.ART

Art has always had a role in defining the essence of a new era: artists embracing new mediums and new technologies not only bring their vision to life but spearhead an ideological, technological, and often social change for the rest of the world.  

The same is true of the digital world where blockchain is revolutionizing everything. It allows artists to find their audience anywhere in the world, free themselves from the highly regulated gallery and auction world, and gain independence by selling to a whole community of art lovers as opposed to a handful of collectors.   

In the recent years, a plethora of crypto projects has been finding home with .ART, the fastest growing domain zone for creatives and blockchain geeks, the mission of which is to empower the art world by fostering the synergy between art, tech and finance. The 250K+ community counts within itself NFT marketplaces such as async.art and meta.art, liquidity pool all.art, the collaborative community with integrated blockchain option dada.art and digital artists like xcopy.art and Pak, who has an ongoing project on burn.art.  

.ART Domains talked to Andy Alekhin, CEO and co-founder of Snark Art agency (snark.art) that works with artists to help them innovate on the blockchain. It was launched over 5 years ago – at the advent of both crypto and of .ART domains – to find out how the industry has evolved, what’s in it for the creative community and how domain names are relevant to all of this.  

As we know, everything starts with a name and picking one if often a challenge for a newborn project. How did you come up with Snark Art? 

We were inspired by Lewis Carol’s poem “The hunting of the snark” – our company’s philosophy is somewhat similar to that of the author, who gave it the following second title: “The Impossible Voyage of an Improbable Crew to Find an Inconceivable Creature”. That’s what we’ve been doing so far: walking through the darkness of exploration with a great team and a hope to invent new great solutions for the art market.  

What significant changes have you observed in crypto since the launch of Snark Art?  

There have been several waves of change in the crypto market. As it often happens, once a new medium appears, it is first used as the old medium but then it becomes recognised as a truly new way of doing things, which opens up infinite possibilities of creation. This is exactly what happened with NFTs. First, there were jpegs and other static pieces that resembled physical art forms but gradually this evolved into collections that are way less expensive but can be purchased by an entire community. With this completely new model everyone ends up earning more and generating more interest”. Another currently evolving trend is interactivity – through generative art and dynamic NFTs.  

These changes served as a backdrop for a significant shift in perception. It all started with digital artists desperately searching for their place in the classical art world, that perceived them as somewhat inferior. Using blockchain technologies they were able to find their audience, earn millions and ended up in the spotlight – with the rest of the art world now trying to integrate with the new medium. I think it’s a big win for digital art and NFTs.  

After such a breakthrough, what do you think is next for NFTs and will they revolutionize the art world?  

I don’t think NFTs will replace the entire art world – it is of course much wider than that. But I see a big advantage of NFTs in the fact that they can become the mass market as opposed to the currently prevailing elitist one. Only the privileged few have access to art with an adequate art piece priced at $50K+. NFTs open up completely new possibilities: starting from as little as $100 one can become an owner of an interesting artwork. And since all of this is digital, art gets a little closer to the people – which is always great.  

Have you encountered any skepticism regarding NFTs in the art community? How do you tackle it?  

Snark Art: Skepticism is normal. New art movements are often rejected at first just like it happened with impressionism. But a great artist is always willing to experiment. So, we’re seeing a lot of classical medium artists that want to explore the possibilities of blockchain to gain access to new audiences by expressing their old ideas through new mediums. 

It’s also important to remember about the effect direct interaction with their community has on artists. There is a dramatic difference between making a couple of artworks a year and selling them to a collector – which is the usual way – and having direct positive feedback from thousands of real supporters that express their admiration by purchasing your artwork. It allows an artist to be a bit of a Rockstar – this kind of adrenalin and emotions are unforgettable and most of artists who experience it once come back to explore the possibility of doing it again.   

Snark Art has also launched OG.ART – Organic Growth Crystals, a long-term art project with unique mechanics bridging the gap between conventional and NFT art worlds. “OG” is a reference to both Organic Crystals and the legendary Original Gangsters with some of whom we are collaborating.”, shares Andy.

OG.ART allows art collectors to actively engage as co-creators with artists. Leading figures from the crypto and traditional art worlds use dynamic NFT technology to create artworks that evolve in response to web3 interactions, collectors’ digital behavior, or even real-world events.

The platform’s foundation stems from the success of OG:Crystals, a dynamic NFT collection exhibited at the Hermitage Museum and a top performer on OpenSea. This venture demonstrates the potential of digital art that continues to develop post-purchase.

OG.ART releases new collectible elements monthly, creating a vibrant ecosystem where art projects are interconnected. This ecosystem is democratically managed by Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), emphasizing community, artistic exploration, and innovation. The platform operates with a community-centric ethos, valuing artistic expression over financial gain and fostering a supportive and inclusive space for traditional and crypto-native artists to converge and create.