Surfing NFT

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.

LE OPERE

Galleria Franco Noero, Torino

Darren Bader (b. 1978, Bridgeport, CT, USA), lives and works in New York. Bader’s art touches on a broad range of themes – from the ontological status of the art object to the cultural influence of the internet, from the history of the readymade to the role of language in Conceptual art, from global consumer capitalism to the 21st-century art market, from the divine to the abject. His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in international public and private institutions, including: Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2020); Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2018); Museo Madre, Napoli (2017); Palais de Tokyo, Parigi (2013); MoMA PS1, New York (2012), to name a few.

König Galerie, Berlin

Claudia Comte (b. 1983, Grancy, Switzeland) studied at the École cantonale d’art de Lausanne, ECAL (2004-2007) followed by a Masters of Art in Science of Education at Haute école pédagogique, Visual Arts, Lausanne (2008- 2010). Her body of work is best known for her site-specific installations. The artist’s practice is guided by a distinct rule-measurement system of her own creation, wherein each artwork specifically relates to one another. Comte's minimalist approach to art making is equal parts methodical and dynamic; works are infused with a distinct sense of playfulness. Her artistic output incorporates a diverse range of mediums from sculpture, to painting, to various multimedia installations. Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in international public and private institutions.

Galleria Clima, Milano

Matteo Nasini (b. 1976, Roma), after graduating from the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Roma, was a member of the Luigi Cherubini orchestra directed by Riccardo Muti, from 2003 to 2008. During this period he collaborated with various conductors, such as Kurt Masur, Yuri Temirkanov, Rudolf Barshai and Krzysztof Penderecki. Over the last decade, the results of Matteo Nasini’s research have been shown on various occasions, in public and private institutions. His most important exhibitions and initiatives include the project Sparkling Matter (winning the Talent Prize 2016), the exhibition Intuition at Palazzo Fortuny, during the 57th Venice Art Biennale (2017), the solo show, Neolithic Sunshine (2018).

Dvir Gallery, Brussels and Tel Aviv

Sarah Ortmeyer (b. 1980, Frankfurt) is a graduate of Städelschule, Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Frankfurt. Selected exhibitions include: Kunstverein München, Munich; Belvedere2, Vienna; Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; MAK Center, Los Angeles; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; Wittgenstein House, Vienna; Stedelijk Museum Bureau, Amsterdam; Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt; MoMA PS1, New York; Tel Aviv Museum, Tel Aviv, Monnaie de Paris, Paris, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin and Swiss Institute, New York. Her work has been featured in Artforum, Frieze Magazine, Kunstforum International, The New York Times, and The New Yorker, among others.

Galleria VEDA, Firenze

Damon Zucconi (b. 1985, Bethpage, NY) lives and works in New York. Zucconi works with custom software and scripts to create works which are typically accessible online. Lists, numeric sequences, simulations, words, calendars, books, images, and websites become materials. Forms are broken down and put back together in incorrect orders or with subtle modifications. By doing so, he shifts the emphasis to the processes used to create meaning, rather than the content of what a form might mean in and of itself. Recents solo exhibitions include: Lithromantic at VEDA, Florence (2020), Imagine a World Without You at JTT, New York (2019).

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Artissima is Italy’s most important contemporary art fair. Since its establishment in 1994, it has combined the presence of an international market with a focus on experimentation and research.