Sotheby’s all-Male Auction should not surprise Web3

Last week, inherit the auction house Sotheby’s closed the last auction from the NFT initiative, Natively Digital, just two days after opening on March 24. The show, titled Natively Digital: Glitch-ism, featured 17 artists from the world of glitch art, an aesthetic known for its distorted images, flashing lights and erratic compositions. However, the show quickly courted controversy, coming under fire for not having a single female artist in the auction’s roster.

“Sotheby’s is pausing Natively Digital: Glitch-ism to correct the imbalance of representation in the sale, and will relaunch with a fairer and more diverse group of artists at a later date,” the company wrote in a March 26 tweet addressing the controversy. The move was generally well received by the Web3 community, who applauded Sotheby’s willingness to steer clear. Still, the company’s initial oversight was anything but surprising.

Much like discussions surrounding the crypto art community’s racial breakdown and representation, Web3 can at times seem demographically skewed when it comes to gender. Where are the women in Web3? The question seems both absurd and rational; women have been an integral part of the space since its inception, but the stereotype of their absence persists, even in the eyes of some of the NFT community’s biggest names.

A persistent illusion

To one degree or another, the Web3 space is constantly haunted by the idea that the crypto bro—a finance kid-turned-digital-token-loving caricature—dominates blockchain-based projects, initiatives, and organizations. It cannot be ignored that, according to some estimates, men in the US are far more likely to own crypto and participate in its ecosystems than women. But suggesting that women don’t exist in space is worse than a fantasy—it’s a pernicious lie.

No one is immune to the hallucination. NFTNick — co-host of NFT morning show and a well-known figure in space with over 140,000 followers on Twitter – found himself in hot water in February 2023 when he listed who he viewed as most influential founders in Web3 history, none of them women.

Even Beeple, one of the NFT community’s marquee names, is susceptible to the mirage. Following the recent opening of Beeple Studios, the artist’s 50,000 square foot facility in Charleston, South Carolina in March, Web3 commenters couldn’t help but notice how male the opening celebration had been.

Beeple’s answer to ArtnetKenny Schacter on the matter was less than ideal: “I mean it is what it is, the place is frigg’n dudes. This was only our first event, and as with any art or crypto event, diversity can always be better.

The fact that someone as intimately familiar with the NFT space as Beeple is convinced of women’s absence in Web3 indicates the extent to which the fog of this demographic misunderstanding hovers over the landscape.

Beeple is not a “bad” person (a lazy label in any situation), and even those who are critical of his sometimes questionable artistic output and political affiliations admit that he seems like a friendly person who wants artists all over the line must succeed. But that does not absolve him of the responsibility to have a basic level of awareness of women’s contribution to and place in Web3.

With the Glitch-ism controversy, Sotheby’s finds itself in a similar position. Both Beeple and the auction house can (and hopefully will) do a better job of promoting inclusive opportunities for the crypto art community – especially with so many members of Web3 holding them accountable.

To push for change within

A day after Sotheby’s launched Glitch-ism, performance artist Oona took to Twitter to draw attention to the show’s skewed nature. Patrick Amadon, one of the artists Sotheby’s had included in the auction, responded to her tweet. Amadon agreed with Oona’s observation, suggesting that more female glitch artists Sotheby’s may have included.

Just a few hours later, Amadon withdrew his artwork from the Sotheby’s auction in a show of solidarity with the women of Web3. The move undoubtedly underscored the gravity of the situation and likely influenced Sotheby’s decision to relaunch the auction at a later date in a way that more reflects, well, reality.

Speaking to nft now about the controversy, Amadon stressed that overlooking women’s roles in creating the glitch art community is one of the main reasons he decided to withdraw from the auction.

“Women and non-binary individuals have played a huge role in the digital glitch art movement,” Amadon said. “Their lack of inclusion in what was going to be a historic first ‘failure’ sale at a major institution was a problem. It didn’t feel right for me to continue [while] knowing this, so I did what I felt was right and pulled out of the sale. I did not expect my action to trigger the events that unfolded or the media attention. It was nice to help give the community a spotlight and get some positive press for the digital art space.”

Among the people Amadon proposed to be part of the auction was Empress Trash (Drea Jay), a well-known glitch artist with a significant following in the Web3 sphere. Addressing the Sotheby’s glitch art exhibition in a correspondence with nft now, Jay expressed her gratitude to the community for encouraging her to be included in the show and spoke about the larger dynamic of women’s representation in Web3.

“I am grateful to everyone who has been involved in amplifying our voices and concerns,” Jay explained. “Inequality in the market as a whole based on identity and socio-economic status is something I have focused on since entering the field. While during my time here I have seen improvements, unfortunately [still] see and experience women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC undervalued as a whole across genres to men [and] anonymous contemporaries.”

Jay also noted that while some artists choose to maintain an anonymous identity, this approach would deny her the opportunity to truly be herself in her creative practice, removing the very identity she exists as an artist. Choosing to be anonymous as a woman in Web3, she believes, acknowledges the problem, but at the same time rejects it instead of addressing it. As someone who is increasingly gaining fame and recognition for his work, Jay points to the fact that these mean little without economic growth to match.

“There is no lack of quality or historical relevance to my work [that explains] why it’s not appreciated more,” Jay elaborated. “There are greater market and social dynamics at play […] part of that is devaluing women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC in general. This is why I contributed my voice and helped amplify others with the Sothebys protest, not because I wasn’t specifically included.”

A way forward for equality in Web3?

Amadon believes Sotheby’s did not act maliciously and instead attributes the oversight to a cultural blind spot the auction house simply needs to be more aware of. It’s an important distinction, one that makes all the difference in how Web3 chooses to approach solutions regarding gender representation.

“I think Sotheby’s just made a genuine mistake, and I hope that attention to this issue will only result in better dialogue and perhaps more focus on marginalized groups being more fairly represented for their contributions to the space,” Amadon continued. “Sotheby’s has since suspended the sale and will relaunch it with a revised, more inclusive list. To their credit, they listened, have turned around and are taking steps to make right by these communities.”

The compassionate tone Amadon strikes is crucial. Achieving the right balance between holding people and organizations accountable for such lapses in judgment and collectively working on solutions with enthusiasm will have a big effect on how the outcome of the problems looks. Every actor in Web3 (including this publication) has a genuinely exciting chance to help ensure that the tired misconceptions of a male-dominated crypto-art space don’t wash over the far more interesting and diverse reality.

But taking advantage of this chance may require a shift in how Web3 enthusiasts, from platforms to collectors, think about value.

“Women and non-binary individuals have their contributions marginalized and their prices suffer for it,” Amadon stressed of the issue. “And because their prices suffer, they get less attention, and the cycle continues. I think it’s incumbent on all of society to make sure the narratives we share reflect reality and value each other’s contributions fairly.”

He adds that price becomes a signaling factor, but that it is not an honest assessment of quality or importance. “More often than not, the prize perpetuates the cycle of enriching the artists and collectors who have the most privilege and opportunity in the system. I think platforms need to do a better job of identifying this and take more responsibility to ensure fairer representation and opportunity. It’s ultimately and ultimately much healthier for everyone.”