Christie’s announced the launch of the 5th Art+Tech Summit
The 5th Art+Tech Summit is taking place in New York City from 19 - 20 July. The two-day conference is presented by Galaxy Digital and supported by media partner TIME. This focus of this year’s Summit is to bring together leaders, technologists, creators, and collectors from a spectrum of disciplines across both art and technology. Speakers include art world notables, as well as Mike Novogratz, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Galaxy Digital, and Keith A. Grossman, President of TIME.
From Web3.0 and Metaverse to financial innovation in the art world, Summit attendees will have the opportunity to hear from and interact with leading figures on the forefront of building and developing disruptive new products. Returning for the second consecutive year to the New York metropolitan area, this year’s Summit will welcome conference attendees to gather under the same roof as a number of the most notable creators and collectors of today.
5th Art+Tech Summit - Christie’s
An early preview of selected speakers:
Mike Novogratz (Founder and CEO of Galaxy Digital)
Keith Grossman (President, TIME)
Ronnie Pirovino (Art Collector and Curator)
Ryan Zurrer (Art Collector and Curator)
ThankYouX (Artist)
Andre Oshea (Digital Creator)
Erick Calderon (Founder and CEO of Art Blocks)
Joseph Lubin (Founder, ConsenSys and Co-Founder, Ethereum)
Andy Parsons (Senior Director, Content Authenticity Initiative at Adobe)
Brian Trunzo (Metaverse Lead, Polygon Studios)
Jehan Chu (Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Kenetic)
Location
20 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020
Date and time
19–20 July
9:30am – 5pm EDT
More information about the event can be found here!
The Best of Art Basel 2022 - Tezos Art Exhibition
The Tezos art community, a globally diverse and inclusive ecosystem of artists, has grown from small indie platforms to now boasting some of the highest sales and largest marketplaces with new artists and collectors joining every day. During Art Basel, over 4,000 fair goers experienced the exhibit and nearly 2,500 collected a generative NFT. If you collected a piece during the week, check out this post on where to find it and what to do now!
Tezos Lounge at Art Basel 2022 TEZOS (Forbes)
We are delighted to share a couple of articles about Tezos’ Art Basel exhibition:
Forbes -- The Best Of Art Basel 2022: "NFTs are here to stay. Blockchains such as the most sustainable of them all, Tezos, are helping re-imagine the digital canvas for generative artists. As with technology, art is in a constant state of evolution. Tezos’ Art Basel exhibition explores the evolutionary intersection between art and technology, where artists are reimagining what generative art could be in this new medium."
The Art Newspaper -- From anti-Putin Pussy power to Chance the Rapper's new track: the latest gossip from Art Basel, Plus, a super exclusive club, Tezos takes on 1970s tech and the door to Switzerland swings wide open: "One of the most techy works at Art Basel this year is a program written more than four decades ago for one of the first home computers. Austrian physicist Herbert W. Franke’s MONDRIAN (1979) was a homage to the Swiss artist’s canonic geometric compositions. Franke, now 95, worked with the blockchain company Tezos to update his pioneering program and it is now on view in the Tezos NFT Lounge at Art Basel. Visitors to the stand were reaching for their digital wallets—or creating them on the spot—to mint editions of the generative work for free at the scan of a QR code."
ARTnews -- Marina Abramovic on the Eve of Her First NFT: Web3 Is ‘Undoubtedly the Future’: "Abramović’s NFT of The Hero (2001) will be launched on Tezos, a proof-of-stake blockchain that is considered to be more environmentally friendly and less energy intensive than others. She is slated to announce details of her inaugural NFT during a conversation with CIRCA Artistic Director Josef O’Connor at Art Basel on 18 June."
Art Basel -- ‘Only the hero can save us’: Marina Abramović on her first ever NFTs, The performance art legend will enter the Web3 space on a white horse: "MA: You know, my work passed beyond the art community so long ago and became something that resonated with a much younger generation. To me, these new Web3 communities are so important because they are seeking new adventures. They are seeking new ideas. We must pay attention to that community. They are the future."
Crypto and NFTs related events
Kate Vass speaking on January 27th at the
Swiss-Polish Blockchain Association within their NFT event ‘ The Magic and Exciting World of NFT: Art, Gaming and beyond’.
Not to miss!
Jan 25th: KVG founder Kate Vass was interviewed as a special guest for the GenTwo AssetRush TALK series.
AssetRush is not just a live event, but since September 21 also an online platform: www.asset-rush.com. Leading innovators and other notable personalities are invited to the GenTwo Stage Studio for a one-on-one exchange with GenTwo CEO Philippe A. Naegeli. View them here:
https://asset-rush.com/talk.html or on Youtube.
NFT PARIS, January 22, 2022 - STATION F, PARIS
Where the cool kids and the big names meet and share knowledge about NFTs.
Organized by big names in the crypto ecosystem (Ledger, Atka, etc.) and the X-HEC Entrepreneurs master, the interactive NFT Paris event will plunge you, for one day, into the heart of the bubbling world of NFTs by tackling various topics: metaverse, security, art, luxury and technology.
