NFT art show opening in Hong Kong, with sustainable development charities to benefit from proceeds of artwork sales
- Impact NFT Exhibition will mostly feature non-fungible tokens minted in a less energy-intensive way; proceeds from art sold at the show will go to non-profits
- The Post will take part, giving a preview of five works by Hong Kong artists to be sold to benefit Operation Santa Claus, annual charity fundraising campaign
A technology platform backed by conservation organisation the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) will hold an exhibition of “sustainable” NFT art in Hong Kong this month, amid concerns that booming investments in non-fungible tokens come at a steep environmental cost.
The Impact NFT Exhibition, to be held at Soho House Hong Kong, a private members’ club in Sheung Wan, from October 15-24, is organised by the Sovereign Art Foundation and Project Ark, a blockchain platform built by Panda Labs, the innovation arm of WWF (also known as the World Wildlife Fund), and Hong Kong technology company Carbonbase, which helps companies and individuals lower their carbon footprints.
The 17 UN goals go beyond climate actions, and include access to education, gender equality and other urgent social targets. Charities that will benefit from the sale of NFTs at the show include the Sovereign Art Foundation, other Hong Kong non-profits such as Earth.Org – which raises awareness of biodiversity and ecosystem loss – and non-profits further afield, including the Nashulai Maasai Conservancy in East Africa.
“We are proud to present a selection of shortlisted artworks from the 2021 Sovereign Asian Art Prize in digital form,” says Tiffany Pinkstone, executive director of the Sovereign Art Fund.
Other works on show will include Project Ark’s own “Genesis Drop”, which features new NFTs minted to raise funds for turning local communities into conservation leaders. Break The Chain, an anti-wildlife-trafficking campaign, will show augmented reality (AR) art projects, while The Nemesis will show how its “metaverse” virtual world supports projects meeting UN sustainability goals.