Last weekend we had the pleasure to attend the 2nd edition of the NFT Art Day in Zurich. The 2 day event was organized by art advisor and digital art expert Georg Bak and took place at the same time as the Zurich Art Weekend and Art Basel. This digital Art event is quickly developing into the largest Switzerland based NFT art event. Here are some of the highlights.
Day 1 – NFT Art Day
Tom Rieder
One of our favorites on day 1 was an introduction to the topic of NFT by Tom Rieder. In the diagram shared with us it is apparent that art is still a small part of of the NFT world, which is largely dominated by gaming and collectibles.
Diagram 1 source: Tom Rieder
Brian Mc Alister
In Workshop 2, Brian Mc Alister showed how easy it is to use the objkt.com platform and how their new AI feature works. Minting an NFT himself was demonstrated by Kenny Schachter live on the podium at objkt.com.
Photo 1: Brian Mc Alister explains the platform objkt.com
Picasso on Blockchain
In the 3rd workshop “Picasso on Blockchain” 360X Art presented their platform for the fractionalization of physical paintings.
Photo 2: Shirin Marquart, Marie-Catherine Vogt, und Katharina Helena Schulz von 360X Art
Day 2 – NFT Art Day
Day 2 of the NFT Art Day in Zurich was also full of highlights.
Kenny Schachter
In Kenny Schachter’s keynote speech he discussed “”The Current State of the NFT Market” and gave us an insight into his work. One of the highlights of his presentation was a video of art being buried.
Photo 3: Kenny Schachter with one of his NFTs
Panel: “The Impact of Accelerated Technology in Art”
The panel “The Impact of Accelerated Technology in Art” moderated by Luba Elliott, with James Bridle, Anne Spalter and Mario Klingemann included a true statement by Mario Klingemann: “The blockchain is absolute instrumental”. So we should use the blockchain technology, and should not be serving it. The possible uses are immense, not only in the field of art.
Panel: “How do you discover artists?”
Photo 5: How do you discover artists? | Panel with Micol Ap, Lukas Amacher, and Tiffany Zabludowicz, moderated by Anika Meier
In this panel moderator Anika Meier addressed the mentality “always-be-available”. Lukas Amacher immediately realized that it doesn’t have to be that way: “As with any business, communication with the community is key, but first you have to create a community. There is no golden way to become aware of future artists. But the information on which platforms you can and should find out about the artists was very helpful for all those interested in art.”
Anika Meier: “We are online 24/7”. Lukas Amacher: “We are also offline 24/7!”
Collecting in the Age of NFTs
Photo 6: Generative Choreography | Artist Talk by Operator
Following question kept on coming up in these two days in Zurich: Should bridges be built between traditional art and digital art or should they be broken?
The artists themselves and art experts also have very different views here. Brian Droitcour used his valuable knowledge to tease out interesting answers from panelists Sabine Himmelsbach, Valérie C. Whitacre, and thefunnyguys in the panel “Collecting in the Age of NFTs”.
Photo 7: NFT Think Tank enjoyed the NFT Art Day
Final Thoughts
Of course, for most artists, collectors, curators and galleries, NFTs are the future. They can be of service to all as digital art, for fractionalization or as a security tool. So the word NFT will soon be part of everyday use for everyone.
The NFT Art Day 2023 was very well attended, all visitors had fun and the presentations and panels were a very good source of information. With this format, Georg Bak has proven that art is not dry and boring, but very interesting and also fun! I am already looking forward to the NFT Art Day Zurich 2024!