To Strengthen Their Grip on the Moneyed Tech Sector, the Organizers of a Fair Dedicated to Digital Art Are Expanding to Paris

As the art world continues to woo the tech crowd, the fledgling
Contemporary and Digital Art Fair has
announced plans to launch a Paris edition timed to Vivatech, the
largest technology conference in Europe, as it opens in the French
capital in June.

The fair will showcase a wide range of media, from video art and
stop-motion animation to work that embraces newer technology, such
as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, according to the
Art Newspaper.
Fair organizers launched the event last spring during New York’s
Frieze Week, and held a second edition in Miami in December.

Fair founder and CEO Elena Zavelev conceived of the enterprise
as a way for digital artists—often stuck behind the computer
screen—to get their works offline and in front of potential
collectors.

“What struck us most when visiting contemporary art fairs was
how easy it was for digital and new-media works to get lost in
brightly lit spaces,” she told Artnet News in an email.

“They’re presented alongside works, such as paintings, that are
best showcased under strong light. At CADAF, we create an
environment where the lighting is dimmed so digital pieces can
stand out.”

“We strive to show collectors how various digital pieces can be
displayed at home and become true collectibles,” she added.

Because many galleries have been slow to embrace digital art,
CADAF’s exhibitors will include a large number of independent
artists who lack representation. The Paris roster is expected
to feature some 50 artists and 15 dealers.

Zavelev is optimistic about the
event’s prospects.

“The French government has been
heavily supporting tech growth in recent years, which has paved the
way for a dynamic crossover between their tech community and the
historically respected art world,” she said, noting that
CADAF’s partnership with arts and culture media company Beaux
Arts & Cie will help increase its reach.

“We definitely see great market potential for digital art,” she
said. “The price ranges for many important digital pieces are still
much lower than that of equally important works within other
mediums.”

The first two CADAF editions saw promising results, but not
everyone is ready to embrace this new frontier in art.
“Some collectors are still hesitant
to go full digital with their acquisitions,” Zavelev said.
“Unsurprisingly, digital pieces that have a physical component are
the easiest to sell.”

But she also hopes to grow the conversation around these works
regardless of their price tags.

“Beyond the market, the importance of the digital medium in
relation to our zeitgeist cannot be underestimated in an art
historical context. We approach digital art as the next chapter in
art history.”

Fair organizers have also put together an ambitious slate of
programming to address the unique challenges that come with
collecting digital art, from how to display and preserve such work,
to how to ensure a work’s authenticity. To allay the latter
concerns, the fair has teamed up in the US
with blockchain company Artory and the domain .ART to issue
certificates of authenticity for all art sales.

The Contemporary and Digital Art Fair will be on view at La
Monnaie de Paris, June 11–14, 2020.

The post To Strengthen Their Grip on the Moneyed Tech
Sector, the Organizers of a Fair Dedicated to Digital Art Are
Expanding to Paris appeared first on artnet News.