The House of Wisdom, an iconic futuristic and cultural hub, is continuing to broaden the vision of artists, creators, and collectors in the region’s blockchain community with the launch of the second iteration of the emirate’s ongoing non-fungible token (NFT) art exhibition, ‘Gateway to the Metaverse’.
The exciting NFT digital art of a new cohort of 49 international and 15 local artists opened recently (24th March) at the multifunctional Al Khawarizimi Exhibition at the House of Wisdom, offering artists, tech enthusiasts, cultural institutions, and art collectives the opportunity to explore the potential of the fascinating and immersive universe of the web3 art world.
Organised by the Global Art Exhibition (GAE), a multidisciplinary global project connecting talents, and the MORROW collective, the UAE’s leading NFT curatorial initiative, the animated images featuring 3D renderings, surrealist and abstract art forms, amongst others, are displayed on 24 high resolution digital screens until April 15. Artists from across the MENA region, Europe, Asia, and the USA are being represented in the new and final iteration of ‘Gateway to the Metaverse’ exhibition.
Following the opening, Stefano Favaretto, NFT artist, curator, and Co-founder of Global Art Exhibition (GAE), led visitors and guests on a guided tour of the exhibition. Anna Seaman, Co-founder of the MORROW collective, engaged the local artists in a dialogue on their artistic vision and journey into the metaverse during the tour.
Commenting on the opening, Marwa Al Aqroubi, Director of the House of Wisdom, said:“NFTs are today reinventing the way we engage with art. As a hub of learning and knowledge transfer, the House of Wisdom is continually looking at ways to serve, educate, and connect the budding NFT community in Sharjah and the UAE to explore new directions in digital art.”
Al Aqroubi added: “Gateway to the Metaverse’, the emirate’s first NFT art exhibition featuring influential works of emerging artists from around the world,continues to capture the imagination of creatives and visitors who are scaling up their knowledge of artist practices in the evolving landscape of digital art.Building on this success, the exhibition now moves into its second iteration with a new set of artists as we aim to further the vision of our enthusiasts and a new generation of artists by showcasing a broad spectrum of stylistic diversity and innovative approaches to creating digital art.”
Commenting on the second iteration of the exhibition, Stefano Favaretto, curator, NFT artist and co-founder of Global Art Exhibition(GAE) added: “From Pop Art to Collectibles: The “Gateway to the Metaverse” exhibition organized by the Global Art Exhibition in collaboration with MORROW collective showcases the works of 49 NFT artists from around the world by connecting them to 15 local artists and juxtaposing physical art with digital NFTs. Among the works on display are, for example, NFTs based on original artworks by Pop Artist Richard Bernstein.Demonstrating how the concept of NFT opens infinite possibilities for artistic dialogue, the exhibition presents a red thread of interconnection and exchange between artists from all over the world and local ones. Thus, the exhibition creates synergies, builds relationships and ultimately establishes a peaceful artistic dialogue in a significant place like Sharjah that already has a rich historical tradition and contemporary presence when it comes to culture, knowledge transfer and creativity.”
The ‘Gateway to the Metaverse’ exhibition is supported by two technology partners including; LG Electronic Gulf and Al Futtaim Electronics.
