In Brief:
- The Russian State Hermitage Museum exhibits NFT artworks virtually.
- The “Invisible Aether” exhibition at the Hermitage is based on the metaverse.
- The selection of artists and works for The Ethereal Aether exhibition was made by curators Ozerkov and Anastasia Garnova.
The Russian State Hermitage Museum has debuted its first totally virtual exhibition of digital art, continuing its foray into the non-fungible tokens (NFTs) market.
The Hermitage is hosting a free exhibition called The Ethereal Aether of NFT artworks that exist entirely in virtual space called “celestial hermitage,” the museum’s digital avatar.
The Hermitage’s “Invisible Aether” exhibition is based on the metaverse concept, allowing visitors to create digital avatars and navigate the virtual site using PCs, smartphones, virtual reality glasses, and other devices. According to a senior curator of the project, the virtual site simulates the interiors of the local landmark Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange, although the actual display has nothing to do with trade.
Hermitage’s director of contemporary art, Dimitri Ozerkov said at a press conference, “the exhibition’s artworks are not for sale.” He added that Hermitage has “no financial interest” in hosting the free display and that the museum is working to determine the true value of NFTs.
He further added by saying, “we want to see what’s left of the NFT if you take away the money aspect.”
The curators of Hermitage’s Department of Contemporary Art Ozerkov and Anastasia Garnova chose the artists and works for the “Invisible Aether” exhibition.
Garnova said, “The selection principle is based on the artworks’ importance for understanding the essence of the NFT.”
There are a total of 37 pieces of artwork including Schrödinger’s Cat by CryptoKitties, a popular Ethereum-based blockchain game created by Canadian firm Dapper Labs. Darkzuu, a Saint Petersburg-based artist, is also on the list.
Snark.art, Masters digital, The Art Exchange, Rarible, SuperRare, KnownOrigin, ArtBlocks, Alterhen.art, and OpenSea are among the NFT platforms and prominent industry participants featured in the event. The exhibition is supported by a local cultural and social innovation foundation, The Aksenov Family Foundation.
For the “Invisible Aether,” Nadia Taiga, executive director and curator of the art production site Snark.art, is participating as an exhibition consultant. She said, “if a year ago we could just predict that museums would digitize their collections and create digital exhibitions in the metaverse, now, seeing the example of the Hermitage and this exhibition, we know that this is already reality.”
