Emerging technologies are quickly adapted for artistic and creative applications, and art is very much in the digital revolution. Augmented reality has proved to add value to any art form and most importantly it allows for the artwork itself to preserve its value. The results are exciting with AR offering fully immersive experiences for audiences. When you overlay environments and creations, it stimulates what the audience sees, hears, etc. giving them a perception of the real world shifting. With this audiences get to see the power of expressive storytelling come to life.
Today tech firms draw out much more value from artists than they did some years ago, working together in research and development to come up with new possibilities.
What is New Media Art?
New media art encompasses art forms that have been produced or modified and transmitted through digital technologies — including of course digital art, computer animation, computer graphics, virtual art, interactive art, video games, 3D printing, cyborg art, and many others. Most recently AR has become a new bridge to new media art, merging the virtual and physical worlds. The artworks involve practices that range conceptual from virtual art and installation to performance. There has been a huge rise in these new medias, and now many art schools and universities offer majors in new media. Interactivity plays a central concept in new media, and the interconnectivity of the internet inspiring a lot of current new media art.
Digital Art offers many possibilities with its fluid boundaries. In the beginning, digital technologies were a means to an end, functioning as a tool for creating traditional objects like paintings, sculptures, prints, and photographs. Then there was a change where technology became the end itself. Artists explored the possibilities that entailed the essence of this new medium, where computable art came to be, digitally created, stored, and distributed.
Some artworks rely on digital tools to magnify the mediums that already exist. While others use digital technology as an intrinsic and indissociable component in the making of the artwork. And in 2021 digital art is now associated with something seemingly unrelated to art; cryptocurrencies.
NFTs and digital art: the ultimate combo?
“Nonfungible token” or NFTs are one-of-a-kind entries or a blockchain ledger that cannot be duplicated, which has a wholly unique value and virtual entity. Unlike fungible tokens like bitcoin, where to coins are indistinguishable. With NFT’s however, it is impossible to have two that are interchangeable with each other, even if there might be several reproductions or prints of it, there’s only one original.
NFTs are accelerating the evolution of art, digital art, and the collection of art. Furthermore, NFTs also serve as proxies for physical assets, and their benefits are equally applicable to the tangible and intangible. For example, creating an NFT linked to a physical asset, like a work of art or luxury goods, that physical asset is perfectly traceable and verifiable on the blockchain. The NFT serves as proof of ownership.
Artists like Ben Elliot’s practice address contemporary subjects like emerging technologies, and socioeconomic trends. Integrating forward-thinking companies, people, and objects to explore the concepts and values they carry. Ben Elliot is in process of launching his Token, art, and personal cryptocurrency. Where users will be able to exchange $BET with other currencies or convert it into physical artwork. Plus a creative platform that will broadcast a program of online exhibitions and exclusive content. This project taking part in the new socioeconomic trends, through a lens of contemporary art.
Digital Art Platforms: a recognition of digital artists?
With these types of new media art, it was important to provide a way for the artists to be able to show their work since not all galleries are adapted today to include digital art. We can think about video artworks which were till recently a difficult piece of art to sell, because of the property of the medium itself.
These new platforms like Foundation, Nifty Gateway, Zora Protocol, OpenSea, MakerPlaces, or CADAF, are selling digital art and it's good to see in it a recognition of a whole new generation of artists working exclusively digitally. Don't be blind! Taking into account the ecological impact of blockchains and NFTs, it would be great if those platforms could provide recognition without artists having to deal with an ethical dilemma... but let's say it's a good start (?)
Augmented reality as a new media art takes a particular place today and CADAF is one of the first to highlight it. They created the #DigitalArtMonth festival, where they curate an exhibition of AR and video works that can be accessed through QR codes and video art. Spread throughout various locations and spaces around the city (New York, Miami, and Paris this month), designed as a self-guided exploration where you can create your own digital art walk.
➡️ Part of Minsar #SpecialEvent - Let's take a creative journey we had a chance to talk with Elena Zavelev CEO and founder of CADAF and Andrea Steuers art fair director and COO, where we discussed digital art, the digital art market and NFT’s.
💡 From June 1st to June 30th, Digital Art Month is taking place in Paris. So if you are there we highly recommend this immersive course to discover talented artists.
*Cover Credit: Love Yourself by Andy Picci to see in Paris' street during #DigitalArtMonth, or directly here in AR.