Learn more at https://www.nftparis.xyz/
CRYPTO FINANCE CONFERENCE,
January 12th - 14th 2022, St Moritz - Switzerland
The world's most relevant digital assets and blockchain conference for sophisticated investors and decision makers.The CfC St. Moritz attracts a maximun of 250 carefully selected international investors, family offices, funds and decision makers from both the traditional and the new world in the most private and unique setting in the heart of the Swiss Alps.
For three days, opinion leaders and high-ranking representatives from governmental and supranational bodies, the private sector, academia and decentralized organizations exchange their knowledge on digital assets, blockchain and traditional finance. As a part of a well-structured program, industry leaders have the opportunity to talk about trends, regulatory changes and new business developments to connect the traditional and the new world.
Visit https://cfc-stmoritz.com/ for more information.
January news from the art and tech world!
2022 has started and here we want to share a couple of cool news to keep up with the art&tech community!
Talented artist Espen Kluge has been featured in the local norwegian news a few days ago talking about his art and how fitting a home the NFT market is for it. And giving advice about how someone should approach the world of NFT;
as the artist recommends: “don't if you only see $$$, do if you're adding something beautiful or innovative”!
Below the images from the report, including the cover of Du Magazine with one of the works which has been exhibited at the artist solo show @Kate Vass Galerie in 2019!
Images courtesy of the artist
More news coming soon, stay tuned and Happy New Year!
Introducing Artnet NFT 30 & Artnet’s first NFT auction
MoonCat #21
ponderware
10 Aug 2017
Non-fungible Token
12 KB; 240 x 180 pixels
30 ETH - 50 ETH
MoonCats are the oldest “on-chain,” generative art NFTs built on the Ethereum blockchain and were launched by ponderware, a software engineering company, on August 9th, 2017. MoonCat #21, is one of the first ever MoonCats to be minted on launch day of the project’s smart contract and, therefore, considered an “early rescue.”
Artnet’s first NFT auction will launch on December 15, 2021 and will center around the historical trajectory of early computer art, media art, video art and digital art over the past six decades—and its touch points with the development of NFTs. From early pioneers like Georg Nees and Herbert W. Franke, media artists such as Vuk Cosic and Miltos Manetas, to the inventor of NFTs in 2014, Kevin McCoy, and the genius minds behind Spells of Genesis, Twitter Eggs, rarepepes, MoonCats and CryptoPunks, Artnet's inaugural auction brings together a tightly curated selection of rare examples from within this burgeoning scene.
As a stand-alone feature within the fine art auction house landscape Artnet offers an on-chain auction hosted on its main auction site with a highly competitive buyer's premium flat rate of 10%.
More info: https://www.nft.artnet.com/nft-sales
Together with the auction, Artnet is introducing the Artnet NFT 30:
Artnet is delighted to present its first edition of the Artnet NFT 30 report, a new initiative devoted to supporting and accelerating the emergent category of NFT art. This report is a way to shed light on a history that may be less familiar to the mainstream art world through the people—famous, anonymous, visionary, and collective—who have built this new paradigm brick by digital brick.
Follow Artnet on www.nft.artnet.com
First NFT by the pioneer of algorithmic art - Herbert W Franke is now available on opensea.io
October 29th - 31st, 2021
We are thrilled to announce the first NFT drop of the Lissajous series (since 1998) by Herbert W. Franke (b. 1927), the pioneer of computer art!
The exclusive 11 artworks are now available as unique NFTs on OpenSea in two series Lissajous blue/orange and Lissajous pink/turquoise, here is the link to explore the drop: https://opensea.io/collection/herbertwfrankelissajous
The artist has been interested in mathematical aesthetics for the last decades and had experimented with algorithms and computer programs to visualize math in art.
Lissajous figures combine mathematical elegance, engineering applications, and artistic possibilities.
Lissajous figures (or curves): Even if you don’t know what the name refers to, you’ve most probably seen them. Lissajous figures can be defined as any of an infinite variety of curves formed by combining two mutually perpendicular simple harmonic motions, commonly exhibited by the oscilloscope, and used in studying frequency, amplitude, and phase relations of harmonic variables. They are named after the French physicist Jules Antoine Lissajous (1822-1880). Lissajous curves are sometimes also known as Bowditch curves after Nathaniel Bowditch, who studied them in 1815, but were studied in more detail by Jules-Antoine in 1857.
The original Lissajous series by Franke are 3D, the symmetric form of the original Lissajous was manipulated by stretching and squeezing it.
ART, MUSIC, & TECHNOLOGY at Dreamverse afterparty on 4th November 2021, New York
NFTs are still thought of as abstract or virtual. Dreamverse is what happens when NFTs make landfall. A celebration merging the physical and digital realms, Dreamverse is an expression of the digital renaissance we have been experiencing the last few years.
It will showcase the pinnacle of NFT art and VR experiences from amazing artists. The intersection of art, technology, and global house DJs will make for an ecstatic, spiritual experience.
Kate Vass Galerie will exhibit the art work by Manoloide ‘Last Flowers', Amarillo, 2021’ at the Dreamverse Day Gallery on 4th November from 12-4 PM EST followed by the after-party to celebrate the Art and Tech with crypto community from 8PM-1AM!
