Storied auction house Sotheby’s is now hosting its exclusive Natively Digital: Oddly Satisfying NFT (non-fungible token) auction, running from March 17-24. The auction is expected to be both physical and digital, simultaneously taking place in physical spaces during the Paris Blockchain Week and the Metaverse.
The art forms featured in the auction are inspired by oddly satisfying web videos that are currently making waves across social media platforms. This includes mesmerizing animations and surreal video loops that depict unique and captivating looping sequences. The event will be the first of its kind for Sotheby’s in Paris, and it will feature a total of 66 NFT pieces.
The star attraction of the auction is expected to be one of the most popular NFT artists in the world, Mike “Beeple” Winkelman. Two years ago, he made NFT history by selling one of his digital pieces for a staggering $69.3 million at Christie’s in New York City.
Apart from Beeple, Natively Digital: Oddly Satisfying will also feature works from other popular NFT artists, including Petio, ARC, Lucas Zanotto, Clement Morin, Ryan Talbot, and more. Each artist holds unique and captivating artwork that combines traditional artistic techniques with modern digital technology.
Interestingly, this auction isn’t just a physical one; the event organizers will also create a virtual world for attendees. The virtual world was created using RLTY World, a private Metaverse platform that serves many Web3 brands and communities to develop their digital universes.
Sotheby’s follows up the Oddly Satisfying auction with another event named Natively Digital: Glitch-ism, which will also feature various NFT artworks inspired by the glitch art movement. Sotheby’s describes these glitch art pieces as an “intentional creation of errors and glitches in digital media, such as images, videos, and sound art that often highlight the complicated relationship between humanity and technology.”
The Glitch-ism sale is slated to run from March 24-31 in New York City and will feature Loading New Conflict… Redux 6, one of the Ethereum NFT pieces created in 2018.
Sotheby’s has always been synonymous with excellence in artwork, including other rare collections such as vintage wines, antique furniture, and rare books. Now, they are also venturing into the NFT market, taking their place in the digital world with a bang.
The NFT market has skyrocketed over the past few years, with many significant sales recorded. The concept of digital art has been around for a while, but the ownership aspect was always relatively obscure. That is where NFTs came in handy, with creators now proffering ownership to purchasers via the blockchain.
Sotheby’s sees this new emerging and cutting-edge art form as both an opportunity and a challenge, showcasing modern digital art in the same manner they have with other traditional artworks at their auctions.
In summary, Sotheby’s has opened the doors to NFT art in a grand fashion, as they explore this emerging industry and help bring NFTs to more traditional art enthusiasts. The Natively Digital: Oddly Satisfying auction is a promising step forward for both Sotheby’s and the NFT industry at large.
