A digital artwork that shows a lion wearing a VR headset
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Artificial intelligence is currently a global subject of fear and intrigue. As technology threatens to take over human abilities, a platform NewArtX has emerged in the city to prove how, if used correctly, it can act as an efficient extension to our skills. An ongoing exhibition at Tao Art Gallery has on display digitalised, immersive artworks that aim to take storytelling a step forward.
“Digital Fine Arts (DFAs) is a form of visual art. It is created digitally primarily for aesthetic purposes, and is judged for its beauty and meaningfulness,” shared NewArtX founder (below) Saryu Pareek Gupta. Gupta launched the platform on May 19 along with co-founders, Pulkit Gupta and Suresh Pareek. She shares that it took them two years to build it from scratch. “This is a curated platform for DFAs. We built it so that artists could explore digital art as a separate medium. This would also give the buyers a new experience. Our aim is to democratise art and make it more accessible to enthusiasts and collectors from across the country,” Gupta explains.
Art by Jagannath Panda and Laxma Goud’s painting
The exhibition, which is titled Boundless Horizons, features artworks by Valay Shende, Viraj Khanna, Gigi Scaria, Laxma Goud, Jagannath Panda, Bhaskar Rao Botcha, and Shampa Sircar Das, among others. Shende’s artwork, for instance, transcends 2-D canvases, and introduces us to a 3-D model of a lion sitting in a barren land of fallen trees. It is wearing a VR headset that takes the animal to a virtual, lush green forest.
Valay Shende
An ironic, and digital slap-on-the-face of technology, we think. “Recreating my physical art as digital art has been a rewarding process that expands my creative possibilities and audience reach. However, its importance lies in its ability to democratise art creation, foster innovation, reach global audiences, integrate with cutting-edge technology, offer new commercial opportunities and remain culturally relevant,” Shende shares.
For their first-ever event, the Mumbai-based platform chose artists that were varied in their styles, language and stage of their careers. “They were excited to explore this new medium to tell the story that they have been trying to tell through their paintings or sculptures. We mint DFAs on the blockchain. This ensures that immutability, provenance, and authenticity are created with meticulous attention to detail capturing every brushstroke, colour and texture with utmost fidelity. Artistic brilliance combines with cutting-edge technology to give the user an interactive experience,” Gupta reveals, adding that they also explored dynamic DFAs that could change with real time events, like the time of the day. “The works exhibited here are not mere copies of the physical artworks; they are [recreated] to take the artist’s language and narrative forward,” Gupta signs off.
AT Tao Art Gallery, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli
Till May 31, 11 am to 7 pm (open all days)
Log on to newartx.com (to view and buy the artworks)