NFT Paris might be the best crypto art conference we’ve ever attended.
From February 24th to the 26th, we had the opportunity to meet so many artists, collectors, technologists, and others of the 18,000 who were in attendance over three days (including The First Lady, the Minister of Culture, the Minister of Technology, and representatives from the Louvre); there were innumerable exhibitions, installations, workshops, and parties; and even just managing the many events we were managing was enough of a handful, even as we tried to squeeze in more.
It would be impossible to cover everything, so we’re going to stick to the highlights today in the hopes that we’ll see you at the next event and you can give us the recap!
The MakersPlace Booth
Our headquarters for the weekend of NFT Paris was the art-drenched living room we all dream of, with hand-carved marble sculptures and neo-classical digital art from Leo Caillard, the kinetic GIFs and real-life toys of Javier Arres, and a top-tier display of photography curated by Whaleshark.
Decked out with plants, couches, and top-of-the-line digital frames from Whim Screens, the MakersPlace territory set the stage for connecting with so many great artists, many of whom we’ve worked closely with without ever meeting in person, including crypto OGs Reinhard Schmid, Ekaterina (Eka) Lestienne, and Jenni Pasanen.
Having this space where people could duck out of foot traffic and take a breath with great art and warm welcomes went a long way to connect people with the MakersPlace ethos that prioritizes art and relationships equally and above all else.
See Whaleshark’s Photography Curation here.
WX3w: Women & Non-binary in Web3
On Friday morning, we kicked off the conference with one of the most in-demand off-site parties of the entire event, the Women & Non-binary in Web3 exhibition at NFT Factory, co-organized by MakersPlace, The Fabricant, World of Women, and Eyes of Fashion NFT. The event took over the NFT Factory and featured a 52-screen exhibition for the first women and non-binary activation in Paris.
The event teed up the next day’s workshop, where the four communities involved shared the process behind creating the event, the experience of being in web3, and tips for co-curators. After 200+ submissions, 50 winners, and 13 specially chosen IRL exhibit participants, it was fascinating to hear others’ curation processes and philosophies.
After the above-mentioned events, so many women and non-binary creators stopped by our booth to connect. Despite the size and scope of NFT Paris, WX3w was one of the few women-oriented events.
Check out the full curation set from the Wx3w Accelerator program.
The Passage of Ra by A.A. Murakami
Using fog machines to shoot smoke rings into a digital screen, where the rings “passed through” to live in the metaverse, The Passage of Ra installation by interactive artist duo A.A. Murakami was the highlight of the entire weekend. The installation captured images of the smoke rings as they passed into the metaverse, turning ephemeral matter into permanent art on the blockchain.
Not only were the fog rings shooting across the installation, but a few cannons were arranged to shoot rings over the installation, like an art world bat signal.
As adults stood by, rapt by the meditative hithering and thithering of these floating rings, children galloped through the installation, slapping and manipulating the ephemeral shapes in mid-flight — which is exactly what the artists intended. Attendees were able to buy open-edition artwork captured during the installation, and more than 300 sold in less than three days!
Holders of the open editions will be given access to a special presale for the culmination of the project on March 21, when A.A. Murakami will sell 1/1 artwork from The Passage of Ra.
See the open edition and/or sign up for updates related to the Passage of Ra Drop.
We want to give a huge thank you to everyone who came out and connected with us during NFT Paris, and thank you to everyone who was with us in spirit if not in body. We can’t wait to connect at future IRL events!