London’s Saatchi Gallery is one of the world’s most iconic contemporary art exhibitions, hosting the likes of Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst.
Now it opens its doors to NFT art, with a collection of digital artworks, “Long Live London”, appearing in the gallery as part of the Focus Art Fair.
While it’s not the first foray into NFTs — beverage brand Hendrick’s hosted an NFT exhibition there in 2021 — artists and NFT enthusiasts have hailed it as a milestone in the art world’s adoption of the technology.
NFT art at the Saatchi Gallery, London. Image: decrypt
“I think we are living through a very specific and pivotal moment for the NFT space and digital artworks,” says Diego Castro, aka NFT artist Monomo, whose work appears in the exhibition – and whose firm Muse Frame produces the digital frames supplied for the artwork. “What’s happening with the MoMA in New York, with the Musée d’Orsay in France, and now here at Saatchi, I think this is a perfect moment for digital artists,” he added. “They are looking for the infrastructure and these opportunities.”
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“Someone who hasn’t had that experience with blockchain hears ‘Saatchi’ and thinks, ‘Oh, that’s approved,’” says Alexandra Art, curator and partnerships lead at NFT marketplace Joyn.xyz.
Artist Leo Crane, whose work “London Eye” is in the exhibition, said it was “great to be under the name Saatchi” and to hold the exhibition in his home city of London. He recalled “one of the most formative experiences of my life” when he attended Saatchi’s ‘Sensation’ exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1997, which presented works from the Young British Artists movement.
“I remember the shock of all those displays and the controversy and the sensation it caused in the media – asking us to reconsider what art is, who gets to make art, what kind of messages we can tell with art,” said Crane. .
NFT artists at the Saatchi Gallery, London. Image: decrypt
Although he admitted that the presence of NFTs at the Saatchi Gallery is limited to “eight screens on one wall,” Crane encouraged the audience to dream bigger.
“Imagine if you gave us the entire Royal Academy,” he said. “We could do the same thing again, with crypto art – we could completely revolutionize the way people think about art, and what media are appropriate for showing it. “
The stamp of approval?
As the world of crypto art grapples with gloomy headlines claiming that 95% of NFTs are now worthless, attendees at the Saatchi Gallery struck a defiant tone.
“There were so many tweets going around saying, ‘Well, 95% of all art is worthless, just count all the childhood photos,’” says Alexandra Art. “There are so many different categories. You can’t put everything in one basket.”
Members of the NFT community at the Saatchi Gallery, London. Image: decrypt
Others wondered whether NFT artists want or need the approval of the old art world. “We are the rebels!” enthusiastic NFT artist ARTJEDI1 (aka Bea Kayani), who is also featured in the exhibition. She complained that outsiders do not understand “the diversity of works of art that exist in the market,” adding: “This show, with these artists, is a testament to the diversity of works of art. It’s an absolute, brilliant representation.”
“Someone said to me recently, ‘Crypto art is finally being accepted.’ I don’t think anyone in crypto wants to be accepted, and I don’t think people need it,” said Esmay Luck-Hille, a consultant who previously worked as marketing director at NFT marketplace SuperRare. “But it’s a matter of reach and reaching people who love art.”
She added that education remains a barrier to entry into the NFT space, and that “the language used about a lot of things is quite daunting and inaccessible.”
NFT art at the Saatchi Gallery, London. Image: decrypt
Mark Dale, founder and creative director of public art platform W1Curates, agreed. “The importance of having these types of exhibitions, the education has to be there – the art market is changing a lot,” he said. “There are so many closed doors in the traditional art market,” he added, saying that working with digital artists is “a breath of fresh air.”
Dale praised the sense of community in the digital art space. “Everyone wants to work together; everyone wants to work together, grow together and build together,” he said.
NFT art at the Saatchi Gallery, London. Image: decrypt
Crane noted that the NFT community is more fluid and open than the traditional art world. “What’s incredible about the crypto art space is the way people are moving between traditionally defined roles,” he said. “So you can go in as a collector and come out as an artist, or as a curator or technologist.”
He added: “The communities are so open and the technology is so fast-moving and new, that it’s very easy to learn something unexpected, and just be thrown into an exciting new world where you can experiment and do things. try it out – with really there’s not much to lose.”