Crypto Art Is in the Spotlight at Galeria Paloma's '1/1' Exhibition
One may argue that we can trace the spirit of an era through its art. Crypto art is no different.
As Crypto Art Week Asia nears, Galeria Paloma's second installment of its crypto art exhibition promises to represent the times. 1/1 (read as "one of one") puts together some of the best regional artists in the Philippines and Singapore. Crypto art, on a macro-scale, has come out of the shadows of the contemporary art scene, arguably becoming its shiniest new attraction.
Gallery Director Kimi Rocha-Delgado seems to agree with this, too, considering she and her family personally selected the pieces, which are digital artworks minted on the blockchain. She calls the artists "trailblazers" in the crypto art movement. Rocha-Delgado also sees this as an opportunity to bridge the gap between digital art forms and traditional art practices (the works will be displayed in Samsung The Frame TV screens).
Collectors have responded well to this undertaking, too, as the director points out. This is evidenced by the gallery's record sale of crypto art pioneer Luis Buenaventura's "Merge" last Sunday, September 25. It sold for a record price of 10 Ethereum (approximately P770,000). Suffice to say, the market is hot.
View this post on Instagram>p"Galeria Paloma is focused on bringing digital art to the forefront and presenting the work as viable art assets due to its inherent artistic merit," Rocha-Delgado says. "And with the blockchain infrastructure, there is now a solution to issues that arise in digital art ownership such as authenticity, proof of ownership, and artist royalties.”>pEmphasis on the power of collaboration, artist rights, and inclusive technology, of course. The gallery chose a wide range of artists for the exhibit, encompassing various knowledge systems, practices, and art styles; from 10-year-old crypto art prodigy Sevi Agregado and animator Isaiah Cacnio to award-winning photographer brothers Cris and Win Magsino and Singapore-based artist, Wyn-Lyn Tan.>pPortraits of Holy Blood, Luis Buenaventura, Raymond Lauchengco, and Sevi Agregado.>p
Photo by GALERIA PALOMA.>pBuenaventura, who happens to be the highest-selling artist out of the group, welcomes the range and depth of 1/1. He's been at this for a while. The artist is one of the first whose work has been included in the first NFT art collection ever minted on the Ethereum blockchain. Curio Cards sold with Christies in Ether for a cool $1.2 million (about P70 million) back in 2017. That was quite the snapshot in the timeline of the Filipino crypto art trade.>pCrypto is also a commentary on history, Buenaventura says. "You can look at certain periods of history and look at the artworks that were produced during that time. You get a sense of what things were back then.>p"I guess this is one of the reasons why the art I produce right now is very specific and niche, commenting on crypto itself. At the same time, it's powered by crypto," he explains. "I want to be able to look back at this 20 years from now and I'll be able to say that 'hey, this was what it was like.' These are the things that are constantly bugging me." It's these self-reflexive questions that intrigue him.>p"Ang Huling Hapunan" by AJ Dimarucot.>p
Photo by GALERIA PALOMA.
>p>p"A Perfect Trio" by Sheila Ledesma
>p
ALSO READ:>pThis Filipino Startup Will Make Celebrity NFTs Available to Superfans>pThis Artist Is the Only Filipino Included in Art Basel Hong Kong's Pioneering Interactive Art Exhibit>pThe movement has become bigger now, not just because of the collectors and crypto people around the scene, but also because of post-apocalyptic AI dread.>pHe notes: "It's relevant right now because there's a lot of chatter, saying 'hey, why do we need artists? AI can just make stuff.' What I want to say is: AI is not conscious yet. We're not Skynet or Terminator. The thing is, what AI is generating right now, it's pixels on a screen. It's not meaningful. So you need a human will to produce art.">pTan echoes Buenaventura's sentiments, as well. "For me, as an artist recently exploring crypto art and technology, my goal is to still have a very emotive element to my digital work," she expresses. "Although it is a collaboration with the machine, I still would like to have the ability to convey.">p"Rainbow Moose" by Sevi Agregado.>p
