Nfts
AKNEYE by ftNFT in Venice during the 2024 Venice Biennale, fusion of sculpture and NFT innovation
AKNEYE, a visionary in the fusion of traditional art and digital innovation, is pleased to announce its presence in Venice during the highly anticipated 60th Venice Biennale, where it will unveil the AKNEYE Phygital Space by ftNFT. This installation, located next to the Arsenale on Ramo de la Tana, features a selection from AKNEYE’s ever-growing collection of non-fungible token (NFT) artworks that bridge the gap between physical art and digital.
AKNEYE aims to harmonize the tangible aspects of traditional sculpture with the virtual dimensions of NFTs by creating a new platform for artistic exploration and collaboration. Artists from Armenia and around the world have created original works of art on wooden or resin eye-shaped sculptures. These shapes serve as a raw canvas on which artists, usually employing traditional methods such as painting or mixed media, make their creations.
AKNEYE
These sculptures are then painstakingly scanned and digitally rendered, essentially creating a digital twin of the physical version. This virtual proxy is then displayed as an NFT artwork in AKNEYE’s digital gallery hosted on Fastexverse, a browsable 3D metaverse platform that allows users to participate in events, trade, and interact with other users in an immersive digital environment.
In Venice, the AKNEYE Phygital Space installation closes the loop between material and digital art by creating a real-world environment for viewers to interact with art. The Venice location, established in partnership with Fastex’s NFT marketplace ftNFT, joins a growing list of ftNFT phygital spaces in Dubai and Yerevan, Armenia, which also serve as outlets to purchase art.
AKNEYE
“The Phygital Space is not just any digital space; it is a vision of the future of art, where boundaries are blurred and new connections are formed between the artist, the observer and the medium,” explains Vigen Badalyan, founder of AKNEYE.
The exhibition, curated by Anastasia Dawson, features digital representations of the AKNEYE sculptures on LED screens alongside their tactile counterparts, symbolizing the fusion of conventional artistic methodologies and contemporary technological advances. Throughout the Biennale, visitors will have the opportunity to observe Armenian and international artists creating physical works of art on site, which will then be transformed into NFTs.
AKNEYE
“AKNEYE by ftNFT is a testament to the power of collaboration across cultures and disciplines,” notes Dawson. “It embodies our mission to innovate in the art world while respecting traditional idioms.”
By designing a medium that both embraces and transcends physical space, AKNEYE has created a vehicle for artists from diverse backgrounds to create experiences that engage, educate, inspire and share with international audiences. The featured artists of the AKNEYE Phygital Space are:
● Raffi Yedalian
● Elene Metreveli
● Sarko Menée
● Natalia Gudovitch
● Stéphanie Sanossian
● Mako Lomadze
● Anahit Margaryan
● Roman Reznitsky
● Alpha Odh
● Satenik Ghulijanyan
● Larry Amponsah
● Lusine Ginosyan
●Anna Chekh
● Ashot Yan
● Miroslava Romanova
● Ellen Demirian
● Lokher
● Edmon Harikyan
● Gareggin Harutyunyan
● Rafayel Nersesian
AKNEYE
Visitors to the Venice Biennale are invited to the AKNEYE phygital space to engage in a new realm of creativity and, in doing so, engage with a community of artists spanning the boundaries of cultural divide and artistic medium . For more information, visit AKNEYE website and follow AKNEYE on Instagram.
ftNFT phygital space
Ramo de la Tana, 2124a, Venice, Italy
April 20-Sept. 30 (11 a.m.-8 p.m.)
From October 1 to November 24 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)