With his new solo exhibition at Galerie Liehrmann, the Belgian mural painter NOIR Artist is embarking on the world of NFTs with an exclusive double version of his most recent works on the theme of dystopias, a first in Belgium.
Titled "Hybrid," this two-part exhibition presents, on one hand, the original paintings from the "Dystopia" series along with their digital versions available for purchase as NFTs.
Visitors to the physical exhibition at Galerie Liehrmann will also have the unique opportunity to fully immerse themselves in NOIR's distinct universe by exploring a specially crafted virtual gallery space within the Metaverse.
Exhibition “Hybride” - Galerie Liehrmann
A Fusion of Physical and Digital Exhibition
During the extended period of lockdown, NOIR Artist, like many of his peers, faced gallery closures. This led him to conceive this "virtual" exhibition, representing a new dynamic that reshapes the norms of the art sector.
NOIR Artist’s "Hybrid" exhibition was developed in collaboration with the Belgian start-up "IDEAx3.0," providing digital integration solutions. It's a highly innovative digital project, consisting of a two-part exhibition showcasing the recent works of the painter under the collective title "Dystopia."
In addition to the original physical artworks in large format, visitors can explore their digital versions, available for purchase as "NFTs" (Non-Fungible Tokens). Each digital artwork comes with a unique certificate of ownership and authenticity, conferring its value. These digital artworks (NFTs) are created in limited quantities and can be found for sale on the OpenSea platform: https://opensea.io/collection/noirartist
Visitors to the physical exhibition at Galerie Liehrmann can also fully immerse themselves in NOIR's distinctive universe by exploring a 1,000-square-meter virtual gallery space specially created within the Metaverse, accessible through smartphones, tablets, and virtual reality headsets.
What are NFTs?
NFTs represent certificates of authenticity associated with virtual items, rendering them uniquely identifiable—here, the digitized artworks of NOIR Artist. Although their content can be duplicated, the NFT itself remains the "original," just as there are countless reproductions of the Mona Lisa, while the original painting remains at the Louvre. These virtual artworks are traceable using the same blockchain technology employed by Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
NFTs have become pivotal assets in major auction houses. For instance, Christie's New York sold a digital artwork by the artist Beeple for a record-breaking $69.3 million in March 2021. While this market is still in its infancy, the coming months are likely to usher in new concepts for NFT platforms.
