A new gallery on the island is bringing fine art to the next phase of the world of cryptocurrencies and the internet.
Oditto Gallery, 139 N. County Road, Suite 11, in the Paramount Theater building, is one of the first art galleries in the world to offer Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).
Artists featured in the gallery include world-renowned names such as TRAN$PARENT, Paula Urzica, David Banegas, Ron Burkhardt, Toni Sanchez, Serge Strosberg, Paul Nagy, Nita Patel and more. Exhibitions will include Patel’s “Healing Art” work in February, Gabe His Weiss in March, Asuriozok in April, and Toni Sanchez in May.
“These artists are well-established and have intrinsic value in their work,” said Celeste Jones, founder and owner of Odit Galleries.
The first iteration of the gallery existed in the Metaverse, a digital universe where users interact with digital products and other users through virtual reality. Jones was an early adopter of her, using her digital gallery her space to help artists harness the value of digital artwork.
The NFT provided with each physical work of art acts as a kind of digital certificate of authenticity. According to Jones, NFTs cannot be copied, hacked, or replaced and are registered on a digital ledger called a blockchain.
“Buying the right NFT today is like buying land in New York City in the 1800s,” she said. “There’s a huge opportunity. If the Metaverse was just a phase, why are these moguls spending billions on Metaverse assets?”
She cited luxury brands Gucci, Rolex and Ferrari as examples of companies offering NFTs for physical product purchases. Some museums have started buying or accepting donations of her NFTs, and internationally renowned auction house Sotheby’s has launched her NFT art auction division.
“This is not going away. I will stand by it,” Jones said.
If all this sounds complicated, you’re not alone. Jones has heard many questions and doubts about the value of these digital works of art.
But think of her as an up-and-coming Generation Alpha, currently about 3 to 12 years old.
“The amount of time they spend on their screens tells us what they are doing on their screens and playing digital games when they are not at home,” says Jones. “These are paid games. These are games that offer digital rewards and offer monetization of the status of owning digital assets.”
With this kind of digital mindset, Generation Alpha is poised to shape the future of the Internet, she said.
And while digital may be the future, that doesn’t mean physical things will become obsolete. The time will come,” she said.
She also sees a trend for important documents such as marriage licenses and real estate deeds to be registered on the blockchain. increase.
With a career in interior design, Jones found his way into the art world by providing custom designed pieces to fit the spaces he created for his clients.
One of her suggestions for using the digital artwork that comes with the physical piece is to hang it in a second home, yacht, or give it as a gift. NFTs come with a so-called token frame that is built to the work’s specifications and displays the digital artwork it connects to.
To help people understand the evolving Internet, Metaverse, Blockchain and NFTs, Jones has launched a YouTube channel titled Celeste Jones NFTs and hosts workshops and networking events.
For private viewings of the Oditto gallery, please email info@oditto.io on Fridays and Saturdays from 4-5pm. Jones also hosts art, wine and fashion events every Friday from 5pm to 7pm in the Gallery and Paramount courtyard. From 5pm to 6:30pm on the first Thursday of every month, she hosts a Cryptovision networking event.
Jones considers her job “onboarding” to help people understand Web3, the next phase of the blockchain-powered internet.
“You can get your feet wet,” she said. “You are not going to be bitten.”
The concept may be difficult, but she finds hope in the openness of both artists and collectors. Mr Jones said:
