NFTs Break Into Art Basel

The famed Art Basel fair, which takes place every December in Miami, Florida, will feature NFT exhibits prominently for the first time this year.

After being canceled last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Art Basel art fair in Miami Beach returns December 1 through 4. This year’s fair will be different from prior years, featuring multiple NFT artists and exhibits throughout the week, bringing attention within the wider world of art.

The NFT space has grown substantially in the last year, in a way that the Art Basel fair could no longer ignore. The inclusion of NFTs in Art Basel is significant as it marks an important milestone, reflecting how big and how fast the NFT space has grown over the past year. 

Art Basel Miami began in 2002 as a spinoff of the original art fair in Basel, Switzerland.

The fair in Miami has become a yearly event and has garnered so much attention that it has been known to be called “Miami Art Week.” The fair will include hundreds of exhibits, sellers and displays of art, and there will be multiple in-person events. Here are some of the biggest NFT related events/exhibits you’ll see at the fair: 

NFT BZL

NFT Basel is a day-long conference that is meant to educate and inspire attendees in the wonders of NFTs. The conference will have big names in the NFT and crypto world speaking at the event. These speakers include the likes of Ducan and Griffin Cock Foster, Co-founders of Nifty Gateway, Jiho, co-founder of Axie Infinity, Author Madrid, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of The Sandbox, and many more. 

The Gateway

Christie’s and nft now have teamed up to bring an exclusive NFT exhibit called “The Gateway,” a sensory experience that will take “attendees through an audiovisual journey.” The exhibit will have Curators such as SuperRare, BlockParty, SeedPhrase and 33NFT. It will also display works from prominent NFT artists like Fvckrender, Coldie x Snoop Dogg, Blake Kathryn, Defaced, FriendsWithYou, and many more.

SuperRare x SuperWorld

Popular NFT market SuperRare has teamed up with the augmented reality (AR) platform, SuperWorld, to display 20 AR statues. The Statues will be located throughout the fair and can only be viewed through the SuperWorld app.  

Humans + Machines: NFTs And The Ever-Evolving World Of Art

The Tezos blockchain is hosting an exhibit where attendees will be able to create and mint their own NFTs. Artist Quasimondo will generate AI portraits of visitors to mint on Tezos through an interactive exhibit. Artists like Helena Sarin, Matt DesLauriers, Sutu, Iskra Velitchkova will also have their works displayed.