Tickets are available here: https://dreamverse.life/ticketing.html
Below some pictures from the event:
Bitbasel Bazaar Brings NFT Art to Life during NFT NYC at Ideal Glass Studios | November 1st - November 4th.
The Pool Day, 2021 by Osinachi. Will be on display from Kate Vass Galerie at Ideal Glass studios on 4th Nov New York.
November 4th, 2021 from 6 – 8PM
Location: Ideal Glass Studios
9 West 8TH Street, Ground Floor New York, NY 10011
Bitbasel Bazaar Brings NFT Art to Life during NFT NYC at Ideal Glass Studios in a collaboration with Moca (Museum of Crypto Art) and Kate Vass Galerie.
“The NFT industry was a craze this year! It’s a pivotal time for industry leaders to connect in NYC at NFT NYC, the most well-known NFT event of the year.”
Bitbasel will present “Bitbasel Bazaar'' NFT Crypto Art show during “NFT.NYC”, the largest NFT event of the year. From November 1st-4th. Bitbasel Bazaar will showcase various mixed media in collaboration with The Museum of Crypto Art(MOCA), Kate Vass Galerie and Salomon Arts Gallery.
“The goal of this event is to bridge traditional and digital crypto arts and demonstrate why using blockchain technology will create a new way to reduce content piracy, improve the distribution of royalties, and most importantly, “democratize oversight of digital assets” ” -Bitbasel
‘i forgot who i was for a second’ by Espen Kluge, 2019. Will be on display from Kate Vass Galerie on 4th Nov 2021 in New York at Glass Studios.
The NFT market has captivated global audiences in the last 24 months and disrupted the international art world market. Established mixed media artists are facing harsh economic circumstances due to the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in dwindling opportunities to showcase/sell their work in-person and at physical galleries around the globe. NFT’s have created a new industry for artists to distribute their artworks during these times. We strongly believe in inclusivity and a prosperous place for artists and galleries in the digital NFT universe.
“Education and mainstream adoption is our goal, as well as bridge the gap between all forms of art, digital identities, and the new virtual world, known as the metaverse.”
A brief history of NFT’s… NFTs (nonfungible tokens) first entered the spotlight with the launch of CryptoPunks, the world’s first “rare digital art” marketplace, in October 2017.
Fast-forward to 2021 – now more than 50,000 to 150,000 NFTs change hands weekly over the top marketplaces such as Opensea, Nifty Gateway, and SuperRare. 2021 was the year that ignited the fire of crypto art, NFT’s and the final goal of creating the ultimate Metaverse.
deep breath and a prickly sensation by Espen Kluge. Will be on display from Kate Vass Galerie on 4th Nov 2021 in New York at Glass Studios.
Over $2 billion was spent on NFTs in Q1 of 2021— a 2100% increase from Q4 of 2020 (reported by nonfunglible.com).
DappRadar estimates that NFTs generated $1.2 billion in July 2021 alone; more than half of the cumulative $2.5 billion volume seen in Q1 and Q2 of 2021. To break it down further, the daily trading volume on the OpenSea NFT marketplace surpassed $49 million on Aug. 1.
You won’t want to miss this NFT NYC experience.
Reserve your spot today: EVENTBRITE LINK or reach out to info@katevassgalerie.com for any enquiries.
https://news.crunchbase.com/news/nft-outlook-2021/
Join us speaking at the World Blockchain Summit is back in Dubai with its 19th global edition at the panel discussion with Kate Vass about: Blockchain x ART x NFT x Gaming
Held under the patronage of The Private Office of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisal Al Qassimi, this in-person event is taking place in Dubai, on 13 - 14 October at JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, UAE.
We are glad to participate at this event and engage into interesting discussion with top experts from NFT, Gaming and Defi industries at the Panel discussion Blockchain x NFTs x ART x Gaming: Innovation, Transformation & Tokenization that will take place on 14th October at 9.45 am -10.15 am Dubai time. KATE VASS, Founder of Kate Vass Galerie will be in the company of CYRUS TAGHEHCHIAN CEO, Splyt Core Foundation, KEVIN SOLTANI Founder & Managing Partner at Semper Fortis moderated by JASSEM OSSEIRAN, COO and Partner, Semper Fortis Esports PLC & GIMA Group, Inc.
The event connects some of the world's top-notch crypto influencers, key government delegates, policymakers, startups and curated investors such as HNIs, Family Offices and Crypto Hedge Funds among others - all under one roof!
The summit will also feature enterprise use-cases, government use-cases, inspirational keynotes, panel discussions, tech talks, blockchain exhibition, startup pitch competitions, desert safari, afterparty and a host of networking opportunities.
To know more about your engagement or book your tickets, please visit: https://hubs.li/H0WHcBP0
Partial physical installation of 'Math goes art" will be exhibited in Zurich at Gerbert & Stauffer Fine Arts, opens on 17th Sep 2021
Coinciding with the solo - show ‘ Math goes Art’ at Kate Vass Galerie, the pioneer of the computer art - Herbert W. Franke has a parallel exhibition at Gerbert & Stauffer Fine Arts (https://www.gerberstauffer.com ). Some series of artworks from ‘Math goes art’ will be available on display as a physical installation at the current exhibition at Gerbert & Stauffer Fine Arts, showcasing ‘Drakula’ plotted vintage drawings from 70s, as well as vintage prints and visualizations from Cellular Automata 90’s period.
