● Tezos, an energy-efficient blockchain, returns to Art Basel at Art Basel Hong Kong 2022 as a leading choice for upcoming and prominent contemporary artists in the world of NFT art
● Titled ‘NFTs + The Ever-Evolving World of Art’, the exhibition will be displayed at Art Basel Hong Kong from May 27 to 29 2022, and will showcase the next frontier in digital contemporary art, with a spotlight on generative art
● The interactive exhibition space will feature a showcase designed in collaboration with leading generative art platform FXhash, allowing visitors to receive a unique generative artwork NFT from participating artists in a first-of-it’s kind interactive NFT gallery experience
Non-fungible tokens (NFT) and generative art will be making waves at this year’s Art Basel Hong Kong in an exhibition built on Tezos, an energy-efficient public blockchain. Running from May 27 to 29, ‘NFTs + The Ever-Evolving World of Art’ marks the very first Tezos exhibition at Art Basel Hong Kong and will showcase the works of over 20 contemporary generative digital artists from around the world, each distinguished by their own unique styles and disciplines, effectively showcasing the diversity, strength, and potential of NFTs as an art medium.
With a dedicated 250m2 exhibition space located at Hall 1A of Hong Kong’s Convention & Exhibition Centre, ‘NFTs + The Ever-Evolving World of Art’ will see numerous projected works by leading generative and NFT artists hailing from the region across Brunei, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea. The exhibition will also see global representation, with artists from both North America and Europe, specifically from Bulgaria, Canada, France, Poland, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United States.
Expressing his excitement for the event, Om Malviya, President of Tezos India was quoted as saying, “It’s fantastic to see the art community able to assemble and celebrate the spirit of innovation in today’s art scene once again as the world’s largest contemporary art expo. The ability to display some of the world’s most talented digital artists is at the heart of what the Tezos ecosystem is known for. NFTs have completely rewritten the playbook when it comes to the accessibility of the art world, giving these individuals an unparalleled opportunity to reach new audiences, improve their skill, and build a name for themselves in an online arena.”
Participating artists include renowned Filipino painter and interdisciplinary artist Bjorn Calleja, whose works reflect the interplay between the micro- and macrocosms of humans within and against their environments; award-winning Singaporean artist Yeo Shih Yun who fuses traditional Chinese ink painting with contemporary new mediums; China’s Song Ting who created the very first NFT artwork to be auctioned on China Guardian, one of the world’s largest auction houses.
“Art taking a whole new digital perspective was something nobody expected 10-12 years ago and here we are in this NFT Exhibit with the world’s most talented digital artists showcasing their talents, their Artwork, pouring their heart out on their portfolios and we in Tezos believe in not only just showcasing their hard-work and talents but also promote it on a global level. NFTs have radically changed the game when it comes to art world accessibility, allowing these individuals an unrivalled opportunity to reach new audiences, improve their skills, and establish a name for themselves in the art world”, quoted Poorvi Sachar, Head Operations at Tezos India.
The space will also include the renowned work of artists from around the globe: Nicolas Sassoon (France) Qingnan Tan (Random Combo) (China), Chaeseok (CS) Lim (South Korea), Lionel Radisson (makio135) (France), Yazid Azahari (Brunei), Munira Hamzah (Mumu the stan) (Malaysia), Iskra Velitchkova (Bulgaria), Michaël Zancan (France), Sarah Ridgley (United States), Aleksandra Jovanić (Serbia), Park Se Jin (08AM) (South Korea), Fan Yi Wen (Reva) (China), Matt DesLauriers (Canada), and Wieslaw Borkowski (baiwei) (Poland).
The overall exhibit incorporates a first-of-its-kind interactive installation created in collaboration with FXhash, a leading generative art NFT marketplace on Tezos. Visitors to the space will be able to interact with the installation and live-mint
a 1/1 generative artwork NFT from one of the participating artist series, which will be simultaneously displayed in the installation and also sent to the visitor’s own NFT wallet as a gift.
