“We are focused on the strengths and opportunities for change that NFTs (nonfungible tokens) represent,” says Alcinda Saphira, president of the forward-thinking metaverse company and its bricks and mortar art gallery, located in midtown Manhattan. “This is truly one of the most exciting times in the history of art. We are very happy to work with i+s.”
Louis Ventura, the company’s CEO adds, “This is the biggest transformation in visual storytelling since the first cave paintings, or since pigments were mixed oils. Art may be the last element selected when designing public spaces. But, often, it’s the takeaway. It’s what people remember when they get home.”
Trend forecaster and design entrepreneur Stacy Garcia chose Saphira and Ventura to anchor the NFT lounge and to utilize pieces from their collection that will be featured throughout the showroom to help illustrate five key trends her design studio identified as influencing design in 2023. A conversation with the two principals of the namesake company makes it clear why they are the go-to choice to help architects and designers realize the immense and inevitable change and potential that NFTs represent.
Most current attention is focused on NFTs as part of the blockchain casino that began with Bitcoin and other virtual monetary tokens. NFT movements like Bored Ape Yacht Club or CryptoPunks are driven by youthful enthusiasm more than aesthetics. Cartoon-y vignettes may have opened a virtual door to 19-year-olds who fancy themselves as artists; but the creations are suitable as gifs and memes or to hang on the walls of virtual houses in the metaverse. They have little, if anything, to do with fine art.
“The real potential of NFTs for art is only beginning to be explored,” says Louis Ventura. “Non fungible tokens are coded digits stored on the block chain. Basically, that means they cannot be changed. Artworks can be tracked and traced and forgery – such as we see with a lot of high end contemporary two-dimensional paintings – is being eliminated. However, what can and will change is the way in which NFT artworks are presented. Immersive art experiences and holographic displays are part of this trend. We may wonder what Van Gogh would have thought about crowds of people being able to walk through his art. But the real question is what are the possibilities when truly talented fine artists are also digital natives? That’s what Saphira and Ventura is dedicated to exploring with our amazing roster of contemporary artists.”
Alcinda Saphira adds, “We are where technology meets beauty in public and commercial spaces. That’s what we will help designers to understand when they visit us in the NFT lounge in the i+s showroom. We recognize our responsibility to present NeoCon attendees with art and opportunities to lead the way in this exciting present and into an amazing future.”
For further information, visit https://saphiraventura.com/ or contact:
Saphira and Ventura
4 West 43rd Street, Suite 416, NY, NY
646-922-7052
[email protected]
