# Hackatao

> Italian artist duo of Nadia and Sergio, minting crypto art since 2018, known for Hack of a Bear and Queens+Kings.

- Page: https://www.gondi.xyz/artist/hackatao
- Works on GONDI: 750
- Collectors: 333
- About page: https://www.gondi.xyz/artist/hackatao/about

## About

Hackatao is an Italian artist duo, Nadia and Sergio, who began working together in Milan in 2007. The name joins "hack", for getting under the surface of things, with "tao", for the balance of two opposite halves. In 2012 they left Milan for the mountains of north-eastern Italy, where they live and work. Their pictures set flat, brightly colored pop figures against dense black and white line drawings about society, the environment, crypto, art history and gaming. Their first major works were the Podmorks, small ceramic totems painted with drawings.

They minted their first NFT, the animated GIF *Girl Next Door*, on SuperRare in April 2018, and took part in early talks with platforms and collectors about paying artists a royalty on resales. In 2021 Christie's London commissioned [*Hack of a Bear*](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/25999.md), an animated response to Leonardo da Vinci's drawing *Head of a Bear*, and showed it at King Street ahead of the drawing's sale. The duo gave one of its NFTs, [*Hack of a Bear XR*](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/26117.md), to the Museum of Crypto Art. That October Sotheby's London sold their painting *Imago, 2k2 a.C.* together with [its NFT](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/hackatao-on-chain/2.md), and [*Beyond the Void*](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/29571.md) was shown beside the work of Lucio Fontana at the Ca' la Ghironda museum near Bologna.

At the end of 2021 they launched *Queens+Kings*, 6,900 avatars that holders can rework, with support from Sotheby's and NFT Studios. Later projects include *Aleph-0*, a long-form generative series made with Insigħt in 2023, and *HACK the TAO*, a game experience in The Sandbox, in 2024. Fortune named them to its NFTy 50 in 2021.

## At a glance

- Practice: Crypto art, painting, sculpture and animation
- In museums: Museum of Crypto Art
- Based in: North-eastern Italy
- Founded: 2007
- Members: Nadia, Sergio
- Platforms: SuperRare, Nifty Gateway, MakersPlace, KnownOrigin, Async Art

## Notable works

- 2021: [Hack of a Bear](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/25999.md)
- 2020: [Imago, 2k2 a.C.](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/hackatao-on-chain/2.md)
- 2021: [Beyond the Void](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/29571.md)
- 2021: [Queens+Kings](https://hackatao.com/queens-kings)
- 2021: [Promised Land](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/19319.md)

## In museum collections

- 2021: [Hack of a Bear XR (2021), the 3D bear head made for Hack of a Bear](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/26117.md), Museum of Crypto Art

## Top sales

- 2021: [Imago, 2k2 a.C., the painting sold with its NFT](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/hackatao-on-chain/2.md), Sotheby's, £680,500 (about $936,100)
- 2021: [HACK of a BEAR - The Architect](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/26024.md), 145 ETH (about $555,300)
- 2021: [Beyond the Void](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/29571.md), 100 ETH (about $384,700)
- 2021: [HACK of a BEAR - The Artist](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/26025.md), 55 ETH (about $217,000)
- 2021: [HACK of a BEAR - The Scientist](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/26021.md), 48.6 ETH (about $153,300)
- 2021: [Promised Land](https://www.gondi.xyz/collections/superrare/19319.md), 72 ETH (about $140,950)

