NFT digital art gallery launches in Australia

White Cubeless, an Australian online contemporary art gallery has launched with a curated exhibition of digital art NFTs by professional artists.

Tumen Altangadas, "CyberPink Mongol".

White Cubeless is a traditional gallery, in a virtual space, that makes premium quality, investible and collectible digital artworks available as NFTs.

The platform was entirely built in Australia and operates on an independent backend, to enable White Cubeless to mint its own NFTs and scribe the corresponding smart contracts. Each contract specifies a fixed percentage of the artwork’s value that the artist must receive, every time it is sold.

The gallery is co-founded by former Vivid Sydney light program curator, Lucy Keeler, White Cubeless represents high-profile artists making their NFT debuts, including Archibald Prize winner Wendy Sharpe, former director of the National Art School Bernard Ollis, and Lucas Film artist Tumen Altangadas.

Lucy Keeler, Co-founder and Head Curator of White Cubeless said, “Artists have always been at the edge of society, breaking traditions, creating new trends, and stimulating new economies.

“The burgeoning crypto art scene presents an incredible opportunity for contemporary artists to redefine their practice and take control of how they interact with the market.”

Australia has a flourishing animation and digital art scene, with world-leading artists working on exciting projects, such as architectural projections for light festivals, visual effects (VFX) and computer-generated imagery (CGI) for Hollywood films.

However, until now, these artists have not had access to gallery representation and their personal practices have been limited by conventional exhibition and distribution structures.

Keeler explained digital art is often seen but usually underappreciated and undervalued.

“NFTs are a white unicorn for professional digital artists especially, who need a platform to help them access the world of potential buyers in cyberspace.

“We created White Cubeless to support and grow established digital artists, traditional studio artists, and talented emerging hybrid artists seeking new routes to market, beyond the ‘white cube’ gallery.”

Andrew Reeves, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of White Cubeless said, “Aligned with our philosophy to put our artists first, it was critical that we invested in building the White Cubeless platform independently.

“Given widespread unfamiliarity with NFTs, control and transparency is essential in building trusted relationships with artists and patrons. We’re excited to introduce White Cubeless to the world, and hope that our approach serves to legitimise and drive NFT art sales into the wider art community.”

Launch artists include Wendy Sharpe, Bernard Ollis, Tumen Altangadas, Atticus Gough, Celia Fernandez, Alejandra Sieder and Charles Clapshaw.