Decentraland is organizing the third annual Metaverse Art Week 2022, “The World is Made of Code.” The event just started and will take place through August 28th. This year organizers are surprising the community with world-known names in their line-up.
Focus on the Boundaries of Digital and Real Worlds
Running from August 24 to 28, Metaverse Art Week 2022 is aiming to show how contemporary art holds a place in the extended realities of the web-based world. The event was inspired by the world-renowned annual cultural and art exhibitions, like Miami’s Art Basel and Venice Biennale.
Curators of the event this year are focusing on pushing the boundaries of programmatic art and redefining what an immersive experience is. One of the goals is to show the dualities between human nature and the evolving infrastructure of the metaverse.
This year’s program consists of Web3 experiences, art installations, live performances, NFT exhibitions, art productions, panel speakers, and immersive activities throughout dedicated spaces inside Decentraland.
“We believe that the future of the internet should be built by decentralized communities who do not seek to profit off of user data, imagination, and creativity. This year’s Art Week is a love letter to what the next generation of artists are doing in the metaverse,” said Sam Hamilton, Creative Director of the Decentraland Foundation.
World-Renowned Names in the Line-up
The Art Week’s lineup is full of world-known artists. Frida Kahlo’s family in collaboration with Ezel.Life is presenting the Frida Kahlo Family Red House. The project aims to create an immersive experience showcasing the first half of Frida’s life.
“We are thrilled to partner with Decentraland to bring Frida Kahlo’s family home, The Red House, into the metaverse. This experience will uncover many untold stories and memories about Frida Kahlo’s challenges and triumphs that add depth to her exceptional life as an artist.
The Red House is the first of many exciting projects Ezel.Life will deliver to digital audiences globally, including immersive experiences at UNESCO World Heritage sites Teotihuacán and Chichén Itzá,” said Pedro Quinzanos, co-founder and CEO of Ezel.Life. Sotheby’s, the world’s largest marketplace for art and luxury, will display its permanent collection throughout Art Week. Also, the company is introducing multiple new art collaborations, including the first jewelry sculpture in the metaverse with Metagolden.
Online art market Artnet is inviting performance artists, poets, and artificial intelligence and hosting the interactions inside Decentraland.
The biggest NFT marketplaces like Rarible, OpenSea, and SuperRare are also participating in the Metaverse Art Week by presenting new web-based art projects.
“The World is Made of Code” concept for this year has been brought to life by curator David Cash through 3D sculptures and videos created by prominent artists including Lady Gaga’s creative director Nicola Formichetti, iconic photographer Nick Knight, and Krista Kim, among others.
In association with House of Tang, renowned international pop artist Burton Morris installed Pop!Wall, a 3D interactive art wall that looks like Morris’s well-known popcorn kernel artwork. The graphic picture of the kernel, which stands for “the seed of a new idea,” perfectly captures the exploding creativity and invention that flow from Web3’s co-creative culture.
The “Cash Labs Gallery” will exhibit pieces from emerging artists Damien Hirst, Justin Aversano, IX Shells, and Krista Kim together with its new permanent mixed-media collection across four levels of various exhibitions.
Attention to Social Projects
Apart from art installation, the organizers are giving attention to the community and social projects. One such project is The Ukrainian Meta History – Museum of War. The museum is on display at the Crypto Valley NFT Gallery.
The largest philanthropic NFT initiative in Ukraine is called Meta History. Its major goal is to record the truth about what happened in Ukraine using artistic language so that it would be permanently recorded on the blockchain.
Launched in 2020, Decentraland is a virtual social world powered by the Ethereum blockchain and the first decentralized metaverse. Within the Decentraland platform, users can create, experience, and monetize content and applications as well as socialize and attend a wide range of daily community-driven events.