With the world beginning to move into a new digital space, many disciplines are following suit, including art. This year the Art Basel Miami edition will run from 2 – 4 December 2021.
Since 1970, creators, collectors, and dealers of contemporary art have congregated at Art Basel, the world’s biggest art fair.
Intended to spotlight the top artists of the time and act as a driving force in supporting the role galleries play in nurturing the careers of artists, the annual event attracts art perusers and professionals alike.
While exhibiting contemporary work is Art Basel’s first and foremost function, the fair is also known for its events. Lavish parties, live performances, and masterclasses are just some of the extra festivities held at each fair.
It is held once a year in three host cities—Basel in Switzerland, Miami Beach in Florida, and Hong Kong in China—and gives hundreds of galleries a prestigious platform to present and sell art.
Paintings, sculptures (including outdoor pieces), works on paper, photography, digital art, video art, and installations make up most of the works featured year after year.
However, this year Art Basel has decided to join the ever-rising digital universe by stepping into the world of NFTs.
The concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic as lockdown measures, and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure.
The term covers a wide variety of virtual realities, from workplace tools to games and community platforms.
Typically exhibits would consist of traditional works of art, such as paintings or sculptures that are valuable precisely because they are one of a kind.
This year the Art Basel Miami 2021 event will allow guests to view NFT artists’ work online through various social media platforms or by asking people to download specific applications to experience the art live on their phones.
So far, only a few artists have been heavily advertising their NFT exhibits for Miami Basel.
One of them is Tezos. Like Bitcoin and Ethereum, “Tezos is a decentralized ledger that makes use of blockchain technology,” explains the site “they are a leader in the energy-efficient blockchain space and are excited to bring their expertise in NFTs to life at this Art Basel.”
Look out for the event as it will be taking place from December 2 – December 4 2021.
Another NFT artist and company that is joining the Art Basel Miami crowd this year is SCOPE.
The collector’s items will be available to purchase on the marketplace, with some already released in September earlier this year.
The NFT exhibit will run throughout the Art Basel Miami exhibition starting from November 30 – 5 December 2021.
Another NFT exhibit that will be joining SCOPE will be Mister E. “He is known in both the Miami community and globally for his colourful rendition of the $100 bill,” says Ocean Drive.
The Art Basel Miami 2021 will represent a much larger scale of art from now on. If you thought the art world was big already – think again. It’s about to get even bigger. Art Basel Miami is stepping into the digital realm of the metaverse and giving art lovers and collectors, alike a chance to experience art in a fully immersive and physical way.
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