A new gallery on the island connects the world of cryptocurrencies and the next generation of the internet to the world of fine art.
Oditto Gallery, which is in the Paramount Theatre building at 139 N. County Road, Suite 11, is one of the first fine art galleries to sell a nonfungible token (NFT) with each piece of physical art.
The metaverse’s first gallery
Artists like TRAN$PARENT, Paula Urzica, David Banegas, Ron Burkhardt, Toni Sanchez, Serge Strosberg, Paul Nagy, and Nita Patel are known all over the world and have work in the gallery. The “healing art” of Patel will be shown in February, then that of Gabe Weiss in March, Asli Ozok in April, and Toni Sanchez in May.
Celeste Jones, the owner and founder of Oditto Gallery, said, “These artists are well-known, and their work has value in and of itself.”
The first version of the gallery was in the metaverse, which is a digital universe where people can use virtual reality to interact with digital products and each other. Jones was an early adopter who helped artists get the most out of their digital art through her digital gallery.
Reasons why Jones accepts NFTs
The NFT that comes with every piece of art acts as a digital certificate of authenticity. Jones said that NFTs can’t be copied, hacked, or replaced because they are written down on the blockchain, a digital ledger.
“Buying the right NFTs right now is like buying land in New York City in the 1800s,” she noted. “There is a vast opportunity, and if the metaverse was something that was just a phase, then why would these major moguls be spending billions and billions of dollars in metaverse assets?”
She gave the examples of Gucci, Rolex, and Ferrari as luxury brands that offer NFTs when you buy a physical product from them. Some museums have started to buy NFTs or take them as donations, and Sotheby’s has set up a department to sell NFT art at auctions.
Jones said that this won’t go away, and I’m not going to change my mind about that.
You are not the only one who finds all of this confusing: Jones has been asked a lot of questions and heard a lot of doubts about how much these digital works of art are worth.
She told them, though, to think about Generation Alpha, which is made up of kids between the ages of 3 and 12.
“You look at the amount of screen time they have, and you see what they’re doing on their screens when they’re not at home, and they are playing digital games,” Jones added. “These are pay-to-play games. These are games that offer digital rewards, which give them monetization for status to own digital assets.”
She said that the digital way of thinking of Generation Alpha gives them the power to shape the future of the Internet.
Jones said that even though digital might be the way of the future, it doesn’t mean that physical won’t be used anymore. She said, “In the not-too-distant future, every art gallery will sell the digital NFT along with the physical art.”
She also said that important documents like marriage licenses and real estate deeds are increasingly being put on the blockchain. Jones said, “This is a much better way to get business done.”
Jones, a professional interior designer, got into the art world by offering her clients custom-made pieces to go with the rooms she designed for them.
She says that one way to use the digital art that comes with the book is to show it off in a second home or on a yacht, or to give it as a gift. The NFTs may come with a token frame that is made to fit the piece and shows the digital art to which it is connected.
Jones started a YouTube channel called Celeste Jones NFTs. She also holds workshops and networking events to help people understand how the internet, metaverse, blockchain, and NFTs are changing.
The Oditto Gallery’s timetable
The Oditto Gallery is open for private viewings from 4 to 5 p.m. You can book Fridays and Saturdays by sending an email to [email protected]. Jones also has art, wine, and fashion events in the Paramount’s gallery and courtyard every Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. She holds a Cryptovision networking event every first Thursday of the month from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Jones calls the things she does to help people understand Web3, the next generation of the internet that will be powered by blockchain, “onboarding.”
“You can try it out,” she told him. “You’re not going to get bitten.”
Even though the ideas are hard to understand, she finds hope in the openness of both artists and collectors. Jones said, “We’re slowly getting everyone used to the Web3 way of thinking.”
