This past week Art Basel was back in person in Miami taking the fine art and tech world by storm. One of the most interesting moments coming out of the show was from local Miami-based artist, Kolodny. He became the first artist to show at every major gallery at Art Basel simultaneously.
If your first thought was “how?” – you aren’t alone! Traditionally an artist is lucky to show at Art Basel at all. It can be a very exclusive process reserved for well known names or artists with deep pockets.
However, with the rising of web3 and NFTs, technology has shifted the game. Kolodny aims to give power to the artist community with the freedom of self-expression and agency using AR technology and NFTs. He embraces the web3 ethos – decentralize and democratize for the benefit of the whole community.
The freedom of web3 means there is no longer a need to wait for the institutions that every artist dreams of collaborating with to show an artist’s work. Similar to other trailblazers before him- Banksy, Shepherd Fairey, etc. – Kolodny became one of the first artists to bridge the physical and digital worlds together. His work aims to prove that NFTs and AR have a place in the real art world.
Using technology, Kolodny showcased his work at galleries including Gagosian, Lehmann Maupin, Perrotin, Marian Boesky, White Cube, Pace and Namad, to name a few. He even went so far as to share these videos on social media and thank the galleries for inviting him to show!
By using AR files, Kolodny hopes to take back the power from the institutions and what is traditionally a closed-door artist community and inspire a community of artists to embrace their power and create art for all to see.
Some of the work he showcased included: “Wealth” at White Cube, “Right Click Save” at Vertu Fine Art , “GM” a The Modern Institute, “Blah” at Skarsted, “OK Boomer” at Pace, “Seems Legit” at Nanzuka, “It’s Money Laundering” at Namad, “Gang Gang” at Marianne Boesk, “Don’t Let the Institutions Steal Your Jpegs” at Gagosian, “NFT” at Chiem and Read, “Degen” at Chase Contemporary “FUD” at Blum and Poe and more.
To see the NFTs on display, follow @kolodny_ where the videos are on display.
