Building a Whole New World for the Fine Art Community

For members of the crypto community, the metaverse is not a new concept. It's a logical extension of our increasingly digital lives and something the world's been moving toward for some time now. But lately, the word metaverse has taken on a different connotation, thanks in large part to Facebook's decision to rebrand itself as Meta.

All at once, the general public's perception of the metaverse changed. Most people now think of the metaverse as a place where big companies will compete for our attention, much as they do on the present-day internet. But we believe that the metaverse is something that can be far more unifying and beneficial for humanity than that.

That's why we're building ArtMeta. It's a metaverse designed to serve as a meeting place for artists and connoisseurs of fine art from all around the world. Somewhere where famous galleries from around the globe can show off their collections to people who would otherwise never have an opportunity to see them. Here's a bit about our project and why we think it's such an excellent expression of what the metaverse can be.

A Fully-Realized Digital World

To create a metaverse fit to house fine art, we thought it was important to design an environment that evoked many of the art styles that would appear within it. So, we've decided to create a metaverse based on an imaginary city on an island all its own. The city itself is the brainchild of painter Jonathan Delachaux, and executed with the help of Romain Donnot — a DI specialist, and digital/visual effects artist. Its creation has been an 11-year process, during which Delachaux worked with a geologist, biologist, volcanologist, and astrologist, to ensure that all details, elements, and configuration of the island are congruent with nature.

Its design is a photorealistic blend of styles drawn from world-famous art exhibitions around the world. Moving through it, you'll feel as though you're attending the Venice Biennale, Art Basel, Soho, and Documenta, all in a single place. And the city is open to all visitors. There are no locked doors, pop-up events around every corner, and indoor and outdoor exhibits everywhere you look.

But this is far more than just a metaverse. It's a comprehensive platform designed to give artists and galleries the tools they need to participate in the thriving NFT market. And through those tools, we aim to unite the world of fine art with the crypto world, creating a viable digital economy to support them in perpetuity. On top of all that, our project has Roger Haas as CEO, who is a prominent voice in the world of art, having founded a world-class gallery, in addition to leading a museum foundation in Switzerland.

How Artists Can Participate in ArtMeta

For artists, ArtMeta will serve as a valuable technical resource that helps them to bring their work to the digital domain. To accomplish that, we will provide artists with access to our full-featured NFT resources and teams. It will help the artist by providing financing and development services to create high-end NFTs of their work.

They will also be able to sell their NFTs and physical artwork to the public using the ArtMeta marketplace. It will be an opportunity for them to get their work in front of an audience that's looking to purchase fine art NFTs. And that means having a new and viable income source.

How Galleries Can Participate

Established art galleries can participate in ArtMeta in a variety of ways. They will be able to establish their own virtual galleries within the upcoming metaverse, treating visitors to a tour through their collection. They will also be able to set up shops to sell NFTs and tokenized artwork assets to visitors, extending their fundraising reach onto the world stage.

For galleries, this will be a way to gain a foothold into the growing NFT artwork space. And that's a big deal. It's a sector that's growing by leaps and bounds, posting upwards of $2 billion in transactions quarterly. It's nothing less than the next frontier for the art world, and we at ArtMeta will not only help galleries gain entry to it but will serve as a guide on their journey.

A Trusted Launch Partner

Getting a massive project like ArtMeta off the ground is no easy feat. And that's why we've partnered with TrustSwap, which helped us handle our launch.

All told, between our private and public fundraising rounds, we expected to raise $3 million to support a variety of our pre-launch tasks. Some of the funds will go toward purchasing art from galleries around the world. We'll use that collection to create engagement through gamification with our early token holders.

Then, we'll turn our attention to onboarding more galleries to populate the ArtMeta metaverse on day one. We'll also begin working to onboard some well-known auction houses to participate in the art sales that will animate the metaverse.

Our first IDO, held on TrustSwap’s Launchpad on December 18th, 2021, had a goal of raising $750,000. However, we were oversubscribed by 1,045%, which led to a total pledge amount of over $7.8 million. We then held a second offering — our Polkastarter IDO — which took place on January 27th, 2022. This time, we had over 15,000 signups for the whitelist, and we once again reached our goal of $500,000 in a blink of an eye.

A New Era in Fine Art

We believe that the upcoming ArtMeta metaverse will signal a new era in the world of fine art. Artists, galleries, and collectors will have a brand-new medium to explore. And as they do, they'll expand their cultural impact, extending their reach beyond all borders. We're excited to build this world, and even more excited to share it with all of you. And we look forward to seeing you on the streets of the virtual city when it's available. Once there, you'll get to explore an art world with no limits, no boundaries, and no end – which is just how all true art is best experienced.

Img source: Artmeta.io