Christie’s held its first Art+Tech Summit in London earlier this week. The focus was on the art world’s readiness for blockchain. Sponsored by Bidpoc, the event kicked off with an explanation of the ways in which blockchain is utilized, followed by shorter tech talks, debates comparing blockchain with other decentralized ledgers, and reviews of the ways blockchain is applied within the art ecosystem.
Christie’s Education, alongside co-curator Vasarti, welcomed a panel of over 30 speakers from art and technology platforms alike (including Ram Nadella of Paddle 8, Serpentine Gallery’s Hans Ulrich Obrist, Nicholas Cary from Blockchain.com, and Guillame Cerutti, the chief executive officer of Christie’s). They discussed the ways that blockchain is currently being utilized throughout various industries. While many panel members argued that blockchain could be beneficial to the art market, an equal amount posed oppositions, reminding attendees of the immanent risks of employing crypto currency.
Courtesy of Christie’s.
Summit speaker and artist Kevin Abosch created the visual focus for the day, YELLOW LAMBO. Based on the symbolism the Lamborghini sports car holds in the crypto-currency community, the 10-foot-long neon yellow sculpture features 42 characters representing the blockchain contract address for the crypto-token YELLOW LAMBO—also created by Abosch.
