Taking art to NFTs
Deforestation Sanniya by Dillai and Charith
Through the ages, art has always had a way of conveying profound emotion, most often as a response to the socio-political ethos of the time. It is no surprise then that the turmoil that was the ‘Aragalaya’ gave way to works that inspired The Brilliant Resilient; a unique Non-Fungible Token (NFT) digital art exhibition which is a first for Sri Lanka.
The exhibition is hosted on The Upside Space (TUS), a digital platform by the award-winning Canadian actress, author and art aficionado, Lisa Ray and her professional partner Ayesha Khan. Launching officially in November, the platform acts as a bridge between creativity and technology while being an intersection between traditional art and its next iteration. A marketplace in the business of selling NFTs, TUS focuses on South East Asia, South Asia and the Middle East as Lisa and Ayesha want to highlight these regions which have strong art practices, artistic expression, and unique perspectives but are often overlooked.
Kesara Ratnavibhushana and Lisa Ray at the exhibition’s pre-launch
An NFT is a tradeable unit of data stored on a digital ledger – a tokenisation of value which is associated with a digital asset, in this case, the work of art. Put simply, it is a new system of sharing and exchanging art which places the artist at the centre and shows provenance, transparency, and authenticity. Smart contracts enable artists to receive automated royalties off secondary sales.
The Upside Space is a curator-led platform where the curator selects the exhibition’s content and vets the artwork. The Brilliant Resilient is curated by Kesara Ratnavibhushana, and features the work of 15 Sri Lankan artists, some established and others relatively new. Primarily motivated by the thought-provoking artwork coming out of the protest movement, Kesara saw TUS as an opportunity to be able to bring all this artwork out and keep it in the digital realm as traditional exhibitions can be costly and may only happen once every two years.
The main challenge he faced was convincing the artists to turn their work into a digital format. Himself an artist and photographer, Kesara first experimented with NFTs and digital art before demonstrating them to other artists. The title of this exhibition is meant to reflect the creativity amidst all the chaos that has been present for much of the country’s history.
“The artists that I selected were a very specific group who had work that also really complemented each other so technically there was a good spectrum. Thematically there was a spectrum. Also in terms of their prominence of where they’re coming from and their ideas, it all just kind of came together,” he explains.
Lisa is emphatic that digital art does not mean the death of traditional art. “The art forms can exist parallel to one another and it can be an opportunity for artists to test their boundaries with access to global audiences,” she stresses.
Anoma Wijewardene and right, her work Detail from 9 5 22. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
One reason to start TUS was to address stresses within the traditional system, such as the many unrepresented artists who may not have opportunities to showcase their work due to cost and lack of gallery space. “I think that Kesara has put together a great spectrum and diversity in terms of the artists’ exposures. You’ve got very established artists like Anoma, and then you’ve got some who are up-and-coming and this is a great opportunity to do that,” says Lisa. “Gallery representation should not be an obstacle to reaching an audience. That’s why we’re taking that out of the equation.”
Some of the artwork predates the exhibition but the important aspect is that all the work fits into the umbrella of political discussion subtly. Themes like deforestation and conflict with wild elephants are also explored. “There are so many levels that we need to reflect on and as a first exhibition, that’s what I wanted. For people to question the status quo and question everything because that’s what we need,” explains Kesara.
The Brilliant Resilient Collection can be viewed on The Upside Space from November:
website: https://www.theupsidespace.com/
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