Sotheby’s Auction House Revives Glitch Art Auction, New Player Unveils $50,000 NFT
Auction house Sotheby’s has revived its “Glitch: Beyond Binary” NFT auction after facing backlash due to a lack of diversity with its initial launch.
The art sale opens on April 19 and features 34 lots of digital art from various artists involved in the “glitch art” movement, the auction house said in a tweet last week.
Glitch: Beyond Binary is a reboot of last month’s “Natively Digital: Glitch-ism” auction, which was temporarily halted after facing backlash due to the lack of female artist representation.
Sotheby’s detailed that it has appointed renowned glitch artists Dina Chang and Dawnia Darkstone, also known as Letsglitchit, as co-curators of the upcoming NFT auction.
“In co-curating Glitch: Beyond Binary, I wanted to present an eclectic ensemble of exceptional artists, each with their own distinct vision and approach to the realm of glitch art,” Letsglitchit said in a comment.
Furthermore, Indian glitch artist Cyber Shakti will join the re-curated Sotheby’s auction, showcasing her captivating artwork titled “Downloading Shiva”.
Other artists participating in the upcoming auction include XCOPYneurocolor, Jake Osmun and more.
In an announcement, Sotheby’s detailed that this type of art practice uses digital or analog errors to achieve disruption of a work of art in the form of an “error.”
The auction house mentioned that when MP3s skip or crackle, a preview window shows short cuts instead of an image, and a website may hiccup when loading and distort content.
“Although these events are rarely anticipated and usually unwelcome, error artists may actually provoke them on purpose,” the art market added, noting that artists in this genre have often used errors as forms of “political and identity expression.”
Sotheby’s also emphasized that the sale would represent people from all walks of life, including people “of all gender identities and expressions, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, language, neurotype, size, ability, class, religion, culture, subculture, political opinion, age , skill level, profession and background.”
Sotheby’s is one of the oldest and largest auction houses and brokers of art, collectibles, jewelry and real estate.
The art market has expanded into digital art through its Sotheby’s Metaverse platform, which launched in October 2021.
Earlier this year it was auctioned off the original manuscript of “Snow Crash,” Neal Stephenson’s landmark 1992 science fiction book that coined the terms “metaverse” and “avatar.”
And last month, the auction house offered digital art inspired by internet memes from artists such as Beeple and Luis Ponce.
Illuvium Player discovers $50K NFT
One lucky Illuvium player has discovered the rarest Illuvitar, an Illuviat image with distinct expressions, backgrounds, and finishes that vary in rarity.
The NFT, called “Holo Blazing Rhamphyre”, was sold for a whopping 26 ETH, worth around $50,000.
The user found the rare Illuvitar inside a “D1SK,” which is a type of digital loot box containing random illiviators and accessories available for just $32, the team behind the NFT game said in a tweet.
