LA ART SHOW ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH SUPERRARE AS THE OFFICIAL NFT MARKETPLACE OF THE SHOW
From Analog to Digital For 26 Years LA Art Show Has Embraced Art Trends And Conversations
In just a few short weeks, LA Art Show, the most comprehensive international contemporary art show in America, officially kicks-off the city’s 2021 art season at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This special Summer Edition–on the heels of the landmark 25-year anniversary and now with new director Kassandra Voyagis – takes a closer look at some of the latest technological trends in the art world, while still offering a conventional lens for art from around the globe. Taking a leap into the future, while remaining cognizant of the traditional contemporary and historical programming, the LA Art Show has incorporated a focus on women, art, and technology. Upholding a longstanding convention of paving the way for other fairs to follow suit, this year marks the LA Art Show as the first LIVE show to join one of the most buzzed-about conversations in art: NFTs. As a show with a strong traditional reputation, the integration of NFTs and other new technology is monumental, emphasizing the legitimacy and wonder of digital art. To supply the most comprehensive and accessible NFT introduction, the show has partnered with SuperRare as official marketplace partner, meaning patrons will be able to purchase the work immediately at the fair with the help of experts, removing anxiety surrounding the new kind of transaction.
To present the most striking and comprehensive NFT debut, the LA Art Show welcomes Vellum LA, the first physical gallery for NFT-backed digital art in Los Angeles, ahead of their launch in September. Vellum LA was created with the goal of meaningfully situating the digital and crypto art communities within the context of art history, while also educating the public on the potential of NFTs to impact the future of art. Aiming to bridge the gap between the physical and the digital world, the crypto and the traditional art collectors, Vellum LA presents carefully curated shows designed to be relevant to patrons on either end of the digital-analog spectrum, and anywhere in between.
This year’s LA Art Show is the ideal platform for Vellum LA programming, prioritizing NFTs whether it be an introduction for many of the patrons of the fair or an exciting addition for those who are already fans of the genre. Crafting the optimal first impression, Vellum LA presents Sea Change, a physical NFT exhibition in partnership with SuperRare, the show’s official marketplace partner. Sea Change will feature the works of 11 new media artists, whose work embraces our inevitable technological immersion, exploring the new language, materiality, and logic of the metaverse. The exhibition will include works by Claudia Hart, Auriea Harvey, Krista Kim, Marjan Moghaddam, Itzel Yard (Ix Shells), Blake Kathryn, Nicole Ruggiero, Sam Clover (PLANTTDADDII), Sabrina Ratté and more. Curated by Nxt Museum curator Jesse Damiani and Vellum LA curator Sinziana Velicescu, Sea Change is a model of collaboration in the art world. Bringing together not just artists, curators, but tech companies as well, this exhibition is a worthy preview of what NFTs have to offer. The show caters to the collector, both the already avid NFT fans and those who might not even know what NFT stands for yet. Thanks to the partnership with SuperRare, a pioneering online peer-to-peer marketplace for premium single edition NFTs built on the Ethereum blockchain, purchasing NFTs at the fair is highly accessible for anyone, whether they be tech savvy or previously luddite (just make sure to secure some ETH for purchases ahead of the event). Although NFTs have been around for a while now, the technology patrons will see is brand new, featuring state-of-the-art StandardVision LumaCanvas displays developed specifically for Sea Change and designed to be the first ever collector/museum-grade digital art display canvases.
The return of in-person programming has generated quite a few questions about the future of the art world, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that many artists want to have their work seen in person, and that is true of digital art as well. Velicescu is thrilled to bring this new kind of viewing experience to this special LIVE summer edition of the LA Art Show, noting that the return of live programming is important for NFTs and digital programming just as it is important for analog art.
“Having curated work for large scale media facades at StandardVision, I understand the importance of the in-person experience. I think with everything re-opening, people will crave these experiences more than ever and I think there’s an opportunity to show this work in ways that hasn’t been shown before, taking into consideration all the complexities of digital art–some of the work is time based, some has the capability of being fully immersive, some involves AR.”
