Targeting artists, tech enthusiasts, cultural institutions, and art collectives, the exhibition aims to bridge the gap between traditional and digital art worlds and introduce visitors and the art community to the new wave of creativity that is transforming the art landscape worldwide.
Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Chief Operating Officer, Shurooq; Marwa Al Aqroubi, Director of the House of Wisdom and Xavier Tsang-Herbrich, Founder of Global Art Exhibition (GAE), were among the prominent guests at the opening of the exhibition.
Hosted at the dynamic, multifunctional Al Khawarizimi Exhibition space at the House of Wisdom until April 15, ‘Gateway to the Metaverse’ is organised in collaboration with Global Art Exhibition (GAE), a multidisciplinary global project connecting talents, and the MORROW Collective, the UAE’s leading NFT curatorial initiative.
Covering a multitude of themes, the physical iteration of the NFT art exhibition is held across 24 screens and shines a spotlight on how NFTs can be used in various genres – from portraiture and landscape to abstract and surreal, and from sculpture to virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Artists from across the MENA region, Europe, Asia, and the USA are being represented in the ‘Gateway to the Metaverse’ exhibition in two consecutive rotational rounds, each featuring over 30 international artists, and paired with a selection of 15 Emirati and UAE-based artists.
Making art accessible to all
Commenting on the exhibition’s opening, Marwa Al Aqroubi, Director of the House of Wisdom, said: “The innovative theme of this exhibition - non-fungible token and the metaverse, ties in with the mission of the House of Wisdom to provide a nurturing space for fostering cross-cultural dialogues and exchange of knowledge in varied disciplines. We aim to explore new ways to support contemporary art and artists with the technology of NFT and blockchain as we expand on the concept of decentralisation to make art accessible to all.”
Al Aqroubi added: “This exhibition will empower our community of creative makers to build on their next-generation ideas in the emerging art ecosystem. By enabling them to channel their creative talents and imagination in our immersive learning spaces, we aim to take forward our vision of making knowledge and culture inclusive, accessible, and collaborative.”
Welcoming guests at the opening, Amira Bin Faris, Programmes Manager at House of Wisdom, said: “By bringing together a diverse group of international and local artists across blockchains to showcase an inclusive collection of digital art, crypto art, and traditional art, we aim to bridge the gap between the metaverse and the real world and open a gateway on the ground to virtual exhibitions while also introducing traditional artists, collectors, and visitors to the metaverse.”
Supportive art ecosystem in Sharjah
Elaborating on the choice of Sharjah to host the exhibition, Stefano Favaretto, NFT artist, curator of the exhibition, and Co-founder of Global Art Exhibition (GAE), said: “To us, Sharjah is a place of opportunities, a place that is deeply rooted with cultures and art, a place where many diverse voices are heard, and knowledge is exchanged. This collaboration exemplifies the very similar values that we share, of supporting and promoting art and artists in a modern and contemporary way.”
He added: “’ Bridges’ is the keyword that represents this exhibition. We are building several bridges - between different nations, between traditional art and digital art, and creating a union between the past, the present and the future, and the House of Wisdom is where all these bridges meet.”
Stating that many of the artists are exhibiting for the first time in Sharjah, Anna Seaman, Co-founder of the MORROW collective, said: “The House of Wisdom is a centre of learning and knowledge transfer and is the perfect venue for an exhibition that introduces new audiences to NFTs.”
Dr. Nina Heydemann, Director of Maraya Art Center, explained that ‘Gateway to the Metaverse’ reflects a worldwide response to the prospects that NFT offers to artists. She said: “Digital art offers new possibilities for the traditional art forms in ways yet unknown. This deeply intertwined relationship is now starting to set off an interesting artistic dialogue.”
Following the formal opening, the curator, Stefano Favaretto, led the dignitaries, artists, media, and guests on a tour of the exhibition.
‘Gateway to the Metaverse’
From dynamic NFTs where a cloud emits a thunderbolt every time it detects a tweet with a specific hashtag in real time to 360-degree creations of other worlds and environments and an animated photograph of sunlight where the dissolving light breaks out into the colours of the rainbow, the NFT artists exhibiting at ‘Gateway to the Metaverse’ are pushing the boundaries of what it means to create art in the new virtual universe.
New Age visuals, highly stylised 3D renderings, surrealist and abstract art forms, as well as a wide array of both static and animated artwork, pixel art, and images incorporating sound and music, are part of the digital expressions on view at the exhibition.
Physical paintings are paired with digital renderings where images that share a similar artistic vision, concept, style, or idea are juxtaposed while a large part of the exhibition is composed of purely digital art.
Dive into the world of digital art with educational seminars and workshops
An integral element of the exhibition is the series of seminars that aim to stimulate conversation on the advent of creative new technologies in the art world and introduce visitors to the emerging channels for artistic expressions and contemporary practices while exciting workshops aim to empower artists and visitors with practical guidance on transforming their talents into NFT works.
The opening day commenced with a B2B focused seminar titled, ‘In Dialogue with Local Artists’, and discussing trending topics and concerns for both NFT and traditional artists, including the physical art in the metaverse, pixel art as NFTs, fashion in the metaverse, NFT utilities, NFT exhibitions in real life, and NFT communities.
The B2C panel discussions scheduled for Tuesday, March 2, include ‘Gateway to the Metaverse’, which will introduce visitors to the world of NFTs, the metaverse, and beyond, while in ‘NFTs: A Bubble or the Future?’, panel members will highlight the value of NFT and its legal aspects, and lead discussions on the future in art.
On the same day, a workshop session, ‘How to Become an NFT Photographer’ will introduce participants on storytelling and photography in the NFT space, while ‘How to Create 3D NFTs’ will take participants through 3D applications and software related to 3D designs, 3D Printing Technology and 3D printing processes.
‘Gateway to the Metaverse’ is supported by Technology Partners LG Electronic Gulf and Al Futtaim Electronics.
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