## Exhibitions

- 2023: [Pink Bear, shown at the CAFA Art Museum](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), CAFA Art Museum, Beijing
- 2022: [Queens+Kings show during Paris+ par Art Basel](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), Pierre Cardin gallery, Paris
- 2022: [INCANTO, with ARTE META](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), Gangneung, South Korea
- 2021: [Dreamverse](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), Terminal 5, New York, NY
- 2021: [DART 2121](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), Milan
- 2021: [Beyond the Void, a work by Hackatao shown with Lucio Fontana](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), Ca' la Ghironda Modern Art Museum, Near Bologna, Italy
- 2021: [Hack of a Bear, shown in AR during Classic Week beside Leonardo's Head of a Bear](https://lsionline.com/news/hackatao-give-digital-treatment-to-old-master), Christie's King Street, London
- 2021: [PROOF OF ART](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), Linz, Austria
- 2021: [Promised Land, a work in dialogue with Guercino's Moses](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), CRAC Art Space, Castelnuovo Rangone, Italy
- 2020: [Renaissance 2.0 2.0](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), Rome
- 2019-2020: [The Truth Is, solo show](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), Zanini Arte
- 2016: [WAZHACK, solo show](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), ArteA Gallery, Milan

## Recognition

- 2021: [NFTy 50, No. 23](https://fortune.com/nfty-50/2021/hackatao), Fortune

## Collaborations

- 2023: [Aleph-0, a long-form generative project made with Insigħt](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)
- 2022: [DNA collection with Bang & Olufsen and six Queens+Kings collectors](https://hackatao.com/queens-kings), Bang & Olufsen
- 2022: [Hack The Boxes, made with Pranksy](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)
- 2021: [Hack the Borders, made with Blondie](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)
- 2021: [H/ID/DEN, made with Skygolpe](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)
- 2021: [Heroines, made with José Delbo](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)
- 2020: [HACKITTIEZ, with CryptoKittiez and Async Art](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)
- [Crypto Stamp Art, stamps made with the Austrian Post](https://www.rightclicksave.com/index/people/6581/hackatao), Austrian Post

## Press & resources

- 2022: [Crypto Artists Hackatao Donate $50,000 Worth of ETH to Outright International](https://thegivingblock.com/resources/crypto-artists-hackatao-donate-50000-worth-of-eth-to-outright-action-international/), The Giving Block
- 2022: [Hackatao: Ein millionenschweres NFT-Künstlerpaar](https://www.btc-echo.de/news/hackatao-ein-millionenschweres-nft-kuenstlerpaar-143424/), BTC-Echo
- 2021: [The (digital) return of Leonardo da Vinci](https://www.speakart.it/en/?p=6224), SpeakART
- 2021: [Hackatao give digital treatment to Old Master](https://lsionline.com/news/hackatao-give-digital-treatment-to-old-master), LSi Online

## Milestones

- 2007: [Hackatao forms in Milan and shows its first Podmorks at Wannabee Gallery](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)
- 2012: [Leaves Milan for the mountains of north-eastern Italy](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)
- 2018: [Mints its first NFT, the animated GIF Girl Next Door, on SuperRare](https://hackatao.com/bio)
- 2020: [Launches $MORK, its social token](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)
- 2021: [Christie's London commissions Hack of a Bear, a response to Leonardo's Head of a Bear](https://lsionline.com/news/hackatao-give-digital-treatment-to-old-master), Christie's
- 2021: [Sotheby's London sells the painting Imago, 2k2 a.C. with its NFT](https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/contemporary-art-day-auction-4/imago-2k2-a-c), Sotheby's
- 2021: [Launches Queens+Kings, 6,900 avatars holders can rework, with NFT Studios and Sotheby's](https://hackatao.com/queens-kings)
- 2022: [Gives $50,000 in ETH to Outright International](https://thegivingblock.com/resources/crypto-artists-hackatao-donate-50000-worth-of-eth-to-outright-action-international/)
- 2023: [Releases Aleph-0, a long-form generative project made with Insigħt](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)
- 2024: [Appears in TASCHEN's book On NFTs](https://hackatao.com/hackstory), TASCHEN

## Links

- [hackatao.com](https://hackatao.com)
- [X](https://x.com/hackatao)
- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/hackatao/)
- [hackatao.com/hackstory](https://hackatao.com/hackstory)

Data from GONDI (https://www.gondi.xyz), Oct 28, 2026.