Launched at the last edition of the fair, the Surfing NFT project is the result of dialogue between Artissima and Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT, in collaboration with the technical partners Artshell and Studio legale LCA. The aim of the initiative is to reflect on the relationship of art, technology and innovation, inviting 5 contemporary artists to experiment with the production of digital artworks registered as NFT blockchain tokens.
Three are the innovative strengths of Surfing NFT: it has been developed in a specialized context, in which the focus is on the quality of the work and not on its exchange value; it involves the galleries, highlighting their mediating role; it pays particular attention to the theme of eco-sustainability, through a platform, developed by Artshell, which selects a sustainable blockchain model in terms of energy saving.
At Artissima 2021, a jury composed of Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Daniel Birnbaum selected 5 artists to participate: Darren Bader – Galleria Franco Noero, Torino / Claudia Comte – König Galerie, Berlin / Matteo Nasini – Galleria Clima, Milano / Sarah Ortmeyer – Dvir Gallery, Brussels and Tel Aviv / Damon Zucconi – Galleria VEDA, Firenze.
The artists presented their NFT artworks on the project platform developed for the occasion by Artshell. From their ranks, on 9 March 2022 the winner of the OGR Award has been announced, with a work that becomes part of the collection of Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT, on loan to OGR Torino. The winning NFT is Counting Frame (2022) by Damon Zucconi. The jury also assigned an honourable mention to Matteo Nasini.