a simpler version of Fidenza.” — Ringers and Fidenza are different algorithms with different visual languages and different artistic concepts. Ringers’ string-on-pegs is a combinatorial problem; Fidenza’s flow fields are a noise-function problem. Both are Curated tier but represent distinct artistic approaches.
  • “Rare Ringers are automatically the most aesthetically interesting.” — Many collectors prefer the elegant simplicity of lower-rarity Ringers over the complex density of the rarest pieces. Aesthetic preference is separate from market rarity.

Social Media Sentiment

  • X/Twitter: Ringers is discussed with reverence in the Art Blocks and generative art community; Dmitri Cherniak is actively followed and engaged.
  • r/CryptoArt: Ringers is considered alongside Fidenza as the generative art blue-chip benchmark; the “goat” discussion (Ringer #879) generates repeated community debate.
  • Institutional collector community: Ringers is held by serious collectors with large Art Blocks portfolios; considered a foundation piece alongside Fidenza.

Last updated: 2026-04

Related Terms

See Also

  • Fidenza — Tyler Hobbs’s Art Blocks Curated masterwork; alongside Ringers forms the Art Blocks blue-chip canon; different algorithm, comparable collector prestige
  • Art Blocks — the platform hosting Ringers; the generative art ecosystem that gives Ringers its context and collector community
  • Chromie Squiggle — the Art Blocks genesis collection; with Fidenza and Ringers forms the three-pillar Art Blocks blue-chip collection set

Sources