Also shown at the exhibition ‘HERBERT W. FRANKE – Pioneer of Digital Art’ are new works by young artists paying Homage to Herbert W. Franke that were created for the exhibition. Reeps100 (aka Harry Yeff) in partnership with Trung Bao has developed digital transformations of Franke’s cybernetic poems into three-dimensional encrypted sound sculptures – the “Astropoeticon Voice Gems”.
The full press release is available here
Due to Covid restrictions, all visits are strictly by appointment only. Please contact us, if you wish to attend.
ART BASEL LIVE September 21-26
‘Art Basel Live' is an exciting digital initiative extending the physical Basel show online from September 21–26, 2021. It will remain open to the public until September 26, 12 midnight CET.
The Online Viewing Rooms will provide the opportunity to explore the presentations of Basel exhibitors, from works from the show floor to rare online exclusives. Presentations from Unlimited and Parcours sectors will also be on view by way of dedicated Viewing Rooms. Developed specifically to provide insight into these large-scale and site-specific projects, these rooms will be supplemented with an audio guide featuring their respective sector curators, Giovanni Carmine and Samuel Leuenberger.
An exclusive digital VIP program will accompany 'Art Basel Live', and feature both virtual on-site and OVR Walk-throughs – led by Art Basel's VIP Representatives, in addition to impressive art world figures.
Science+Technology+Arts = STARTS Initiative / Ars Electronica Festival 2021
The Science+Technology+Arts = STARTS Initiative is a program of the European Commission that encourages synergies between the arts and technology that support the innovation industry and society. STARTS promotes the inclusion of artists in research and innovation activities throughout Europe.
On Thursday, the annual STARTS Day of Ars Electronica explores the potential of art and artists as catalyst in innovation through online talks, panels, workshops, and networking sessions and takes the audience on an online guided tour through the STARTS exhibition. Follow the link to the event:
https://app.swapcard.com/event/arselectronica2021/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNjUyOTAw
Further Recommendations:
STARTS Day – Thursday September 9th
Welcome to STARTS Day: 10:00 – 10:10 CEST
Morning Sessions
https://app.swapcard.com/event/arselectronica2021/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNjQ2NDYz
STARTS Talk: In Conversation with Territorial Agency: 10:10 – 10:40 CEST
Data Deep Dive: On Visualizing Critical Challenges: 11:00 – 12:30 CEST
Creating with Data: From Arts to Entrepreneurship: 12:40 – 13:40 CEST
Afternoon Sessions
https://app.swapcard.com/event/arselectronica2021/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNjQ2NDY0
STARTS Talk: In Conversation with Anastasia Pistofidou & Marion Real: 15:05 – 15:35 CEST
Fabrication Deep Dive: On the future of sustainable manufacturing: 16:00 – 17:30 CEST
MADE IN YOUR CITY: A NEW VALUE CHAIN FOR FASHION: 17:45 – 18:45 CEST
Robots are people, too | Exploring collaborative robotics through art
'Robots are people, too' - will provide a sneak preview into an exploration of collaborative robotics within the VOJEXT project.
In a worldwhere industrial robotics remain vastly hidden from the public eyes, this S+T+ARTS DIH project addresses some of the more delicate societal implications of new emerging technologies.
https://app.swapcard.com/event/arselectronica2021/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNjQwMTU4
Workshop: The intersection between Art and Industry - How to develop a successful collaboration framework
In this workshop, we will dive deep into the RAMP initiative and the Better Factory project underlying collaboration opportunities and challenges between industry and arts. We will do this with the help of the STARTS Collaboration Toolkit and the Art-Enabled Prototyping process within Better Factory.
https://app.swapcard.com/event/arselectronica2021/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNjUyODk1
Text Credit
Team Ars Electronica
Ethereum Community Conference 4 , Paris from 19-25th July 2021
Ethereum Community Conference 4 is happening in Paris from 19-25th July. The conference hosts more than 100 speakers and is now sold out, but you can still take part in some events organized around ETHCC.
In 2021, EthCC takes place as a physical event, after more than one year with very few opportunities to gather the Ethereum community IRL. While EthCC itself will be the flagship event with more than 100 speakers coming from all over the world, multiple side events, meetups, panels and parties will take place on the same week in Paris.
This is the EthCC Week, a moment of inclusive conversations, educational gatherings, welcoming celebrations. If you're planning an event related to public blockchains and the decentralized movement, reach out to have it published on this website: https://ethccweek.fr
Here are some, not to miss if you are in Paris:
MONDAY, 19 JULY
Crypto Finance Forum
Crypto Finance Forum est un lieu d’échange entre les acteurs du secteur crypto, les entreprises et startups, les décideurs et les autorités.
Monday, 19 July @ 9:00 Conference
TUESDAY, 20 JULY
Cross-Chain Salon
We've taken over a gallery space and planned for a chic Parisian gathering for the melding of cross-chain minds. As we all work together to build the future of Web3, this is a space designed for all blockchain builders to hang out in Paris.
