Chance Encounters in New Mediums: The Generative Art Renaissance at Art Basel in Basel 2022, Presented by Tezos

Basel, Switzerland, 14th June, 2022, Chainwire

• “Chance Encounters in New Mediums: Generative Art, Presented by Tezos,” will be on view from June 16-19, 2022 at Art Basel in Basel and will explore a living artistic process, where the element of chance is celebrated and etched onto the blockchain. 
• The exhibition will be headlined by visionary early generative art pioneer and sci-fi writer Herbert W. Franke.
• The interactive experience lets visitors co-create a new generative artwork that is automatically minted as an NFT and gifted to attendees in real-time. The installation will feature generative algorithms from Aleksandra Jovanić, Eko33, Ryan Bell, and Sam Tsao. 
• The Tezos NFT Speaker Series will be held in the Art Basel Auditorium in Hall 1 with the aim of raising awareness of the powerful role of NFTs in the art world, and beyond.
• Tezos, an energy-efficient blockchain, has gained global acclaim as a platform of choice for artists looking to mint NFTs sustainably and responsibly.

The contemporary renaissance of generative art will be in the spotlight at this year’s Art Basel in Basel at the groundbreaking exhibition – Chance Encounters in New Mediums: Generative Art, Presented by Tezos. This unique interactive exhibition from Tezos, an energy-efficient blockchain, will transform generative art into a living artistic process, where the element of chance is celebrated, and etched onto the blockchain.

Chance Encounters in New Mediums: Generative Art, Presented by Tezos will be headlined by generative art pioneer Herbert W. Franke with his 1979 MONDRIAN program courtesy of Herbert W. Franke and Susanne Päch. MONDRIAN is a dynamic generative program created on a TI-99/4, the first 16-bit home computer. On display will be a 21:21 minute sequence of the dynamic generative program captured at a solo exhibition in 2010 at ZKM, now minted as an NFT on Tezos.

The piece will sit at the center of the exhibition space, surrounded by the work of four up-and-coming generative artists. Aleksandra Jovanić, Eko33, Ryan Bell, and Sam Tsao, will present generative algorithms which will enable visitors to co-create a new generative artwork that is automatically minted as an NFT and gifted to attendees in real-time.

Blockchains such as Tezos are helping re-imagine the digital canvas for generative artists. As with technology, art is in a constant state of evolution. The exhibition explores the evolutionary intersection between art and technology, where artists everywhere are reimagining what generative art could be in this new medium. The Tezos exhibition invites attendees to step into this world and explore first-hand the role of NFTs in the art world and beyond.  

At the core of the exhibition is the generative art platform fx(hash). fx(hash) is a unique tool in the NFT art world, enabling collectors to engage with generative art in a whole new way through the blockchain. fx(hash) will power the interactive element of the installation where fair goers will be able to scan a QR code and set in motion the process of creating a new artwork rendered autonomously by one of the artist’s algorithms. Each interaction with the installation is a chance encounter; an opportunity to trigger the creation of a new generative artwork that is automatically minted as an NFT and gifted to visitors in real-time.

In addition to the exhibition at the Tezos NFT Lounge in Hall 1, the Tezos art community will host the Tezos NFT Speaker Series in the Art Basel Auditorium. Programming curated by the community will feature representatives from institutions such as HEK Basel, Cortesi Gallery, Light Art Space Foundation, and Galerie Nagel Draxler and artists Marina Abramović, Kevin Abosch, Sasha Stiles, and Iskra Velitchkova.

The speaker series will explore topics ranging from what galleries and museums need to know about Web3 to revealing the secrets of collecting art on the blockchain. The programming will run Thursday, June 16 from 10:00am – 12:00pm; Saturday, June 18 from 10:00am – 12:00pm and 5:00pm – 5:45pm; and Sunday, June 19 from 10:00am – 6:00pm CET.

Tezos will host an NFT Open House for VIP ticket holders on Wednesday 2:00-4:00pm and Thursday 10:00-11:00am CET at the Tezos exhibit located across from the Art Basel Auditorium in the Unlimited Hall. The open house will provide VIP fair goers a chance to discuss NFTs and the historical relationship between art and technology.

Tezos’ energy-efficient design and low costs for minting and transacting NFTs have attracted a diverse global community of artists, collectors, and builders. With Tezos home to major NFT platforms such as fx(hash), Objtk.com, and Teia.art, more artists are choosing to create on Tezos than ever before. Sales on Tezos art marketplaces are up 70% percent in the last 30 days and sales on Objkt.com, the largest marketplace in the Tezos ecosystem recently eclipsed over $100m in sales in the past year.  

Chance Encounters in New Mediums: Generative Art, Presented by Tezos will be on view from June 16-19, 2022, at Art Basel in Basel, at Messe Basel. Please visit https://artbasel.com/basel for more information.

For more information on fx(hash), visit https://www.fxhash.xyz/ and follow @fx_hash_ on Twitter.

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About Tezos:

Tezos is smart money, redefining what it means to hold and exchange value in a digitally connected world. A self-upgradable and energy-efficient Proof of Stake blockchain with a proven track record, Tezos seamlessly adopts tomorrow’s innovations without network disruptions today. For more information, please visit www.tezos.com.

About Art Basel:

Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world’s premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Paris. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. Art Basel’s engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through new digital platforms and a number of new initiatives such as the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report, Intersections: The Art Basel Podcast and the BMW Art Journey. Art Basel’s Global Media Partner is The Financial Times. For further information, please visit www.artbasel.com.

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