PRESS - 2021.10.08
SBI Art Auction proudly presents “NFT in the History of Contemporary Art” NFT Art Auction in Japan
On October 30, 2021, SBI Art Auction holds the very first NFT art auction sale in Japan. We welcome Hiroki Yamamoto as our guest curator for the sale, a distinguished cultural theorist who will explore the future possibilities that NFT artworks provide for contemporary art.
Since the sale of an NFT by Beeple for more than $69 million dollar at an art auction in March 2021, the attention of the contemporary art world has been focused on reports about bidding prices and new endeavors by leading artists.
NFT technology has made it possible to guarantee the uniqueness of digital data, such as video files. Along with the growing adoption of NFTs in the field of modern art, the infrastructure for buying, selling and storing NFTs online is constantly being advanced.
We regard these current trends as historical events. With the art auction as a stage, we will shine a spotlight on various artists of diverse genres and, together with guest curator and cultural theorist Hiroki Yamamoto, explore the meaning and impact of NFTs in the historical context of contemporary art.
The NFTs sold in this sale are minted on Startrail by Startbahn, Inc., who specializes in issuing and managing blockchain certificates for artworks.
■ NFT in the History of Contemporary Art: a Curated Sale by Hiroki Yamamoto
【DATE】October 30, 2021 (Saturday), from 13:00 | as a part of the SBI Art Auction’s “Modern and Contemporary Art Vol.47”
【VENUE】Hillside Forum (Hillside Terrace 1F, 18-8 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
【PREVIEW】Wednesday, October 27 (12:00-19:00) and Thursday, October 28 (11:00–19:00)
※ Auction will be conducted by an auctioneer present in the salesroom.
※Customers unable to attend the venue in person may also submit bids in advance via phone or in writing, or participate live via video feed (available via smartphone & computer). More details are available on the website below.
■ Special contents: https://www.sbiartauction.co.jp/sp/20211030/en/
※ Profiles of our contributors are provided at the end of this press release.
1. In Dialogue: Yuko Hasegawa and Hiroki Yamamoto on the Future of Art
2. Commentary: “What is NFT Art?” by Startbahn CEO Taihei Shii
■ List of artworks
※ For more information about the artworks please visit : https://www.sbiartauction.co.jp/sp/20211030/en
Profiles
Curator Hiroki Yamamoto
Hiroki Yamamoto was born in Chiba, Japan in 1986. He graduated in Social
Science at Hitotsubashi University in 2010 and received an MA in Fine Art from the Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London (UAL) in 2013. From 2013 to 2018, Yamamoto worked at UAL’s Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN) where he completed his PhD in 2018. He also served at TrAIN as a postgraduate research fellow. He was previously a research fellow at Asia Culture Center (ACC) in Gwangju, Korea, a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and an assistant professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. He is currently a lecturer at Kanazawa College of Art. His publications include The History of Contemporary Art: Euro-America, Japan, and Transnational (Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2019) and Media Culture in Transnational Asia: Convergence and Divergence (Rutgers University Press, 2020), Considering Racism (Kyōwakoku, 2021).
Special contributors
Yuko Hasegawa
Yuko Hasegawa is Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and Professor of Graduate School of Global Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts. She was Artistic Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. She completed a BA in Law from Kyoto University and an MFA in Art History from Tokyo University of the Arts. She has been honored with the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (2015), the Ordem de Rio Branco, Brazil (2017), and Japan Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan (2020). She has curated on numerous biennale in Istanbul (2001), Shanghai (2002), São Paulo (2010), Sharjah (2013), Moscow (2017), and Thailand (2021).
Taihei Shii
Taihei Shii was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1977 and spent his childhood in the US. In 2001, he graduated from Tama University. He also holds a Master of Science from University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies and has taught as an adjunct professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. In his work as an artist, Shii engages the theme “Art in the Internet Age”. He initially presented his idea for Startbahn at a talk event in 2006, then acquired necessary patents in Japan and the US, and eventually established Startbahn, Inc. in 2014. Since 2021, he also acts as the CEO of Art Beat, Inc.
For press inquiries Kagami(Ms.)
SBI Art Auction Co., Ltd.
FT Building East Wing 7F, 3-6-11 Ariake,
Koutou-ku, Tokyo, 135-0063 JAPAN
Tel: +81-3-3527-6692 Mail: artauction@sbigroup.co.jp
www.sbiartauction.co.jp
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