Kuwait’s First IRL NFT Art Exhibition: WAGMI

Curated by Dr Shurooq Amin

Observing the original Latin semantics of the word “art” as “skill” or “craft”, and by studying the radically evolving timelines of Art as we know it historically, one witnesses the vast interpretations across eras, from art created simply to preserve tradition (as in the Egyptian or Byzantine eras), to art for art’s sake and art for social change (as in the recent past).

Throughout the centuries, historians have had to preserve the evidence from the past, as fragmentary as it is, decide on how to categorize, research provenance and proof of authorship and ownership, and configure sensible narratives that are as ethical as possible with whatever researched knowledge they had. These carefully crafted narratives are imprecise at worst, and obscure at best. The artists’ authenticity, then, is nebulous.

Enter NFT technology: A radical innovative technology that provides the artist with a new medium for their art, whereby upon minting on the blockchain, the artwork’s authenticity, verification, and provenance, are all locked in permanently and transparently for all the world to see. When was the artwork created? Who created it? Who bought it first (on primary market) and when? Who bought it next (on Secondary Market) and when? It’s all on the Blockchain.

The Blockchain offers transparent Provenance for Art.

The Smart Contract offers Creative Autonomy to the Artist.

The Metaverse offers limitless Opportunity.

The Artwork’s history is preserved, and the Artist’s name is protected. And that is only one of the prevalent factors of NFT technology, and only one of the many advantages of Web3 for both the traditional and digital artist.