“Art will remain the most astonishing activity of mankind born out of the struggle between wisdom and madness, between dream and reality in our mind,” says Magdalena Abakanowicz, the great Polish sculptor and fibre artist.
There is something in humankind’s soul; out of this flesh and blood. Something is trying to reveal itself in every single chance. For everything we could not speak of, we could not express no matter how much we try, there is art! When you are limited with words and can not tell how you feel, your bridge can be canvases, steel, notes, cameras, paints, walls, marbles, bronze, and sometimes a porcelain urinal. Yes! Have you ever heard of the Fountain? When Marcel Duchamp picked a readymade sculpture, consisting of a porcelain urinal to place in the inaugural exhibition to be staged at The Grand Central Palace in 1917, he would change the destiny of modern art forever. The fingerprints of Modernism and Post-Truth touched the white dress of Art. The dilemma of definitions would cause various discussions since then.
Is a Rembrandt painting art? A fresh banana affixed to a wall with duct tape? A Picasso sculpture? Or the Balloon Dogs of Jeff Koons? A performance of Marina Abramović? What is art actually?
Footsteps of NFTs
The word “Art” has passed through a myriad of changes over the years, yet, our maverick salute to existence has never fainted away. Whether the material was natural mineral pigments shaped as chalks to be used by grandmasters such as Da Vinci, beeswax as in Ancient Egypt or oil painting of Vincent Van Gogh, the endless passion for creating something has never faded away for decades. With the penetration of the mighty Internet, artists embrace digital art, providing opportunities for pixels, codes and digitalisation. However, this time, a video, a meme, a logo, or a computer game take the role of a canvas. Here is the exact point where NFT art was born.
What is NFT?
Briefly, NFTs (Non-Fungible-Tokens) are specific digital certificates representing ownership of unique non-interchangeable assets. As a part of Ethereum, they are secured not to modify the record of authenticity or copy/paste a new NFT. Although many people consider them like cryptocurrencies, NFTs are not fungible or divisible. To demonstrate, let’s take a known masterpiece like “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer. You can come across hundreds of its copies, yet, only one original painting is hanging on the Hague in Lahey. Buying an NFT makes you the only genuine holder rather than having a saved file or screenshot. Therefore, digital art NFT is a kind of authenticity certificate, whereas the piece itself can be replicated; however, the record of ownership is uploaded to a public ledger where others can look up the ownership certificate.
How to Buy an NFT
Although NFTs are brand new, art collectors and galleries are already urged to possess these unique artefacts. On the other hand, the concept does not leave room for a centralised art industry, which differs from an estate agency. The art clergies like trickster galleries, snob curators, and tinhorn art critics are not included in the game. NFTs are sold on online auctions in which everyone has full access to presented information about the piece and the artist. OpenSea, Rarible, Foundation, and SuperRare are the most demanded NFT marketplaces. You can explore NFTs on these spectacular platforms and buy your digital art as videos, memes, virtual worlds, sports memorabilia, trading cards, collectables, and photography.
Once you find your piece in an NFT marketplace, you must bid for the auction. If your bid is accepted, the facility will ask you to complete the rest, including the total value and a transaction fee. This amount will be debited from your registered crypto wallet. When the purchasing process is completed, you can view it in your wallet. You are the owner of it now! Congratulations!
Consequently, NFTs are neoteric approaches to art from various perspectives. Art is not in the hands of the upper class anymore. Transparency has become a real game-changer considering the traditional auctions running behind the complicated fairs, word of mouth and speculations. Moreover, the most significant part is that there is no limit to creativity. Therefore, you can be an artist. Any of us can be. Because NFTs are here as memorial trees triggering our imaginativeness and inner senses. Please see one of the exquisite projects of famous NFT artist Refik Anadol after reading this article. You will indeed comprehend what we mean as “limitless” afterwards.
Art is a unique feature that can change your perception after all. Thus, stay artistic! Stay with art!
