[Palmerah, Jakarta]–– Kompas Gramedia cultural institution, Bentara Budaya, opened the Bentara Budaya NFT Laboratory Powered by Astra by holding its inaugural class on Saturday (28/1/2023). The selected participants are invited to dive into the intricacies of the digital world, and tokens, learn to design digital works, to market them in the virtual universe. This program is part of the development of digital literacy for the public while encouraging the growth of the creative economy in Indonesia.

"The NFT ((non-fungible token) laboratory is expected to be a shared learning space about NFTs, from recognizing Web3, and digital design, to how to market works. This program is a complete workshop package. Once they join the program, participants can create digital art for NFT," said Ilham Khoiri, General Manager of Bentara Budaya & Communication Management Kompas Gramedia, in Jakarta, Saturday (28/1/2023).

The program is provided free of charge and is open to the public, including artists, designers, students, students, or a wide audience. Applicants can register on the bentarabudaya.com site by fulfilling several requirements, especially the ability to complete the program. The workshop is planned to be attended by a total of 60 participants divided into two batches, each for 2.5 months.

"The quota for the first batch has been met with 30 selected participants. Enthusiasts still have the opportunity to register for the second batch scheduled for April 2023, of course, also with a limited quota of 30 people," said Ilham.

In collaboration with Astra International and Kogi NFT Kompas Gramedia, the Bentara Budaya NFT Laboratory Powered by Astra will present experts in the field of NFTs from designers or artists, technology experts, and digital marketing practitioners. They will share knowledge, skills, and experience in the areas of blockchain technology, smart contracts, tokenization, and the economic and legal implications of NFTs. The program will also explore new media creations for NFTs, such as digital art, collectibles, and games. In the inaugural class, Saturday (28/1), there was a speaker Alby Matthew Intan, Community Lead of Utopia Family NFT. 

"NFTs are the result of information technology innovation now. This is a potential opportunity for anyone interested in creating in the unlimited digital world," said Alby, who graduated from Agrobiological Resource Science from the Japan's University of Tsukuba, and later took a swipe at NFT.

Accompanying the inaugural class, there will also be an exhibition of NFT artwork and design at Bentara Budaya on February 3, 2023. Titled "Meta-Art: Celebrating Digital Art," the exhibition will feature around 30 NFT works consisting of Kompas's Daily NFT works, Kogi.NFT, and several works by artists from the Bentara Budaya Illustration exhibition. Also presented are analog artworks from artists and printouts from the Kompas Daily news.

The Bentara Budaya Powered by Astra NFT Laboratory has been launched at the 40th anniversary of the Bentara Budaya celebration, September 26, 2022. After going through various preparations, the plan began to be implemented at the end of January 2023. One of the spaces on the second floor of Bentara Budaya on Jalan Palmerah Selatan 17 Jakarta has now been transformed into a comfortable study room. The facility is expected to encourage workshop participants to explore "non-fungible tokens" or unique and non-fungible digital assets, which are now popularly called (NFTs). 

This program is aimed at advancing the development of digital literacy in NFT for people in Indonesia, including its development potential in the creative industry. "We are excited to launch the Bentara Budaya NFT Laboratory Powered by Astra. Here, experts from different fields collaborate to equally encourage the creation and innovation of NFTs," said Diptraya P Ratulangi, founder of Kogi.NFT Kompas Gramedia. 

Diptraya predicts that NFTs will grow along with the dynamics of Web3 technology in the world, even becoming part of everyday life in the next few years. Indonesian people, especially young people, need to be invited to immediately adapt and take advantage of this new technological opportunity to develop the creative industry. For artists or designers, this technology provides an opportunity to sell digital assets that are guaranteed authenticity and uniqueness on the blockchain. "Artists can display their digital work in a global space, sell and earn royalties from every transaction on their work," he said. 

For more information about the Nft Lab Bentara Budaya Powered by Astra, please visit www.bentarabudaya.com.