Tuesday, 20 July @ 11:00-17:00 Conference
NFT Financialization
Deep dive at the intersection of DeFi and NFTs
Tuesday, 20 July @ 17:30-20:00 Conference
EthCC — Ethereum Community Conference
The Ethereum Community Conference is the biggest conference on Ethereum after DevCon. Halfway between DevCon5 and DevCon6, EthCC is the perfect place to mingle with the brightest and humblest minds of the community. EthCC puts a strong focus on Tech and People.
Tuesday, 20 - Thursday, 22 July @ 09:00-22:00 Conference
WEDNESDAY, 21 JULY
ETHécole
ETHécole is more than just regular event! Two tracks, park for networking, more than 100 people, a bunch of cool free swag and other perks!
Wednesday, 21 July @ 9:00-18:00 Conference
A Conversation on Nam June Paik with Rudolf Frieling and Constance Lewallen Mon, Jul 12 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Today, Monday, July 12, 1pm EST: Curator Rudolf Frieling joins Brooklyn Rail Editor-at-Large Constance Lewallen in a conversation on Nam June Paik, one of the founders of video art and video sculpture. You can register for this talk here.
Nam June Paik is one of the first truly global and transnational artists, Paik foresaw the importance of mass media and new technologies, coining the phrase ‘electronic superhighway’ in 1974 to predict the future of communication in an internet age. The exhibition held in SF Moma in 2021 — the artist’s first-ever West Coast retrospective — celebrated Paik’s collaborative approach that transcended genres and traditions, while also highlighting the artist’s innovative, playful, and profoundly radical work. You can view it here:
https://www.sfmoma.org/read/nam-june-paik-exhibition-guide-curator-picks
KVG @ VivaTech Paris June 16 - 19, 2021
KVG is extremely happy to announce its participation at VivaTech Paris! VivaTech is Europe’s biggest startup
and tech event running June 16 - 19, 2021.
Kevin Abosch ‘Physiology of an NFT’ 2021 installation at Viva Tech Paris.
One of the many topics addressed will be the ways in which technology has impacted the creation, curation, and diffusion of entertainment in the 21st century. In collaboration with Beaux Arts & Cie there will be an immersive art room which KVG will be part of presenting our CADAF program ft. both physical and NFTs works from Sofia Crespo, Entangled Others Studio, Cryptopunks and Kevin Abosch showcasing his new work with a special installation. In addition, there will be a rich program of art talks & much more! Stay tuned!
Installation view KVG @ Viva Tech Paris 2021.
Works by LarvaLabs, Sofia Crespo, Entangled Others Studio.
PROOF OF ART. A BRIEF HISTORY OF NFTS, FROM THE BEGINNINGS OF DIGITAL ART TO THE METAVERSE
FRANCISCO CAROLINUM LINZ / 11. JUN. 2021 TILL 15. SEP. 2021
SONDERAUSSTELLUNG
Duration of the exhibition: 10 June - 15 September 2021
Francisco Carolinum, Linz
‘Francisco Carolinum presents PROOF OF ART, the world's first museum exhibition on the history of NFTs in art, curated by Jesse Damiani. The show can be viewed offline in the museum, and online in Cryptovoxels, a blockchain-based virtual world. Works of 25 artists will be on display at the museum. Using the media of projection, software, videos, installations and digital files, they explore systems of meaning and value, examine the role artists play in a high-tech environment, and discuss the impact of virtual spaces on our everyday reality. The exhibition space in Cryptovoxels will feature virtual works by around 25 artists.
Leaving aside the hype surrounding NFTs, these are, above all, a technology designed to solve a problem: the overabundance of digital files, which can be downloaded, compressed, copied, shared and merged. A NFT, on the other hand, is a certificate of authenticity for each digital file that is stored in the blockchain, thus rendering these files unique. NFTs also function as digital signatures of artists.
In light of the developments surrounding NFTs in art and the art market, a retrospective of their history - and why they are suddenly on everyone's lips - becomes compelling. After a series of remarkably high-priced NFT artworks by digital artists such as Pak and Trevor Jones caused a stir in the art scene in 2020, Beeple set a new record in early 2021 with Everydays - The First 5000 Days fetching USD 69.3 million at the now legendary Christie's auction. Since 2007, he had posted one work of art a day on the internet, which he then combined to form the monumental collage Everydays and put up for auction as a JPEG. Beeple, alias Mike Winkelmann, thus became the third most expensive living artist - after Jeff Koons and David Hockney. The crypto-art community, a motley group of new media artists, 3D designers and visual effects experts, suddenly became the main player in an unprecedented shake-up of the art market.’
Read full press release HERE.
Non-fungible Tokyo 2021
Join with us the Non-Fungible Tokyo 2021!
June 10-11, Tokyo, Online Conference
Kate Vass will be joining a panel with Kevin Abosch on 11th of June 12:00 - 12:30 (JST / GMT+9)
Discuss the future of NFT beyond the border.
This conference is the fourth in a series, starting with the Tokyo Blockchain Game Conference, which was held for the first time in Japan in 2018. Although we have been working to promote NFT (Non-Fungible Token) and develop a healthy industry from the early stage, as the market has rapidly expanded from 2021, discussions about the future of NFT have suddenly begun.
