Hong Kong art-shopping complex showcases famous NFT collections

Some of the world’s most coveted NFT collections including the Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunk, Takashi Murakami and more are now on display in a luxury Hong Kong shopping mall, in an ambitious effort to bridge offline reality with a mesmerising world of digital art.

A first-of-its-kind showcase in Hong Kong, “Metavision” features more than 200 pieces of NFT works created by over 30 artists and projects including both emerging and established creators to cater for diverse audiences.

Curated to match the themes of each floor and amid a backdrop of other installation arts, a lavish collection includes highly sought after works by the Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunk and Moonbirds, as well as NFT venture projects involving contemporary artists such as Takashi Murakami, Tom Sachs and Joan Cornellà. 

Alongside the big names, works from Hong Kong’s talent such as 8-year-old Arthus Ng and manga artist Felix Ip are also on display to add a unique local touch.

The exhibition is held at K11 Musea that sits by the renowned Victoria Harbour, and its idea stems from the prime retail complex’s long-standing aim of blending art and culture with upscale shopping. Working in collaboration with HSBC and Visa, the showcase runs from now until June 19.

The entire collection on display is estimated to be worth a staggering total of over 26,000 Ethereum, or approximately US$82 million as of late April.

Visitors who want to delve deeper into the worlds of metaverse and NFT can also take part in NFT artists-led workshops, one-off virtual classes and immersive shows featuring a mix of AR, live lighting effects and music.

The organisers said the event aimed to “democratise and demystify NFT art in all its facets” in order to illuminate the possibilities of the metaverse, which they dub as the next iteration of the internet, to all.

K11 Musea is a flagship shopping complex owned by Hong Kong property developer New World Development. Its chief executive, Adrian Cheng, grabbed attention in the Hong Kong’s financial and technology community last year when he announced that he would invest in The Sandbox, a virtual world platform owned by the Hong Kong blockchain powerhouse Animoca Brands, and acquire one of its plots of virtual land.