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The first-ever art fair in the Middle East highlighting how artists can use blockchain-based Non-Fungible Token (NFT) technology in their work is set to take place in the kingdom next month, ahead of the Bahrain Gulf Air Grand Prix.
The NFT MENA Exhibit 2022 will take place from March 16 to 18 at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain and will feature local artists, international marketplaces and plenty of workshops to educate the uninitiated about creating and marketing their own NFT.
“The exhibition, which will hopefully go on to become an annual event, will provide a platform for much-needed conversations about a decentralised future and the next phases of the Internet, as we begin to consider blockchain and its many facets and assets and try to come to terms with a new frontier - one that merges the worlds of technology, art, culture and the economy,” Dar Alfann Gallery chairman and one of the organisers for the exhibition, Abdulrahman Almokla, told GulfWeekly.
“The main purpose of this event is educational. We want to showcase the possibilities that NFTs can offer and what it could mean for artists, investors, business owners, gallerists and more.”
Around the world, artists are integrating NFTs to offer digital art connoisseurs unforgeable and unforgettable additions to their collections.
For the uninitiated, NFTs are unique computer-generated codes that are embedded into assets, like art pieces, enabling them to be traded and verified for authenticity.
“This is a very important avenue for art that the world is following right now, and I believe it could be massive,” National Arts Council chairman Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa added.
“Of course, it’s a new technology and many of us are not aware of how exactly it works. I think we should remain open-minded.”
The NFT MENA Exhibit 2022 will be organised jointly by the Rashid Al Khalifa Art Foundation and Dar Alfann Gallery.
Alongside art pieces from top NFT marketplaces will be workshops and panel discussions to educate and inform investors and creatives of all skill levels.
The emerging technology is seen by artists like Leena Al Ayoobi as a creative outlet which can change dynamics in the art world and usher in new opportunities in terms of investment and global markets.
“We have been minting NFTs of my art in the last year and we are experimenting with different ‘phygital’ layers we can add to NFTs – these could further amplify the awareness and reach of Bahrain’s art around the world,” added Abdulrahman who has been working with his wife Leena to bring her art into the NFT realm.
During the exhibition, marketplaces like NFT BAZL will explain step-by-step the process of getting artwork on the blockchain, in addition to talks, live minting and auctioning alongside workshops by NFT experts, NFT markets and crypto-exchange representatives, as well as educational sessions for artists and NFT enthusiasts.
Adnan Al Ahmad and toymaker Abdulla BinHindi are also set to exhibit their creations at the art fair.
Abdulla was one of the first Bahraini artists to turn their creation, the well-known Karak Monster, into an NFT.
His most recent ‘phygital’ creation Gilgamesh the Immortal is currently on exhibit at the Bahrain Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai.
An NFT related to the toy is being auctioned on Rarible and the winner will receive a physical toy in addition to the NFT.
For details, follow @nft_mena_exhibit on Instagram.