JOIN THE COLLECTOR'S CLUB TALK WITH KATE VASS
Virtual Talk: Collecting NFTs with Digital Gallerist Kate Vass
June 2, 2021
1PM EST / 7PM ZURICH
Join us for a virtual talk with digital gallerist Kate Vass, hosted by Geneva editor Elisabeth Johs. Everything you wanted to know about collecting NFTs and displaying digital artworks! This event is open to members only. Tickets for $10 available for non-members who would like to join.
Kate Vass is an art collector and entrepreneur with a background in art and finance. She is the founder and creative director o Kate Vass Galerie, focusing on generative art (new media art, digital and crypto) and an advisory firm F.A.R.E Consulting, specializing in finance, art advisory and M&As. Kate also supports gender equality & sustainability via her other initiatives like #womensupportingwomen & #letsgreentheplanet, writes her art blog on Medium, and occasionally speaks at various blockchain, art and finance conferences.
New article by Forbes about NFTS feat. Kate Vass Galerie & Konig Galerie: PUNKS, KITTIES UND EINE REVOLUTION
Recent article by Forbes (DACH) about Punks, Kitties and revolution of digital art. They can be traded, but not replicated: Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT). The three letters have sparked a global hype around the collection of digital objects. Between astronomical profits and unrealistic wishful thinking. https://www.forbes.at/artikel/punks-kitties-und-eine-revolution.html
29. MAI 2021
Man kann sie zwar handeln, aber nicht replizieren: Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT). Die drei Buchstaben haben einen globalen Hype rund um das Sammeln von digitalen Objekten ausgelöst. Im Zentrum: Eine Kunstwelt zwischen astronomischen Profiten und unrealistischen Wunschvorstellungen.
Im Sommer 2017 starteten die beiden Softwareentwickler John Watkinson und Matt Hall in ihrem Unternehmen Larva Labs ein skurriles Projekt namens „Cryptopunks“. Es handelte sich dabei um eine digitale Sammlung aus 10.000 verpixelten Figuren, die jeweils durch Attribute wie Augenmasken, Zigaretten, Clownnasen und Hasenzähne einzigartig gestaltet wurden. Jedes dieser 24 × 24 Pixel großen Bilder konnte gekauft werden – von jedem, der eine Ethereum-Wallet hatte, also mit der Kryptowährung Ether (ETH) bezahlen konnte.
Ein Jahr später, 2018, wurden 24 dieser Artefakte in einer Blockchain-Ausstellung der Kate Vass Galerie in Zürich gezeigt. Es war das erste Mal, dass die Cryptopunks in der physischen Welt zu sehen waren. Zu jedem Kunstwerk – der Preis betrug 5.000 CHF pro Stück – gehörte ein versiegelter Umschlag mit einem digitalen Schlüssel, der den Beweis für dessen Originalität und Einzigartigkeit darstellte. Die Ausstellung war ein voller Erfolg: Das erste Set von zwölf „Punks“ war nach der Eröffnungsnacht ausverkauft. „Es war perfektes Timing“, erinnert sich Kate Vass, Inhaberin der Galerie, die selbst auch eines der Bilder gekauft hat. „Jetzt kauft jeder NFTs, mittlerweile sind sie aber allesamt überteuert.“
Cryptopunks exhibited at Kate Vass Galerie at Perfect & Priceless exhibition in 2018.
Dass die damals investierten 5.000 CHF ein Schnäppchen waren, ist aus heutiger Sicht mehr als nur eine Untertreibung: Mittlerweile ziehen die digitalen Bilder nämlich selbst die Aufmerksamkeit der größten Auktionshäuser der Welt auf sich. Ein Cryptopunks-NFT mit neun Punks wird im Mai 2021 von Christie’s versteigert – Expertenschätzungen zufolge könnte der Verkauf bis zu neun Millionen US-$ einbringen. Ein Kenner aus dem Auktionshaus Christie’s bezeichnet die Cryptopunks-Sammlung sogar als „Alpha und Omega der Crypto-Art-Bewegung“. Seit der Entstehung der Punks hat die gesamte Sammlung bereits mehr als eine halbe Milliarde US-$ an Verkäufen generiert.
Der bisher teuerste Punk ist die Nr. 7.804: Das Bild, das ein hellblaues Alien mit Pfeife und Sonnenbrille zeigt, ist rund 7,5 Millionen US-$ wert.
