Connecting Art Exhibitions with NFT Technology

Art exhibitions are aggressively adopting NFT which is linked to blockchain technology. This is a solution for the art world which is constrained by the destruction of the certificate of authenticity of a work of art.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

A number of works of art in the Rekam Masa exhibition held by Artopologi at the National Museum, Jakarta, Friday (28/10/2022). This exhibition packs the concept of an art title that is integrated with the blockchain so that it can be owned by collectors in the form of NFT.

Art exhibitions are increasingly adopting non-fungible token (NFT) technology that is linked to the blockchain ecosystem. The adoption of NFT technology is intended for a variety of purposes, from digitizing certificates of authenticity to artworks themselves.

NFTs, which are actually a sign of ownership of digital objects and registered on the blockchain network, have recently become a hot topic of discussion. A number of art exhibitions have also displayed series of digital artwork in the form of NFTs. The NFT works usually attracts visitors who are fond of technological developments.

On Saturday (29/10/2022), Manaf (30) took his time to come to the National Museum in Jakarta. This information technology employee came for an exhibition titled Rekam Masa (Time Record), which integrates artwork with blockchain. The thing that interested him the most was how NFT and blockchain could be implemented in art.

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Manaf looked at the array of artworks there and scanned the quick response (QR) codes attached to each work. The QR code then lead to a link on the artopologi.com site, which shows the work and its nominal value in rupiah.

Apart from artopologi.com, Manaf also browsed the Artopology page at the OpenSea market place. There, he saw a number of works showcased at the exhibition presented in the format of a digital certificate of authenticity. For example, a painting titled Pesan dari Laut (Message from the Sea) by Catur Nugroho found by Manaf on the OpenSea page on the Polygon blockchain network, showed the certificate of authenticity, with the blockchain registered by Artopologi.

"I am curious. Incidentally, this morning I also attended a seminar on blockchain. All day I’ve wanted to know more about the application," said the man who lives in South Jakarta.

I believe this system will become a necessity in the future to answer various problems in the arts industry.

Manaf was one of several visitors who came to the Record Masa exhibition with an interest in blockchain and NFT. The exhibition runs from 28 October to 6 November.

Artopologi, the organizer of the Rekam Masa exhibition, acts as a platform for the physical art workshop that integrates with the blockchain. The integration means that every physical work sold on the artopologi.com site has an NFT in the form of a digital certificate of authenticity in the blockchain.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Kompas Daily Photojournalism, which is packaged under the title Mata Dasa Warsa, also participated in the Record Masa exhibition held by Artopologi at the National Museum, Jakarta, Friday (28/10/2022).

Authenticity

In the world of art, recording the authenticity of a piece is difficult. Over time, a certificate of authenticity, which is generally physical in paper form, can easily be damaged or lost thereby obscuring its validity.

This vulnerability raises big issues around the protection of rights in the art industry, both for the artists concerned and the protection of values ​​or assets for collectors. The presence of blockchain technology that is immutable (unchangeable), transparent and decentralized, is believed to be able to solve this problem.

CEO of Artopology Intan Wibisono believes that the history, the origin or data track record (provenance) of a work of art could be recorded and tracked properly in the blockchain network. “Blockchain technology can be a solution to many problems in the art world, from issues of authenticity to track records. The record of the artists or buyers is important because it will determine the value of a work,” he said, last weekend.

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On the other hand, the use of blockchain technology in the realm of art is also seen as necessary to be carried out in stages. The curator of the Artopology exhibition, Sudjud Dartanto, said that currently, not all artists understood, and were even open to the use of blockchain technology. There were also art activists who were worried about the impact of the new technology on the environment.

"Artists may disagree with this and choose to use organic methods. That is a choice. However, I believe this system will become a necessity in the future to answer various problems in the arts industry,” he said.

Stefany Zevanya, 31, an artist who also participated in the Rekam Masa exhibition, said that the distribution of artworks has become more transparent and accessible with blockchain. "Artists must also be able to adapt to this technology," said the artist from Bogor.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.