NFT Marketplaces: Art · Review
InactiveHic et Nunc Review 2026: The Tezos NFT Marketplace That Became Teia
Hic et Nunc was a minimalist NFT marketplace on Tezos that grew quickly in 2021. The original site was discontinued, and its community continued under the Teia name.
By the DappsAtlas editorial team · Updated
DappsAtlas score
5.0/10
Mixed
Our verdict on Hic et Nunc
5.0/10Hic et Nunc matters mainly as history: a minimalist Tezos marketplace that helped popularize NFT art in 2021. Its main strength was simplicity and a committed creative community. The main caveat is that the original site is discontinued, so it is not somewhere to trade today. Readers interested in the same ecosystem should look at Teia or other Tezos marketplaces and confirm their current status first. No audits or fee details are published for the original platform, so treat it as a case study rather than a recommendation.
Score breakdown
How Hic et Nunc scores
- Security
- 3.5/10
- Ease of use
- 7.0/10
- Fees
- n/a
- Features
- 4.5/10
Scores run from 0 to 10 and are based only on facts we could verify. Where information was missing we mark the score n/a rather than guess.
What is Hic et Nunc?
Hic et Nunc, Latin for 'here and now', launched in 2021 as a minimalist platform for minting and trading NFTs on Tezos. One source credits Brazilian developer Rafael Lima with founding it in March 2021.
It became the most popular NFT marketplace on Tezos that year, though a competitor, Objkt, was gaining ground by November 2021. A July 2021 hack briefly damaged confidence in the Tezos NFT scene.
The original website and its Twitter account were later described as discontinued. Later guides refer to a rebrand to Teia, so this review treats Hic et Nunc as an inactive project whose community moved on.
How Hic et Nunc works
Hic et Nunc was a smart-contract-based marketplace on Tezos. An artist uploaded a work, minted it as an NFT, and listed it for sale. A collector with a Tezos wallet could buy it, and ownership was recorded on the blockchain.
The interface was kept deliberately simple. It was a minimalist, no-frills site focused on minting and trading rather than a feature-heavy storefront.
After the original site and its social account were discontinued, community members continued under the Teia name. Guides from early 2022 describe links and names being updated for that rebrand.
5 features
Key features
01
Minimal minting flow
Artists could create NFTs directly on Tezos without a heavy onboarding process. Early guides describe a no-frills approach.
02
Tezos-based trading
Collectors bought and resold artworks on a single marketplace built on Tezos, a proof-of-stake chain often noted for lower energy use than proof-of-work chains.
03
Low-fee art market
The platform was pitched as a low-fee, decentralized market for digital art, according to one write-up.
04
Community-run development
The project grew through volunteers and enthusiasts around a lead developer, rather than a conventional company.
05
Successor in Teia
After the original site went down, the community carried on as Teia, which keeps the Hic et Nunc lineage alive.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Simple, no-frills approach to minting and selling digital art
- Built on Tezos, which was a lower-cost alternative to some larger chains
- Became the leading Tezos NFT marketplace in 2021
- Strong artist and collector community that carried on under the Teia name
- Described as a low-fee market for digital art
Watch out for
- The original website and its social account were reported as discontinued, so the marketplace is no longer a place to trade
- Described as a passion project run by one developer with volunteer helpers, which is a thin base for a trading venue
- A hack in July 2021 briefly damaged confidence in the platform
- No audit, fee schedule or governance details are published
- Original links and branding were replaced after the Teia rebrand, which can confuse newcomers
- Tezos NFT liquidity moved to other marketplaces such as Objkt
Hic et Nunc fees
Hic et Nunc does not publish a fee schedule in the sources used here. One write-up describes it as aiming to offer a low-fee, decentralized market for digital art.
As a Tezos marketplace, users would normally have paid network transaction fees plus any marketplace or royalty terms set in the platform. Since the original site is discontinued, current fees would be shown on its successor platforms, such as Teia.
Is Hic et Nunc safe?
The original site is reported as discontinued, so there is no live service to evaluate for custody or smart-contract risk. No audits, bug bounty or formal licensing are published in the sources used here.
A hack in July 2021 briefly shook confidence in the platform, and the project was described as a passion project run by one developer with volunteer help. Treat any site claiming to be Hic et Nunc with caution, verify addresses independently, and never share your wallet recovery phrase.
6 steps
How to get started with Hic et Nunc
- 1
Understand that the original Hic et Nunc site is discontinued and not a live marketplace.
- 2
Look up Teia, the rebranded successor, and confirm its address from an independent source.
- 3
Set up a Tezos-compatible wallet and keep the recovery phrase offline.
- 4
Buy a small amount of XTZ to cover network fees.
- 5
Connect the wallet only to a marketplace whose address you have verified, and review each transaction before signing.
- 6
Start with a low-value purchase or mint to learn the process.