The interactive installation is expected to generate and gift between 5,000-8,000 editions of the works of the participating generative artists. To interact, visitors will scan a QR code in this exhibition space which will trigger the live-minting of a new artwork, which will then be projected in the exhibition. These works will be minted as NFTs on the Tezos blockchain and will be accessible via Tezos’ browser-based Kukai wallet. Users will automatically be issued a wallet at the point of minting, created via direct authorization login to one’s social media account of choice.
Looking at art in its totality, the most substantial increase in sales amongst the different regions was attributed to Asia, with an aggregate rise of 31%. This trend is mirrored in the NFTs space. With such excitement concentrated in the continent, the exhibition looks to celebrate the staggering rise of NFT art and the potential that it stands to bring to the traditional art world.
Commenting on the exhibition, Katherine Ng, Head of Marketing and Operations at TZ APAC, said: “As the leading contemporary art fair in the world, it’s exciting to once again see the art community able to gather and celebrate the spirit of innovation in today’s art scene. To have the opportunity to showcase some of the world’s leading digital art talent is at the heart of what the Tezos ecosystem is celebrated for. NFTs have given these creators an unprecedented opportunity to reach new audiences, hone their craft, and make a name for themselves in an online forum, effectively rewriting the rulebook when it comes to the accessibility of the art world.”
With its energy-efficient design and low transaction fees, the Tezos ecosystem has cultivated a strong foundation of NFT artists, collectors, and builders from around the world, including cutting-edge brands looking to further their footprint in Web3. These include Formula 1 racing teams Red Bull Honda Racing and McLaren Racing, banking behemoth Société Générale, gaming giant Ubisoft, American fashion brand GAP, and many more.
Art Basel Hong Kong 2022 will feature 130 local and international exhibitors. For those unable to attend the event in person, galleries will also be presenting their work online as part of ‘Art Basel Live: Hong Kong’, in dedicated Online Viewing Rooms. ‘NFTs and the Ever-Evolving World of Art’ will be on view on an invite-only basis from May 24 to 30, 2022, with access to the general public from May 27 to 29, 2022 at Hong Kong’s Convention & Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. For more information, please visit: https://artbasel.com/hong-kong/at-the-show
About Tezos
Tezos is smart money, redefining what it means to hold and exchange value in a digitally connected world. A self-upgradable and energy-efficient Proof of Stake blockchain with a proven track record, Tezos seamlessly adopts tomorrow’s innovations without network disruptions today. For more information, please visit www.tezos.com.
About Tezos India
Tezos India works dedicatedly with the objective of growing the Tezos community in the country and thereby building and empowering a well-rounded Tezos Ecosystem in India. It particularly aims to encourage and boost the developer community in India to build and scale out-of-the-box projects on Tezos. For more information, please visit https://tezosindia.org.in
About TZ APAC
TZ APAC Pte. Ltd. (“TZ APAC”) is the leading Asia-based blockchain adoption entity supporting the Tezos ecosystem. It designs value-added blockchain transformation strategies for enterprises and creators with a bottom-up approach,
working closely with blockchain experts and other stakeholders in the Tezos ecosystem. TZ APAC is supported by the Tezos Foundation and is headquartered in Singapore. For more information, please visit www.tzapac.com.
About FXhash
FXhash is an open platform where artists can publish Generative Tokens which are stored on the Tezos blockchain. Generative Tokens are programs designed to produce random outputs. Once a Generative Token is enabled (when the artist decides it), anyone with a Tezos wallet can mint their own unique iteration of the Generative Token. Each iteration produces a unique piece that is stored as an NFT on the Tezos blockchain. The NFTs are FA2 compliant, which means that they can be exchanged like any other NFT everywhere in the Tezos ecosystem. For more information, please visit: www.fxhash.xyz.
About Art Basel
Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world’s premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. Art Basel’s engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through new digital platforms and a number of new initiatives such as the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report, Intersections: The Art Basel Podcast, and the BMW Art Journey. Art Basel’s Global Media Partner is The Financial Times. For further information, please visit www.artbasel.com.
