Chicago-born and New York-based artist Nina Chanel Abney and her co-founded brand, Gallery of Digital Assets (GODA), have partnered with leading contemporary art platform Avant Arte.
Like with the launch of GODA, Abney's NFT collection Super Cool World will be the first release in what has the potential to be a long-lasting partnership between the two groups.
Excited to announce a new partnership between @TheGoda_io and @avant_arte ! Guess who is up first? ? pic.twitter.com/PDAa8clPG9
— Nina Chanel Abney (@ninachanel) April 5, 2023
No Matter the Medium
"As my first NFT collection, Super Cool World has a special meaning to me and a great significance in my journey as an artist. I’m happy that buyers and supporters of my collection will have the opportunity to turn their NFT into a physical print to enjoy in their own spaces daily," shared Abney in a public comment on the partnership.
She added that "GODA was formed with a framework of investing in all aspects of the process of making an NFT project, so these Super Cool World prints seemed like the next logical step for our community. I’ve learned so much in exploring the bridge between the digital NFT space and the physical art world. I am so excited to see the possibilities that GODA can bring to contemporary artists or artists from underrepresented communities, like myself."
Known for the high-quality prints produced by its master printmakers in London, Avant Arte will provide collectors of Abney's Super Cool World NFTs a community-exclusive 48-hour window to commission a print for any of the digital works they own, starting on April 28, at 15:00 BST.
Each print will feature the title of the selected token, a unique stamp designed by Abney, and a QR code on the reverse of the print -- serving as an on-chain authentication integration that connects to the collector's Web3 wallet.
Through the high-quality execution from Avant Arte, the handcrafted elements and bold colors found in Abney's work will come to life, allowing her community to enjoy their collected works in a new setting, and in some cases be the first piece of physical art for some.
All commissioned prints will come with Avant Arte's signature bespoke boxing and are priced at $820 USD each. In the case a holder has multiple collected works, they will be eligible to commission a print for each if they choose to.
In a conversation with Hypemoon, Avant Arte Co-Founder and Head of Artist Community Christian Luiten, shared that "we want to bridge the communities and continue on our mission to make art more accessible by bringing the best art whatever the medium to collectors and art lovers."
The groups upcoming release with Abney is a continuance of its mission to see these worlds bridged and something it has been consistently curating through partnerships with artist's like Tom Sachs, Grant Yun, Fvckrender, NessGraphics, and more -- releasing works in a range of physical mediums including sculptures, figures, and prints, all with various Web3 integrations.
Merging of Two Worlds
Speaking on the shifts taking place in the traditional art (TradArt) world thanks to the emergence of NFTs, GODA's Head of Operations Andrew Drayton said to Hypemoon that "even though there has been a lot of skepticism of Web3 from traditional collectors and some institutions, we believe that it is only a matter of time before more of the TradArt space view this as a positive movement."
He further explained that "partnerships between companies like GODA and Avant Arte will go a long way in legitimizing these artists projects by bridging their digital work to the already accepted physical medium. With partnerships like ours and having Nina Chanel Abney, Tom Sachs, Murakami, and a host of other extremely successful and talented artists entering the space, we are confident that delivering fun engaging projects will help drive the legitimacy of this movement."
Adding his thoughts on how Web3 is shifting the world of art, Luiten shared that "NFTS and blockchain tech have opened up the world of collecting to many more people and have helped more artists to focus on their work and earn a living purely from their art rather than having to subside it through commercial work."
The co-founder, known for disruption himself, highlighted what he believes to be obvious examples of the benefits of blockchain tech for artists, including authentication and direct control of secondary market mechanics -- which he added will likely "become the norm across the traditional art world in a few years."
Luiten expressed that what he's most excited about is the community aspect NFTs present, with Abney's Super Cool World being a perfect representation of the elevated connection that is possible between artists and their collectors.
"That’s central to Avant Arte and how we think about making art more accessible to our community of three million art lovers," he said, adding "I’m looking forward to seeing what else emerges and crosses the so-called boundaries between the digital and physical art worlds. There is so much we can learn from both to support artists and collectors."
While a large number of established TradArt critics, galleries, and houses have shown skepticism in the early days of digital art as NFTs, it would seem that they are now coming around to embrace the technology. Examples of this can be seen in exhibitions by LACMA, and the embrace of the medium by houses like Christie's and Sotheby's.
"Art is art, and whether it is displayed on a digital frame or a high-quality print, future generations will learn to appreciate and value both mediums," expressed GODA's Drayton.
With aligned ideals, both Avant Arte and GODA aim to support artists and collectors in whatever medium they choose to explore. Whether an existing TradArtist is looking to produce their first digital work or a natively digital artist is eager to produce their first physical work, the groups are there to help bring those visions to life.
In a closing statement, Luiten shared "we want to create fun and engaging experiences for collectors regardless of the medium, so they can have more art in their home and in their wallets."
Elsewhere in art, Christie’s 3.0 to uplift digital artists with 'Next Wave: The New York Edit' auction.
Click here to view full gallery at Hypemoon
