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France at the forefront of the Web3 revolution
In early 2023, the NFT community participated in one of the biggest events of the year – NFT Paris. As all collectors know (after going through months of a brutal bear market) patience is a virtue. Their patience was tested again on Thursday and Saturday, as they queued in front of the Grand Palais éphémère, where NFT Paris took place this year.
More than 10,000 participants gathered over two days. Currently, it is the largest NFT event ever held in Europe. Last year, the first edition hosted just 1,000 people. A success that can be considered a statement: NFTs are far from dead. Here is our report on the Web3 conference held in France.
NFT Paris 2023: High-quality speakers with the Eiffel Tower in the background!
Art is at the heart of NFTs, and the iconic landmark provided a beautiful backdrop for Web3 industry leaders. An impressive list of speakers spoke on the stage right in front of the Eiffel Tower: Punk 6529, Nicolas Julia (SoRare), Justin Aversano, Betty (Deadfellaz), Erick Calderon (ArtBlocks), Jonathan Perkins (SuperRare), Innamodja (Codegreen). ). Furthermore, top managers of traditional brands such as Camille Kroely (L’Oréal), Tim Walther (Volkswagen), Danielle Barich (Hennessy) and Jeremy Muras (Givenchy) were also present.
With Web3 thought leaders and fans in attendance, some brands that used this platform are announcing new products and partnerships. For example, Luxury brand RTFKT founder Benoît Pagotto unveiled the RTFKT x Ledger collection.
In addition, the founders used the stage to voice their concerns. NFT royalties have been a hot topic, and founder of Animoca Brands, Yat Siu, demonstrated how removing royalties on marketplaces is dangerous for the NFT industry. He compared royalties to the “gas” that drives the economy of creators. “If you kill royalties, you kill the very industry that fed you, so it needs to be protected.”
It is clear that this second edition of NFT Paris focused on creativity and curation. In fact, NFT Paris founder Alexandre Tsydenkov explained that the organizers wanted to be in line with the identity of Paris, and its reputation in art, luxury and fashion. Through the event, they wanted it show that the NFT market has matured and that we are no longer in the speculation phase.
France proves it is at the center of the NFT movement
For this local event, France was well represented by The SandBox, Arianee, Ledger, POAP, SoRare, Tezos and more. This illustrates the central place the country has in the industry today. Also, this is one position that France will certainly consolidate over the next few years. The government seems to understand the importance of positioning itself soon in an emerging industry.
The visit of the French first lady, Brigitte Macron, on Friday illustrates how seriously France takes Web3. The “Première Dame” took the time to take pictures with the participants. She even sat at the Toms Sachs Rocket Factory installation. There she received a space pass that gives her the right to mark an NFT – will she do it?
Two other members of the French government also came to the event. Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak, and also the ministerial delegate responsible for digital transition and telecommunications, Jean-Noël Barrot. In April 2022, President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted France and Europe to be leaders in the Web3 field. Having missed the Internet revolution, Paris will not miss the train this time.
Betty (CEO of Deadfellaz) talked about Paris as a hub for NFTs: “I see a few important hubs of activity for NFTs emerging and Paris is one of them. We have a lot of French Deadfellaz holders and the European community is very strong. NFT Paris was well put together and very well respected for the speakers. The amount of people there shows that there are reasons to be confident in the NFT market”.
Crypto art at NFT Paris 2023
France also seems to be a pioneer in the crypto art movement. The Center Georges Pompidou recently announced the acquisition of the NFTs of 13 artists and will organize its first NFT exhibition in a few months. In addition, Paris also hosts some of the first NFT physical galleries and venues in the world, such as NFT Factory or Iham Gallery.
This feeling carried over to NFT Paris. Grida is the crypto art curator for Iham Gallery, which is focused on NFT art and crypto art. It is the first NFT art gallery in Europe. At NFT Paris, she envisioned an installation called “Xffel Tower”. It consisted of six screens shaped like the Eiffel Tower.
They featured the works of a selection of artists (including Yuyu, Agoria, Foodmasku, Sacha Stiles, Pascal Boyart and Alotta Money). The artwork changes every 30 minutes.
Grida believes that Paris is the epicenter of the crypto art movement, and therefore believes that an event like NFT Paris is essential to make this trend stronger. – The community is very important. We introduce each other, we hear from someone new… As a curator, I know the artists as individuals first. Then I fell in love with their art. So maybe that’s why I’m able to explain their art world in words, maybe even better than them.”
For her, the success of the event is an illustration that we are only at the beginning of the NFT revolution. “We have more and more people who are curious or who believe that we are on the right track. Although the market is like dancing, people here have the same spirit. And we all feel for everyone here.”
Major players are helping the crypto art market
Afterwards, Grida explains that it is also important to exhibit physical exhibitions of digital art. “Here at NFT Paris you can see very innovative displays. How to show artworks in real life is a key question. All different “-isms”, such as modernism, impressionism… started with exhibitions. It constitutes the artistic language in which they introduce their new ideas throughout. We follow this pattern.”
“The screen is like a frame”, she says. “Here you also have the Immersive room, for example. And there is the metaverse, which is also about space. You can also display art on giant screens. And works of art can travel instantly, or even duplicate: you can have the same exhibition at the same moment in different galleries. It’s like a spider web.”
YuYu, a Chinese photographer and collage artist, creates self-portraits that he integrates into classical paintings. As an Asian and a member of the queer community, he uses art to protest the dominance of Western culture. For him, something special is happening in France. “Paris has a very strong NFT community, like nothing I’ve seen in Europe. That’s why I come here very often. There are two big companies here, Ledger and The Sandbox, and NFT factory, which is a hub for artists and society, helps to increase progress. I live in Berlin and there is nothing like that there.”
