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Digital artist Beeple made headlines in March
when his video artwork "Everydays: The First 5000 Days" sold for
over $69 million at Christie's. The video was an example of a
digital asset called a non-fungible token (NFT), which exist
only online and have exploded in popularity recently.
So why do they need a physical space?
Ed Zipco, founder of the Superchief Gallery NFT, which he calls
"the first physical permanent NFT gallery space in the world,"
said it can fulfill the artist's "ideal intent" to show a high
resolution digital canvas on the wall.
"It shows you how you live with the work," he said.
The gallery, which sold $150,000 of art in its first week in
March, accepts cryptocurrency payments. While digital images are
easily copied and shared online, tokens provide proof of
ownership for files that supporters say are the equivalent of
the original signed painting.
At the gallery in Manhattan's Union Square neighborhood, the
work of five artists will be shown each day through the end of
May, for a total of 300 artists, including Swoon, James Jirat
Patradoon and Mashkow. Artists receive 85% of the sales
proceeds.
The NFT of Mashkow's "NFTesla" on display is a rotating digital
image of an original physical version exhibited at Superchief's
main SoHo Gallery.
Superchief Gallery NFT breaks new ground, said Cody Kennedy, 44,
whose NFT work, "In the service of," is on display there.
"One of the best things about showing in this gallery in
particular is... this is what's coming next," he said.
(Reporting by Daniel Fastenberg; Writing by Richard Chang;
Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
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