Checks Elements (2023) pairs 152 monoprints with digital works. Developed with Jean Milant and Cirrus Editions, it translates the visual system of Checks into the material decisions of printmaking.
Verification on paper
In Erika Lee’s interview, Butcher explains the four elements—earth, air, fire and water—as a way of extending his interest in shared systems of belief. That is the artist’s account of the theme. It is not evidence for a universal history of how cultures classified the physical world.
Sources: nft now, 15 May 2023
A digital rule, a manual process
The compositions use generative logic related to Checks, with palettes organized around the elements. Milant made the physical works using a lithographic press; Lee’s report describes Butcher hand-finishing them. The pairing makes it possible to compare a digital specification with its material realization.
The documented process does not give collectors the compositing role they have in Checks Originals. Here the focus is the relationship between a print and its digital counterpart. A pair is not interchangeable with a downloadable reproduction.
Sources: nft now, 15 May 2023; Christie’s Press Centre, 15 May 2023
The print claim and token record
On 17 July 2023, Butcher announces the monoprint claim and states that tokens will reflect single or pair status. This documents how the relationship between the digital record and the print was represented at that stage. The announcement is not a record of every delivery or a guarantee of current claim availability.
Exhibition record
Christie’s announced Earth, Air and Water from the collection for its 3.0 auction, with bidding from 16 to 23 May 2023. These three works were on view at its Rockefeller Center galleries in New York from 20 to 23 May. The auction-house announcement is primary evidence of that presentation, not independent critical endorsement.
Sources: Christie’s Press Centre, 15 May 2023
Development
Images
Selected images from the artist’s project archive. Captions describe the images; they do not assign unverified photography credits.
Sources and further reading
Artist statements describe intention. Reporting and interviews record different perspectives; exhibition announcements establish specific presentations. How sources are classified.
Artist / studio · Selected posts from the downloaded account archive
Checks Elements: the print claim
1 selected posts. A July 2023 announcement connects physical claims to the token’s single/pair status. Original wording and links are preserved; headings and notes are editorial. This is artist testimony, not independent verification.
Exhibition record · Exhibitor announcement (PDF)
Jack Butcher: Checks Elements — This Artwork May or May Not Be Notable
Announces three works at Rockefeller Center, New York, 20–23 May 2023, with bidding 16–23 May. Identifies the collaboration with Jean Milant and Cirrus Editions. An auction-house source, not independent criticism.
Independent publication · Reporting with artist interview
Jack Butcher Unveils Checks Elements NFT Collection
Describes the print process and quotes Butcher on the four elements. His explanation is artist testimony, not independent historical evidence.