With conferences, meet-ups and galleries closed or postponed due to the current coronavirus pandemic, event organisers up and down the country are looking beyond the crisis to make sure the show goes on, safely and successfully, in our new reality. One such event, CoinFestUK’s Crypto Art Gallery, brings together digital and physical artworks by independent creators within the cryptocurrency community.
July 11, 2020 by CoinFestUK
The event, taking place from October 23rd -25th 2020 at the Manchester Conference Centre, M1 3BB, will play host to upwards of 15 artists from across the globe and takes place alongside the 5th annual CoinFestUK. Both events are open to the public with interactive activities, workshops and even treasure hunts intended to demystify cryptocurrencies and introduce key concepts such as mining, Blockchain and decentralisation to a wider audience.
Having grown from a small gathering to one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency events, CoinFestUK and the Crypto Art Gallery are today highly popular forums for industry professionals, technical innovation, advocacy and global exhibitors to share knowledge, reflect and celebrate with like-minded peers.
2019’s event welcomed over 300 attendees and more than 40 influential speakers to debate and discuss topics such as the future of work, the mysteries of Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto and Blockchain art. Attendees were also able to use a Bitcoin ATM and take a look at the inner workings of a GPU mining operation as part of a live interactive demonstration.
The Crypto Art Gallery, now in its third year, is a free event intended to bring attention to the incredible breadth of artistry, diversity and expression within the crypto community. The event gives the artists maximum exposure, the chance to share their work with peers and the opportunity to represent the cryptocurrency community and its values.
Crypto Art Gallery has in the past played host to a number of popular crypto artists, including Berlin-based artists, Bitcoin clothing and accessories designers Satoshi Graphics, as well as London-based Valentina Picozzi, founder of the Satoshi Gallery. 2020’s confirmed exhibitors include artists from across Europe and North America, with mediums ranging from laser cut compositions to digital illustration, VR and screen-printing.
Confirmed names include Trevor Jones, an Edinburgh based artist who exhibited his ‘Crypto Disruption’ series at last year’s event.
“This event was not only a great opportunity to meet other artists in the space but also to introduce my work to a genuinely interested and engaged audience,” said Jones,
Vesa Kivinen, a crypto artist from London, praises the event’s commitment to creatives within the community:
“Having attended CoinFestUK 2019, I can wholeheartedly say they care about the artists in this space and selflessly promoted us on top of offering us space to exhibit with no strings attached. This kind of thing is rare, and much appreciated.”
Other exhibitors include Lee Holland, Tom Badley, Hodlr.Rocks, Carole Ann Danner, Alex Shell Art, Eppo Leemburg, Yonatvaks, Cypherpunk Now, Alotta Money, RYR, Stina Jones, Youl and Metageist, with more to be added to the roster over the coming months.
The announcement of this year’s Crypto Art Gallery comes at a significant time for art, culture and (of course) global economics, a view that is shared by exhibitor SlackerX.
“Artists find the most interesting and cutting-edge fringes of society and technology to live and produce work about”, he says. “It’s interesting to be a part [of the group] of artists in that spotlight.”
The impact of the pandemic on cryptocurrencies has yet to be revealed, with experts on both sides split on how the crisis will affect the community and wider society. But in the midst of a pandemic, crypto art reflects growing domestic concerns regarding the stability, security and inequality of our economy. It’s easy to see cryptocurrencies having greater appeal as scepticism around governments, money and privacy continue to be questioned by individuals and organisations.
Crypto art, like all cryptocurrency, offers an alternative way of navigating social and economic freedom. The artworks featured in the exhibition are not only crypto-themed but most will be paid for exclusively with Bitcoin or other currencies, with one exhibitor even offering a Blockchain Certificate of Authenticity to potential buyers.
This way of collecting art offers a decentralised form of ownership and destroys the traditional barriers to art ownership and investment, allowing everyone and anyone to curate their own collection.
The Crypto Art Gallery and CoinFestUK will return to Manchester from October 23rd – 25th 2020 and is set to be bigger than ever, with over 550 tickets reserved so far.