ARTISSIMA 2021

Beyond Production – a new collaboration between Artissima and Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT, presents Surfing NFT, an innovative project in partnership with Artshell and LCA Studio Legale, investigating one of the most discussed phenomenon of the contemporary debate: the NFTs.

Artissima and Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT announce Beyond Production – a conceptual platform capable of stimulating and fostering reflections on the most innovative trends of contemporary art – and in 2021 launch the new project Surfing NFT  in synergy with the OGR Award and in collaboration with professionals of the digital and legal sector, Artshell e LCA.

«For 20 years Fondazione Arte CRT has put modern and contemporary art at the centre of its mission, making a direct commitment to promote experimental languages and creativity, to have a real impact on the world of art with important repercussions for the society and the market», says Anna Ferrino, President of Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT. Who adds: «Surfing NFT is the new challenge conceived by Artissima, which the Foundation intends to support, in order to investigate how digital technology can influence every sphere of contemporary life on a worldwide level, including the activity of artists».

 Surfing NFT sets out to offer a new perspective on the contemporary understanding of NFTs and their relationship with contemporary art, its value chain and the market.

Concentrating on the complex and sophisticated relationship between art, technology and innovation, the project Surfing NFT invites the contemporary artists presented by the galleries of Artissima to experiment the production of a work using NFTs (“Non Fungible Token”) and the blockchain technology in a specialized context, where the focus is on the quality of the work, not just its value as property.

Underlining the fundamental role of curating in the production of the work, the selection of the artists and the accompaniment to sale, Surfing NFT  actively involves art galleries, viewing them as an indispensable mediators through which to work with the protagonists of contemporary artistic experimentation.

Thanks to the support of Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT, Artissima will offer 5 artists (selected by an international curatorial board through a call) and their respective galleries the possibility of producing a digital work registered with NFT, uploading it to the blockchain and visualizing it on a dedicated project platform specifically created by Artshell, but without the obligation to sell it with the traditional process of trade in crypto-currencies.

The 5 chosen artists will receive a  budget of 8000 euros each, made available by Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT. The works will be presented on the dedicated platform in February 2022, on the occasion of an event held at OGR Torino, one of the most dynamic centres of cultural experimentation and production on a European level. Among the 5 works, one will be selected as the winner of the OGR Award and will be acquired by Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT for its collection.

Surfing NFT stems from collaboration with extremely credible and expert realities in their sectors: configured thanks Artissima’s interaction with Artshell and LCA Studio Legale, the project is supported by a foundation whose specific mission is to nurture contemporary art, a universe in constant evolution which Fondazione Arte CRT intends to sustain through an innovative and ambitious curatorial project.

Surfing NFT embodies the key identifying characteristics of both Artissima and Fondazione Arte CRT, from scientific research on experimental approaches to be supported and encouraged, to the importance of the concept of collecting, an indispensable tool to photograph the evolution of the art world, crystallizing it in time.

For Surfing NFT Artshell will create a dedicated and customized platform concept for the promotion and sale of digital artworks. The authenticity of the works is guaranteed via NFT, with the objective of investigating and supporting the market’s perspective on the production of this type of work.

Given the art world’s great sensitivity to the themes of ecology, Artshell will select a technology to implement Surfing NFT with new sustainable models in terms of energy consumption and reduction of environmental impact.

In order to ensure the correct handling and sale of the works and to guarantee maximum protection of the artists and the collectors who acquire the works, the law firm LCA besides authenticating works according to the rules of the analog art market, will also develop specific contracts to safeguard the various rights of usage, display and distribution of works.

NFT
The term NFT (“Non Fungible Token”) indicates a digital crypto asset that is “not fungible”, meaning it is unique and not interchangeable, as opposed – for example – to Bitcoins, which are fungible and therefore interchangeable.

NFTs bridge one of the critical gaps of digital art, a field that has been forced to come to terms with potential mass reproduction and unauthorized distribution through the Internet. This is because they provide proof of authenticity and ownership of the work, even when it is duplicated for purposes of communication. The tokens exist and can be accessed on the “blockchain” – which we can think about as a large register of digital data – using the same technology that is the foundation of crypto-currencies. Unlike the latter, however, NFTs are unique and thus not interchangeable.

NFTs are also indivisible, unlike crypto-currencies which can be split into fractions. This means that the ownership of an NFT can be traced to one person only. The encrypted code of each NFT contains that data on its owner and the sale that took place to obtain that ownership. Every NFT is indestructible: the blockchain technology and the “smart contracts” issued when an NFT is registered cannot be duplicated or destroyed. This protection is of fundamental importance for a digital work, which thanks to this environment approaches the conception of the physical work and encourages contemporary artists to engage in this practice with greater security than was the case ten years ago, using new technologies, engaging with new audiences and investigating new forms of encounter with art through the digital devices with which we live in symbiosis.

Artissima // Artissima is Italy’s leading fair of contemporary art. Since its founding in 1994, it has combined presence on the international market with a vivid focus on experimentation and research.

The fair is managed by Artissima srl, a company affiliated with Fondazione Torino Musei. The Artissima trademark belongs to Regione Piemonte, Città Metropolitana di Torino and Città di Torino. The 28th edition of Artissima is produced with the support of the three trademark holders, in collaboration with Fondazione CRT, Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo and Camera di commercio di Torino.

Artshell // Artshell, in collaboration with Mr.Lawrence a Milan-based contemporary design consultancy studio, have worked together on the Surfing NFT project, with the aim of create a better engagements strategy on Art and Design digital projects.

Artshell, designed and developed entirely in Italy born from the need to digitize and optimize all the processes of the art industry, from cataloguing to assessment, from handling to insurance. A smart database. A network of integrated services. A new communication model that simplifies contacts between galleries, collectors and artists. Artshell, the ultimate platform for the complete management of art collections designed to merge all the features of a professional archive in a single digital environment and allow an effective work sharing.

LCA Studio Legale  // LCA is an independent law firm with renowned international experience and specializes in corporate legal and tax assistance. Its offices are in Milan, Genoa, Treviso and Dubai. LCA offers a complete legal advisory service, principally concentrated on Italian and foreign companies, institutions and financial entities in the fields of commercial, corporate, administrative, finance, tax, criminal and real estate law, corporate crises, labour, transportation and intellectual property law, and in the protection of family assets. The Firm pursues innovation towards art, science and technology as an institutional goal. It has therefore always fostered the passion and the deep knowledge of the art market of some of its professionals, thus creating a specific practice dedicated to art law and related tax matters. LCA is today able to assist all the principal players of the art system and promotes art outside traditional circuits through the project “Law is Art!”.

For further information on the Fair please visit www.artissima.art