NFTs were everywhere in New York City on May 6, 2021, when Artifex showed a surprise preview of digital art by 23 artists. Dubbed the #ArtifexNYCTakeover, it was a legendary night for the digital art movement.

Kick-off began in Times Square at 8:30pm ET, when three billboards wrapping the famed corridor offered a panoramic view of the artwork in an exciting video produced by Animus for Artifex.

Simultaneously and well into the night, the works were projected onto the Brooklyn Bridge and on buildings in Union Square. Digital trucks driving around Manhattan fully shared the experience throughout the borough. Exact locations included:

• OUTFRONT Media billboards located at Seventh Avenue and 48th Street, and on Broadway at 44th and 45th Streets
• Union Square, where images were projected onto 101 East 14th Street
• Two Bridges, where images were projected onto the Brooklyn Bridge

During the NYC NFT Takeover, Artifex gave a glimpse of its first-of-a-kind collection of artist self portraits. The Artifex Project will auction the NFT self portraits as 1/1 editions in an upcoming sale, yet to be launched. Additionally, 3D sculptures created by Artifex Art Director, DurkatWork, will also be made available for sale in a larger allocation. The Artifex (3D sculpture) will be transportable through the metaverse and immediately experienced via custom Rare Rooms virtual exhibition spaces that each Artifex collector will receive. 

Artists featured during the Takeover included Fvckrender, Victor Mosquera, Billelis, Blake Kathryn, Toomuchlag, Aeforia, Maalavidaa, XSullo, Jason Ebeyer, Baeige, ThankYouX, JN Silva, Filip Hodas, Justin Maller, MBSJQ, Peter Mohrbacher, Robbie Trevino, Gavin Shapiro, Parrott_ism, Odious, Defaced, Planttdaddii, and Kristy Glas. Artifex also included the winning logo designs from their recent Community Art Challenge contest in which 20 ETH was awarded to 5 artists for their entries spanning from AR to photography to 3D video.

The Artifex team working behind the scenes to bring this exhibition to life faced challenges right down to the last minute. Landlords censored artwork by Xsullo and Aeforia and refused to allow FVCKRENDER’s name displayed on their private screens. Ultimately, the full, uncensored collection was shared widely on Twitter, but this experience solidified the intention of the project and further strengthened the strong fabric of the NFT community. 

The Artifex NYC Takeover is an event we will look back on as a turning point for the NFT community. Many artists and enthusiasts gathered in New York to meet one another for the first time after months and even years, in some cases, of strong relationship-building through artwork over the internet. Now, a new era is dawning for all of us, especially artists, collectors, and the crypto-art community.