LONDON.- Outland is a new, pioneering platform operating at the intersection of emerging digital technologies and contemporary art. Outland encompasses both a marketplace and online magazine that will present new digital artwork commissions to foster innovation in art and technology. The platform’s robust editorial content offers expert perspectives from critics, collectors, and artists on the evolving medium of digital art and NFTs.
Outland is founded and led by Jason Li, an arts patron and entrepreneur, Christopher Y. Lew, former curator at the Whitney Museum of Art, May Xue, previously with leadership positions at K11 Art Foundation and UCCA Beijing, and Jesse Ringham, an innovation and marketing specialist who has led digital at Tate and Serpentine Galleries. This unique combination of contemporary art world specialists bring rich expertise in traditional art spheres to contextualize and shape the newly emerging art canon that includes NFTs.
Outland’s founding principle is to present a curated destination to learn about and acquire digital art. It presents new works in the form of NFT drops from leading international artists, many of whom will debut their first artworks on the blockchain via Outland’s marketplace. The inaugural program includes American visual artist Rachel Rose and contemporary Chinese artists Fang Lijun, Lei Lei, and Zhao Zhao.
Lew, as Chief Artistic Director, and Xue, as Founder and Artistic Director of Asia, work closely with artists to explore new and experimental possibilities that can be realized in the digital realm. Outland invites and commissions artists to create new works on the blockchain, providing them with a range of technical expertise including in Web3, AI, and animation. Future artist programs will be revealed over the course of 2022.
Outland’s digital magazine is a critical resource for information on the emergent medium. Led by Brian Droitcour as Editor in Chief and Lauren Studebaker as Deputy Editor, the magazine is approached with the same rigour and nuance that traditional art receives. This facet of the platform is a must-read for anyone interested in digital artworks, NFTs, and the conversations that surround it.
Jason Li, Founder and Chief Executive of Outland commented: “The recent boom in digital art that incorporates NFTs and blockchain innovation presents an interesting opportunity to consider what the future art world will look like. Outland speaks to this new era that is merging art and technology, to offer elevated interactions and conversations that will connect NFTs to broader art communities.”
Christopher Y. Lew, Chief Artistic Director of Outland commented: “Outland is attuned to a new orientation toward art that is evolving now. Through our curated program of drops, we seek to work with some of the most exciting artists who approach NFTs with deep experimentation, challenging what we know from a technological, social, and aesthetic perspective.”
Brian Droitcour, Editor in Chief of Outland commented: “The name Outland was chosen because it reflects a new territory to be explored. The content arm will fulfil a need for mature and critical conversations surrounding digital art and NFTs, while inviting writers, critics, readers and the community a place to engage and collaborate as this new medium develops”.