Um zu verstehen, wie es zu derartigen Verkaufszahlen kommen konnte, müssen wir einen Blick hinter die Kulissen der NFTs werfen. Dort agiert nämlich die Blockchain-Technologie, eine dezentrale öffentliche Datenbank, bestehend aus unterschiedlichen Plattformen und Systemen – und auf ihnen laufenden Kryptowährungen. Auch NFTs werden auf der Blockchain hochgeladen, zumeist – aber nicht immer – auf der Plattform Ethereum. Mit der gleichnamigen Währung (Kürzel: ETH) werden die Transaktionen dann abgewickelt. Jedes dieser Non-Fungible Tokens – Non-Fungible bedeutet „nicht austauschbar“ – ist ein Unikat und kann nicht dupliziert werden (im Gegensatz zu Bitcoin oder Fiatgeld). „Technisch gesehen ist ein NFT eine digitale Abbildung von geistigem Eigentum“, erklärt Philipp Sandner, Professor an der Frankfurt Business School und Leiter des dortigen Blockchain Centers. „Dieses Eigentum kann so ziemlich jede kreative Erfindung sein: ein Bild, ein Song oder ein Gedicht.“ NFTs können darüber hinaus aber auch die Form von Baseballsammelkarten, Tweets oder Magazincovern annehmen (etwa das jüngste Titelbild der Forbes-US-Ausgabe; das NFT davon wurde um 330.000 US-$ für den guten Zweck versteigert).
Künstler und Kreative haben somit also die Möglichkeit, ihre Arbeiten eigenständig online zu zertifizieren und zu monetarisieren – zuvor konnten digitale Werke per Download ganz einfach kopiert werden. „Der technische Kern existiert schon seit mehreren Jahren“, sagt Sandner. „Da nun aber Kreative die Technologie für sich entdeckt haben, bekommt das Thema eine ganz neue Einflugschneise.“ Der Verkauf von NFTs, der aktuell ausschließlich über Kryptowährungen geschieht, läuft auf eigens dafür vorgesehenen digitalen Marktplätzen, vergleichbar mit Amazon oder E-Bay. Die bekanntesten darunter heißen Rarible, Nifty Gateway (s. auch S. 23) und Open Sea und unterscheiden sich in ihrem Fokus und in ihrer Größenordnung.
Laut einem Bericht von Nonfungible.com betrugen die Verkäufe von NFTs im ersten Quartal 2021 mehr als zwei Milliarden US-$. Das ist eine Steigerung von etwa 2.100 % gegenüber dem vorherigen Quartal. Doch wie konnte in kürzester Zeit ein milliardenschwerer Markt heranwachsen? Verlagern Menschen in einer globalen Pandemie ihre Ausgaben in die digitale Welt? Oder trifft die Kryptobranche nach dem ICO-Wahn von 2017 und mit dem Anstieg des Bitcoin-Kurses plötzlich auf eine so viel breitere Akzeptanz? Ein springender Punkt, so Sandner, sei die neue Darstellungsweise – und die damit einhergehende bessere Verständlichkeit von NFTs: „Die Abstraktheit des Themas wird durch die Darstellung als digitales Kunstwerk plötzlich begreifbar. Eine virtuelle Sammelkarte der NFL (National Football League, Anm.) lässt sich mit den Pokémonkarten, die man in der Kindheit gesammelt hat, vergleichen“, erklärt er. Durch das Mitmischen von Berühmtheiten aus der Hip-Hop- oder Schauspielszene (etwa Rapper Snoop Dogg oder Schauspielerin Lindsay Lohan) schenken neue, breitere Gesellschaftsschichten dem Thema Blockchain und ihren Möglichkeiten neue Aufmerksamkeit.
Besonders aufmerksam wird das Geschehen in der Kunstszene verfolgt: Auktionshäuser und Galerien sehen sich keineswegs als obsolet an. Bei einer Auktion des renommierten Londoner Auktionshauses Christie’s wurde das digitale Gemälde „Everydays: The First 5000 Days“ des Künstlers Mike Winkelmann alias „Beeple“ im März für 69,3 Millionen US-$ versteigert. Das nicht weniger renommierte Auktionshaus Sotheby’s erzielte nur Wochen später bei seiner ersten NFT-Auktion 17 Millionen US-$.
Und auch Galeristen haben einen Weg gefunden, sich ein Stück vom Kuchen zu holen: Der Berliner Galerist Johann König setzte zuletzt im Zuge einer NFT-Auktion auf der Plattform Decentraland 46,3 ETH, umgerechnet rund 150.000 €, um.
Decentraland ist eine virtuell „begehbare“ Welt, in der man Land kaufen und ganze Events veranstalten kann – König organisierte dort die Ausstellung „The Artist is Online“. Nun will er seine Galerie als Vorreiter in der Szene positionieren: „Momentan bauen wir an unserem eigenen NFT-Marktplatz, bei dem auch traditionelle Zahlungsmittel wie Kreditkarten oder Banküberweisungen akzeptiert werden.“
Die Transparenz des NFT-Markts und die eigenständige Preispolitik, die mehr Macht in die Hände der Kunstschaffenden legt, begrüßt König sehr: „Der klassische Kunstmarkt ist sehr undurchsichtig und kann insbesondere auf Laien abschreckend wirken. Ich finde, dass die Offenlegung von Preisen für Kunst ein Demokratisierungsprozess sein kann. Und man holt neue Interessenten und potenzielle Käufer näher an sich heran.“
Ob das wirklich so stimmt, bleibt jedoch fraglich. NFT-Verfechter sagen, dass der neue Markt dem Künstler die Kontrolle über sein Werk zurückgibt und für jedermann zugänglich ist.
