$ETH The controversial digital art received criticism from cryptocurrency commentators, who argued that it "harms cryptocurrencies" and dismissed it as not "provocative" or "daring" as intended. The creator of Ethereum's layer 2 blockchain, Base, Jesse Pollak, apologized following the negative reactions received after posting a piece of digital art that controversially played with Base's slogan, "Base is for everyone".

Several social media users found the artwork offensive and inappropriate.

"It was just one phrase among many, but I admit it was a mistake and I apologize," Pollak said in a post on X on April 18, referring to his decision to reshare a GIF image that featured the phrase "Base is for..." followed by a rotating sequence of words, including controversial terms like "pimping" and "splashers", as well as more neutral ones like "art", "minting", and "ideas".

Pollak says he appreciates "provocative art"

Pollak emphasized that the artwork was created by an artist, not by him, and specifically apologized for the image containing the phrase "Base is for pimping".

Pollak said that while he wants to support artists based on Base and admits he appreciates "provocative art", he acknowledges the need to be aware of the messages he shares, especially when they seem to come directly from him.