Take a walk through mesmerizing photos of Hong Kong’s NFT art fair

There are NFTs for pretty much anything these days — memes, cartoons, even the code for the World Wide Web. But the most prolific, up-and-coming NFT space has to be art.

The art world is undergoing a digital reckoning, with NFTs and online sales dominating high-profile auctions globally. The craze has especially uplifted the art industry in Hong Kong, where avant-garde contemporary art is winning over young creatives and collectors alike.

The Digital Art Fair is a testament to the NFT mania, where the blockchain-based digital collectibles are at the forefront of conversation for collectors. Held in Hong Kong from Sept. 30 to Oct. 17, the fair is a first: a physical art space featuring immersive, digital, and NFT art in a series of exhibitions and events — and it seems deeply mesmerizing.

From contemporary urban artist King of Kowloon to promoter of the world’s first NFT home Krista Kim, to the NFT artwork “Untitled (Self-Portrait)” by pop art icon Andy Warhol, the offerings are vast. There are photographers, painters, and urban graffiti artists, all marking their foray into the digital, presenting their works in five different zones of the fair. In perhaps the most hypnotizing installation, Turkey-born artist Refik Anadol explores memory, architecture, and the binds between humans and machines. Held in the immersive zone (360°!), Anadol’s work is reflective and all-consuming. There’s also a zone which brings 2D artworks to 3D life, through augmented reality — right in front of viewers eyes.

The photographs from the fair are kaleidoscopic, color-infused, and even trippy. For those of us who can’t witness these wonders in person, the experience is available via VR goggles anywhere in the world. And in the meantime, the photographs below are the next best thing.

Entrance to the Digital Art experience.
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Visitors look at the artwork titled “Collected Memories” by Derry Ainsworth.
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Visitors experience an immersive art installation titled “Machine Hallucinations Space: Metaverse” by Refik Anadol.
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Visitors wander through Anadol’s installation.
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Another reflective section of Anadol’s work.
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Visitors look at an art installation titled “Blockchain Piano” by Henry Chu.
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The NFT artwork “Untitled (Self-Portrait)” by Andy Warhol on display at the Digital Art Fair Asia.
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The artwork titled “Hold Onto Your Bitcoin” by Gustav Szabo, also known as Szabotage.
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A visitor takes a photograph of the video artwork titled “Glows in the Night” by Yang Yongliang.
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More by Refik Anadol.
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Into the metaverse.
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Taking it all in at the Digital Art Fair Asia .
Credit: Lam Yik / Bloomberg via Getty Images