Doch die hohen Preise zeichnen ein ganz anderes Bild. Allein Beeples Rekordverkauf spiegelt wider, was auch im traditionellen Kunstmarkt gang und gäbe ist: Wenige große Künstler werden reich, während die Mehrheit keine Möglichkeiten hat, Geld und Aufmerksamkeit zu bekommen. Die wahren Gewinner sind wie immer in einem Goldrausch all jene, die die Schaufeln herstellen: In diesem Fall sind das die NFT-Marktplätze, die bis zu 15 % Kommission verlangen.
Egalitär oder nicht – der NFT-Boom eröffnet einigen Künstlern neue Wege, ihre Kreationen zu monetarisieren und zu kontrollieren. Die Gunst der Stunde nutzt etwa auch das Berliner Künstlerkollektiv Sucuk und Bratwurst. Ihre digitalen Designs sind mittlerweile in Musikvideos und auf Magazincovern von internationalen Stars und Marken wie Post Malone oder Adidas zu sehen. Ihr NFT „Broken Dreams“ ging auf der Plattform Foundation für 1,20 ETH (umgerechnet 4.100 US-$) über den Tisch. „So schnell und direkt für ein Kunstwerk bezahlt zu werden – insbesondere ein rein digitales –, ist für uns neu. Wir bemerken, dass viele Grafiker und Designer in unserem Umfeld dies auch als Anreiz sehen, selbst aktiv zu werden“, so Mitgründer Lukas Olgac. Kaum Blut geleckt, arbeitete das Kollektiv auch schon an seinem nächsten NFT-Streich: einer Kollaboration mit dem Deutschrapper Xatar, der im Zuge eines neuen Song-Release sein eigenes NFT veröffentlicht hat.
Nur eine kurze U-Bahn-Fahrt von dem Kollektiv entfernt lebt und werkt auch Simon Denny. Der gebürtige Neuseeländer, der seit Jahren in Berlin lebt, verfolgt die Szene schon lange – als Investor wie als Künstler. „Endlich trafen Kunst und Technologie mit beiderseitigem Interesse aufeinander“, so Denny. Die Kehrseite des Ganzen: Der Prozess des Kryptominings ist ein Energiefresser. Ethereum-Miner (Computer, die komplexe Algorithmen lösen) allein verbrauchen laut Digiconomist mehr als 42 Terawattstunden Energie (TWh) pro Jahr. Im März 2021 veröffentlichte Denny seine erste NFT-Kollektion mit dem Titel „NFT Mine Offsets“. Dafür kaufte er einen Ethereum-Mining-Computer für 3.000 € bei E-Bay, fertigte darauf sein NFT und spendete den Computer anschließend an ein Klimamodell-Projekt der Oxford University. 28 ETH – oder 50.000 US-$ – generierte der Verkauf. „Krypto ist ein Boom-Bust-Zyklus auf Steroiden“, gibt er zu. Aber: „Die Idee, dass man für ein JPEG oder ein Stück des Internets Geld verlangen kann, ist gewaltig.“
Doch der Schein, ein Allheilmittel gegen Raubkopien gefunden zu haben, währt nicht lange: Sogenannte „Scammer“ ahmen Künstler und ihre Werke nach und geben sich als diese aus; andere erschaffen ganze Marktplätze von Kopien. „Das ist eine normale Entwicklung auf einem neuen Markt, wir haben das Gleiche auf dem traditionellen Kunstmarkt erlebt“, so Vass. „Ich kann nur hoffen, dass das Gute das Schlechte besiegt.“ Das Versprechen auf leichtes Geld lockt Kunstschaffende wie Sammler, die Millionen US-$ ausgeben wollen, also auch auf falsche Fährten.
Auch Sandner sagt, dass mit jedem Hype eine Menge Imitatoren und Glücksritter kommen. „Mittlerweile ist der Markt auf der Angebotsseite völlig übersättigt. Dies spiegelt sich auch in den sinkenden Aktivitäten und Verkaufszahlen auf den NFT-Marktplätzen wider“, so der Experte. Laut der Nachrichtenseite Nonfungible.com war der Durchschnittspreis eines NFTs bereits im März 2021 um 70 % niedriger als im Vormonat. Auf Opensea betrugen die Verkäufe im April 2021 „nur“ je rund 100 Millionen US-$ – im Gegensatz zu 150 Millionen US-$, die die beiden Plattformen im Vormonat März jeweils generierten. Sandner sieht diese Entwicklung als organischen Prozess, mit dem nach einem Höhepunkt wie der Beeple-Auktion zu rechnen war. Und die vermeintliche NFT-Blase, die bald platzen könnte, sei in Wahrheit auch nur ein Bläschen: „In der bisherigen Phase wurden Transaktionsvolumen bewegt, die in keinster Weise mit dem damaligen ICO-Boom vergleichbar sind. Damals waren ja viele Milliarden US-$ im Spiel.“ Was also, wenn die NFT-Blase (oder laut Sandner: Bläschen) dennoch platzen sollte? „Die Blase wird platzen“, sagt Vass nüchtern. „Und dann wird sich der ganze Staub verziehen – und die wahren Pioniere und Verfechter von digitaler Kunst werden bleiben.“
Text: Olivia Chang und Chloé Lau
Fotos: X