The technology revolution does not stop there. White Cross Gallery is bringing their expertise from over 5 years of NFT experience along with 5 new releases, and NFT giveaways. Continuing the theme of technological advancements, one of the most highly anticipated traditional elements of the show is getting an upgrade as well, with the return of DIVERSEartLA. This important part of the fair, curated by Marisa Caichiolo, will focus on the presence, contributions, research, and documentation of women and non-binary artists at the forefront of work at the intersection of art, science, and technology, represented by guest museums and institutions. Continuing the theme of juxtaposing old and new, this fan-favorite section will expand upon previous years into new, more interactive, and technological ground. This year’s tech-focused exhibits include a wide range of mediums from AI to video and plenty in between. The San Marcos Museum of Art (MASM) from Lima, Perú, which will bring a new media project by Peruvian artist Angie Bonino. “THE SYMPHONY OF NOW,” consists of a video installation, and interactive sound installation focusing on the Andean techno de-colonial shamanism. Museum La Neomudejar from Madrid is bringing _DATA | ergo sum | RELOADED by artist Ana Marcos, an interactive art installation that visualizes the capability of viewing machines using artificial intelligence to extract data by a simple observation of visitors. Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) has joined with a special project curated by Fabian Goncálves, that will feature a compilation of material and an exhibition of the work of women artists who have played a central role in the development of new media practices throughout history and women and non-binary people whose forward-thinking practices are currently reshaping the field. The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center is bringing a special project curated by Chon Noriega titled Immersive Distancing by LA-based artists Carmen Argote and Zeynep Abes, which will examine recent media art produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continuing the Los Angeles presence, Now Art LA and Building Bridges Art Exchange have joined forces as local non-profit organizations to exhibit the work Agua by Luciana Abait, a video projection created as part of LUMINEX Project by Now Art LA. This work is inspired by the flood-myth motif that occurs in many cultures, in which water acts a healing and rebirth tool, often referencing ideas of creation, purification, and sustaining life.
This year’s diversification of mediums continues with Tiffany Trenda, a multidisciplinary performance artist, known for exploring the relationship of the female body to today’s ever-changing technologies. In partnership with DIVERSEartLA, Trenda is safely bringing live performance to the art fair. Through the use of QR codes, she is coordinating a unique viewing experience for attendees. Each person can use their own smartphone to participate in real-time via volumetric video recording, creating an interactive and compelling experience.
The LA Art Show is excited to broach new artistic waters, welcoming back old friends and joining new ones for the first time. With the draw of a long-awaited in-person event, in conjunction with the groundbreaking new technology, tickets for this event are likely to sell quickly. Please visit the official website to learn more, tickets can be purchased here.
About SuperRare
Founded in 2017, SuperRare is a pioneering online, peer-to-peer marketplace for premium, single edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs), most notably CryptoArt, built on the Ethereum blockchain. Created with the goal of reinventing art collecting for the digital age, SuperRare has facilitated artists and collectors around the world to sell and purchase more than $71M worth of art in the last year alone. On the heels of a successful first round of funding in 2021, SuperRare continues to work with key art curation and auction partners across the globe.
About the LA Art Show
The LA Art Show creates one of the largest international art fairs in the United States, providing an exciting, immersive, insider art experience to sponsors, their select guests and VIP clients. The show attracts an elite roster of national and international galleries, acclaimed artists, highly regarded curators, architects, design professionals, along with discerning collectors. This innovative, exceptional cultural environment attracts executives and board members of Southern California businesses, state, county, and municipal government representatives, as well as leaders of the region’s cultural institutions. Attendees are trendsetters, influencers, and alpha consumers, who seek and demand the newest and the best in all areas of their lives—art, design, food, technology and travel being specific passion points.
