Skip to main content

Artists ‘Crossing Over’ to NFTs During Seattle’s Art Fair

There's Bound to be Digital Fireworks Crossing the Streams

Crossing Over is almost too on point for the upcoming July 22 show at the Seattle NFT Museum. The exhibition kicks off at the same time as the Seattle Art Fair (July 21-24). The title is less a play on words than a declaration for the digital art scene.

Crossing Over will highlight artists whose work predates NFTs, moving from the physical form into blockchain technology. Eleven well-established creators help to blaze the trail into the fine art world. This show aims to not only uplift the utility of digital art for artists, but also bring this new visual art realm to art enthusiasts.

An abstract work from Richard Jacobs
Richard Jacobs/Seattle NFT Museum

“We hope this exhibition helps to bridge the conversation between what is happening in Web3 and the rich history of fine art,” said Peter Hamilton, co-founder of the SNFTM.

Recommended Videos

Cubism, contemporary art, portraiture, scientific, 3D, naturalist, and sacred geometric are just a few of the digital forms the Crossing Over visitors can expect to find. It’s an expression in an entirely new dialect from well-known creative minds.

“We wanted to create an exhibition devoted to talents that are moving into the NFT space,” Hamilton said. “This show is about their stories and experiences in crossing over. By stepping into NFT sales, so many artists are experiencing newfound relationships with audiences and collectors on a global stage.”

A painting by Jake Fried
Jake Fried/Seattle NFT Museum

The show is curated in collaboration with Joana Kawahara Lino. Lino’s experience in traditional galleries and auction houses merges with her love for impactful artists finding new ways to express art with NFTs.

“In terms of curation, I wanted to showcase the incredibly high caliber of art you can now find in the NFT space. These artists have worked on their craft for years, and this is reflected (in) the outcome,” Lino said in an email.

Not only is this an innovative form for these craftspeople, it’s also a novel way of hanging a show, which for Lino, is exactly where she wants to be.

“Curation of digital art/NFTs is a rather new discipline, and developing a voice and style has been a privilege and joy I never thought I’d have the access to, and for which I am incredibly grateful,” Lino said.

Showing Seattle NFT Museum artists include Norman Harman, who combines analog and an autonomous digital painting process “to achieve a Baconian grotesqueness in a POST-COVID, consumer-driven world.”

New from MEGA DROP CORP

Title: Limo Guyhttps://t.co/14ZCYhrOw9#cryptoart #painting pic.twitter.com/OgCaNjMEWj

— Norman Harman (@NorrieHarman) July 12, 2022

Visithra Manikam, a.k.a. VISSYART, is a self-taught visual artist and photographer from Malaysia. Her modern Indian expressionist and pop art/surrealist painting art has been exhibited in L.A., New York, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, and more. Stretching her imaginative muscles, Manikam’s work evolved to iPad digital drawings and eventually digital animations.

“I started off seriously doing art as a traditional artist working with acrylic on canvas,” she said in a press release. “Being in this (NFT) space allows me to explore and push boundaries that existed in the traditional world.”

Vissyuga is the age of Ikari faces.

Vissy is my nickname while the three letters at the back have dual meaning. In Tamil/ Sanskrit – Yuga means age or a period of time.

Vissy-uga also refers to Mugam in Tamil which means faces. https://t.co/dGNey4TyzX pic.twitter.com/HJ0ELxNJhk

— Visithra – Vissyarts (@vissyarts) June 5, 2022

Interestingly, Manikam finds the virtual world to be freer from expectation.

“There is more freedom and a lot of inspiration to create any kind of art without thinking (about) what is collected by a certain country,” Manikam said. “All kinds of art find acceptance here and this allows endless creativity.”

Tickets are now on sale for the Crossing Over VIP preview event from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, July 22, at the Seattle NFT Museum. Attendees can hear about work and inspiration from several exhibiting artists on display.

This promises to be a happening artistic weekend in the Emerald City, as hundreds of contemporary and modern artists will converge at Lumen Field for the aforementioned Seattle Art Fair.

Learn More

Topics
Matthew Denis
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Matt Denis is an on-the-go remote multimedia reporter, exploring arts, culture, and the existential in the Pacific Northwest…
Starz and BET+ have bundled up in a new Prime Video package
These kinds of bundles are designed to simplify the at-home streaming experience.
Prime Video Starz and BET+ logo.

Amazon is continuing its attempt to bring users who subscribe to other streamers through Prime Video unique offerings. Starz and BET+ have teamed up for a new bundle subscription that you can only get through Amazon's streaming service. This new bundle costs $15.99/mo. roughly 30% less than the cost of subscribing to each service individually.

This follows a similar announcement last month that saw Prime Video offering a bundle that featured Max and Starz at a reduced price.

Read more
Discover the 8 best Max original series for every binge-watcher
Max is known for HBO shows, but these original series are just as good
The cast of Hacks Season 3

Back when Max was known as HBO Max, the Warner Bros. streamer was best known for its association to the first company in its title. HBO is the type of name that conjures images of Tony Soprano popping a cap in a rival mob boss and Tyrion Lannister delivering a monologue for the ages. When one channel has had so many great original shows it overshadows the other great content a streaming service that might also reside there.

Max has many original series made exclusively for them rather than HBO, and they deserve the same recognition. Max's original programming consists of excellent LGBTQ+ series, fascinating miniseries, top-flight medical dramas, and even this past year's winner for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmy Awards. These are the best Max original series you need to stream right away.

Read more
The 13 best Stephen King books to read, ranked
Need a good horror story? Here are our top picks from acclaimed author Stephen King
Stephen King book signing

We live among walking legends, from LeBron James and Steven Spielberg to Paul McCartney and Meryl Streep. I know that when I think about authors, Stephen King is right there at the top of my list. The 77-year-old from Maine has written countless classics, with a signature ability to instill fear and keep readers helplessly attached to the plot.

Dubbed the "king of horror," King is a living icon, still turning out quality material. Some of the scariest concepts that continue to creep you out — the clowns, the twins in the hallway, the buried pets — are the handy work of King. It's no wonder many join me in considering him to be one of the greatest writers of all time.

Read more