Friday, February 3, 2023. Times change, life moves, and so does fine art. The form, space, and mode of artwork are constantly shifting. Starting from prehistoric cave paintings to today's NFT (Non-Fungible Token) digital works. We call this process a metamorphose aka a change in the form of art.

The metamorphosis lasted a long time. More than just visual aesthetics, the works during that long process also reveal the human process of seeking self-identity, developing a mindset, and interacting with each other through artwork. In short, each period reflects the achievements of human civilization.

In prehistoric times, ancient humans had drawn on cave walls. Game animals, such as bulls, pigs, or horses, became their favorite objects. The painting is a daily recording of game animals as well as part of the practice of shamanism (shamanism). The cave, which serves primarily as a place to live and shelter from the heat-cold and beasts, is also a space of expression.

Entering the age of empire, rulers were obsessed with "perpetuating" their power by ordering artisans to sculpt inscriptions on rocks, or record texts on lontar or papyrus. Some rulers offered works of art to decorate temples or places of worship, such as temples. All of that is inseparable from the desire to make glory proud.

That tradition continued into medieval times. With the patron support of conglomerates and kings, artists conjured the walls or ceilings of churches or mosques as showcases of artworks. Religious art and belief are intertwined with mutual benefit. Art derives legitimacy from religion. At the same time, however, art is also confined by the doctrine of religious belief that demands obedience.

The Renaissance in Europe opened up religious hegemony over the practice of art. Trying to keep their distance from church power, artists paint freely based entirely on the principle of humanity (humanism). It is the realization that it is a man--especially through rationalism (with Rene Descartes's "Cogito ergo sum" jargon--that determines the course of history.

Modernization gave birth to galleries and museums as showrooms that pegged the history and discourse of art fairs. Paintings on canvas or sculptures are revered as markers of this era. In the market, through exhibitions and "art fairs", the artwork is transacted as a commodity that is worth the investment. The auction house pumped the movement to the point of breaking through the boundaries of "wow" and "crazy" economic value.

As information technology becomes more sophisticated, digital artworks (in a sense based on computer technology and the internet) are also strengthening. Open up new spaces in the fine arts, namely cyberspace that is connected through social media in a network (online). The phenomenon continued to accelerate, forming a new universe called the metaverse.

"Meta" comes from Greek, which means "beyond" or beyond. The term was actually once coined in the 1960s (by the British scientist, Nigel Howard), but was popular later. In "game" associations, for example, "Meta" is commonly considered short for "Most Effective Tactics Available": "game" players use the best strategy to win. This approach is relied upon in e-sports "games", such as Mobile Legends or Street Fighter.

The word grew in popularity in 2021, when Facebook Inc founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the parent company that houses Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram was renamed "Meta". The name is considered to better fulfill Zuckerberg's obsession with developing the metaverse, virtual reality based on internet technology. A new space for global humans to game, work, and communicate in a virtual universe. A new logo was also launched that resembles the symbol of "infinity".

In such a context, the term "Meta-Art" appears, which is interpreted as all the latest digital art forms based on futuristic internet technology. One of the newest forms of visual art, NFT, stands for Non-Fungible Token (nonfungible token). A token is a digital unit (crypto) issued in a data storage system called a blockchain.

Arguably, NFTs are like digital certificates that represent a unique item. These certificates are duplicates of works of art or antiques that can be officially circulated or traded with "cryptocurrency." All transactions are recorded in a secure system and the buyer gets a certificate. However, the real or original artwork is only one and is kept by the creator aka the artist.

The artist owns the intellectual copyright to the image associated with the NFT. That way, every time a token is resold, then the artist earns royalties. The system is organized into "smart contracts" that ensure ownership, sales, royalties, and everything related to buying and selling.

An interesting example, a student of Dian Nuswantoro University (Udinus) Semarang, Central Java, Sultan Gustaf Al Ghozali, made 933 selfies of himself in front of a computer from the age of 18 to 22 years (2017-2021). The collection was packaged as an NFT work titled "Ghozali Everyday" and marketed on the popular NFT marketplace, Opensea.io platform. At the beginning of 2022, the work gained appreciation starting from the base price of 0.001 ETH (Ethereum) or around Rp. 48,000 to billions of rupiah.

In the United States, Twitter launched on March 22, 2006, with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's inaugural tweet, "just setting up my Twitter". In March 2021, the short-sentence tweet was digitally packaged and auctioned off as NFTs on the Valuables platform run by Cent, a blockchain-based social media network. It turned out that the work sold for 1,636 Ethereum, worth 2.9 million US dollars (around Rp. 40.6 billion) at that time.

Apart from these two names, many artists and designers from around the world and Indonesia later also tried to enter the world of NFT by offering digital works. The works also gained an appreciation, were bought by collectors, or at least performed on a virtual stage.

Of course, the story isn't entirely beautiful. NFTs also have unexpected sides. Like stocks and cryptocurrencies, the value of NFT artworks also fluctuates or goes up and down. However, in any case, NFTs as part of the "meta art" ecosystem will continue to grow. This represents a new extension to the practice of fine arts and design now and in the future. It would be a pity if this opportunity was simply missed.

In this context, on the 40th-anniversary celebration, September 26, 2022, Bentara Budaya launched an NFT laboratory. After going through the preparation process, the "Bentara Budaya Powered by Astra NFT Laboratory" was finally launched in early 2023. This is a learning space to better recognize the intricacies of NFTs, ranging from Web3, digital design, tokens, smart contracts, and crypto, to how to market artwork and design in a virtual space.

In collaboration with Astra International and Kogi NFT Kompas Gramedia, this laboratory presents experts from among designers or artists, technology experts, and digital marketing practitioners. The program is provided free of charge and is open to the public, including artists, designers, students, students, or a wide audience. The workshop is planned to be attended by a total of 60 participants divided into two batches, each for 2.5 months. Apart from that, there are also online sessions that are held open so that they can be followed by a wide audience.

The inaugural class of the NFT Lab was held last Saturday (28/1/2023). Now, Friday (3/2/2023), the laboratory is officially launched. Accompanying the launch, an exhibition entitled "Meta-Art: Celebrating Digital Art" was held," on February 3-7, 2023. Digital artworks appear on screens, printed works, and photos, which come from NFT Harian Kompas, Kogi.NFT, and several works by artists from the Bentara Budaya "Illustrationana" exhibition.

Thanks to Astra International as the main sponsor of this program, Kogi NFT Kompas Gramedia who worked together to compile the program from the beginning, and the entire crew of Bentara Budaya and Kompas Gramedia Corporate Communication who worked hard to handle various preparations of ideas to technicalities. A tribute to the artists who exhibited.

Ilham Khoiri / General Manager of Bentara Budaya & Communication Management Kompas Gramedia