Who Hic et Nunc is for
This page suits readers researching the early Tezos NFT scene, artists curious about where the community went, and collectors who want context before using Teia or Objkt. It is not for anyone looking for an active marketplace under the original name.
Hic et Nunc FAQs
What was Hic et Nunc?
Hic et Nunc was an NFT marketplace on the Tezos blockchain where artists could mint digital art and collectors could buy it. It launched in 2021 as a minimalist platform. It was widely described as the most popular NFT marketplace on Tezos that year.
What does Hic et Nunc mean?
It is Latin for 'here and now'. The name has been described as a motto for satisfying desire immediately: 'I need it, here and now'.
Is Hic et Nunc still running?
Reports describe the website and its Twitter account as discontinued, and the project is treated here as inactive. Guides published afterwards describe a rebrand to Teia, with links and names updated.
Who created Hic et Nunc?
One snippet credits Brazilian developer Rafael Lima with founding it in March 2021. A separate write-up calls it essentially his passion project, assisted by volunteer enthusiasts. The project does not publish a company or team structure.
Was Hic et Nunc hacked?
A July 2021 article says a hack briefly damaged confidence in the Tezos NFT scene. Details beyond that are not in the sources used here, so check primary reports before drawing conclusions.
Where did its users go?
Teia is the name used after the rebrand, and guides now point newcomers there. Objkt is another Tezos marketplace that was gaining ground on Hic et Nunc in late 2021. Check each platform's current status yourself before connecting a wallet.
Compare
Hic et Nunc alternatives
SuperRare is a curated Ethereum NFT marketplace for digital art and works paired with physical pieces, aimed at collectors and vetted artists.
Endemic is an Ethereum NFT marketplace for digital artists and collectors, offering AI-assisted curation, a creator studio and artist-led collections.
Bisket is an NFT art marketplace that works with artists, based on a single Medium post; the official site and fees are not confirmed.
HeartX is an NFT art marketplace concept for artists and collectors, combining community voting with HNX boosts and HTX governance.
NFPrompt is a Web3 marketplace where users mint AI-generated NFTs and sell them together with the prompt used to create the image.
UniqArt is an NFT marketplace for artists and collectors built on the NEAR blockchain, based on limited public information.
Same category
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NonceArt is a collaborative pixel-art marketplace on Base that describes pixel ownership as onchain and payments as gasless USDC transfers.
Foundation was an Ethereum NFT art marketplace for creators; the team took it offline indefinitely on April 27, 2026 after a failed sale.
Seed.Photo is described as a digital-art platform for photographers and art enthusiasts, associated with the SEED token.
Arteq is associated with the ARTEQ Ethereum token and an art-auction concept, but its current marketplace operations are unclear.
Cifipowa is described as an NFT art marketplace where artists can mint digital artwork as NFTs.
NFT STARS describes a digital-art NFT ecosystem offering technology and promotional solutions for artists and buyers.
Same chain
More on Tezos
Gate is a centralized crypto exchange founded in 2013 offering spot, futures, stocks and earn products for traders who want one multi-asset account.
Bitget is a centralized exchange for crypto spot and futures that also offers tokenized stocks, commodities and forex in one account, for active traders.
Objkt is a non-custodial NFT marketplace on Tezos where creators mint, collectors trade and anyone can make offers on tokens.
A swap aggregator that routes token trades across Tezos DEXs, with a separate pay-per-call API for agents and apps.
Gate US is the US-incorporated arm of the Gate crypto exchange, a centralized platform for American individuals and institutions.
tzBTC is a Bitcoin-backed token for Tezos users, with KYC-gated minting and redemption through Gatekeepers.
Guides
Guides about Hic et Nunc
NFT
Hic et Nunc Explained: What Happened and What Tezos NFT Fans Can DoHic et Nunc was an early Tezos NFT marketplace that closed in 2022, and its community has since moved to other platforms. This guide explains what the original site did, what successor projects offer, and how to check any claim about wallet growth before you rely on it.
NFT
Hic et Nunc Offline: What Happened and What Owners Can DoHic et Nunc was once the busiest art marketplace on Tezos. Its website went dark in late 2021, but the NFTs did not vanish. Here is what happened, what it means for owners, and how to find the work today.
NFT
Hic et Nunc Shut Down: What Happened and Where Your NFTs AreHic et Nunc, the Tezos NFT marketplace that many artists treated as a home base, went offline in November 2021. This guide explains what happened, whether HEN NFTs still exist, and where collectors and artists went next.
NFT
Objkt vs Hic et Nunc: How Tezos' NFT Marketplace Crown Changed HandsHic et Nunc defined Tezos NFT culture in 2021, then went offline. Objkt.com became the main marketplace where its tokens still trade. Here is what happened, where old NFTs live now, and how to use the market safely.
How we checked
Sources
Last updated . Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.