NFT art: The charisma comes to the Capital
An exhibition of NFT art from India is curated in the city. It also has workshops and sessions to tell you what this art is, how to market it, how to build your community, and how to raise projects for your NFT art.
New Delhi
Heard all about non-fungible tokens (NFTs) through GIFs, albums, tweets, etc? Now get set to witness some of amazing, recently created works by 30 artists and curators from the Indian NFT world, who have come together in the Capital for a showcase titled DAZE (Decentralized Art Zone).
Divided into displays by 10 established NFT artists and 20 artists selected via an open call, this exhibition organised by Cryptoart India Collective, is curated by eminent NFT artists including Cyber Shakti, Amrit Pal Singh, Indrani Mitra, Mehak Jain, A Nadamel, Jatin Pathi, Prasad Bhat, Melvin Thambi, Shivani Mitra, Vishesh Chopra and Barthazian. “The idea is to not only showcase some of the brightest, hottest and most successful NFT talent arising in India, but also welcome people into the world of NFTs,” says Priyanka Balwa aka CyberShakti, curator and NFT artist. She adds: “For people who don’t know what NFTs are, we have workshops and sessions that tell you what they are, how to market them, how to build your community and how to raise projects for your NFT art. Anybody who walks in will see art talent that’s putting India on the map. When people start off, they need guides and mentors to ask even their silly questions from. So we’re here for both the art and knowledge sharing.”
Showcasing works from his series on toy faces, including one on Frida Kahlo, artist Amrit Pal Singh, opines, “With the emergence of NFTs, digital art has started to be considered at the same pedestal as traditional art. And whenever we exhibit an NFT in a real-life event, it bridges that separation between traditional and digital art. Most of the NFT movement began during the pandemic, so people have been creating, selling and auctioning it online. So shows like this one would be a nice way to make stuff tangible and meet the NFT community in person. It will also bring more people into the NFT fold.”
“NFTs have driven the adoption of digital art as a mainstream form of art in India and worldwide,” says artist Fabin Rasheed, who is exhibiting his living generative art Alappuzha, which is created as an ode to his hometown in Kerala. “This art, which was created exclusively using code, is also a dynamic art which changes based on the physical location you are viewing the work from, weather, time, seasons and more. Through this art I try to show my relationship and feelings to a place that has healed me and which I call home,” he explains, adding, “NFTs have also led to creating a creative economy where the artists not only can earn a livelihood by selling their works but also can get royalties over secondary sales and have a continuous income for the future. Especially since 2021 Indian digital creatives have embraced NFTs increasingly. There are still many problems that have to be tackled but I believe in the ability of this technology to push art, creativity and innovation.”
And Balwa, who is showcasing glitch art, explains, “Glitch means errors, and as an artist my aim is to take something broken and elevate its strong feminine energy till the work is beautifully evocative and no one remembers it was broken in the first place. I’m showing my works Eye of the Tiger, Big Chick Energy, and Golden Lining.”
Catch It Live
What: Decentralized Art Zone (DAZE)
Where: Lokayata Art Gallery, 1, Hauz Khas Village
When: December 18 and 19
Timing: 11am to 7pm
Nearest Metro Station: Green Park on the Yellow Line
Author tweets @siddhijainn
