deeep Art Fair : An Adventure into the Wonderland of AI and NFT

Contemporary art has always been on a quest for new ways of expression. For the art world today, there might be nothing more exciting than the convergence of art and technology. From web3 to generative AI, this almost magical union revolutionized not only how artworks are created but also how art itself could be defined and experienced. Yet, as inspiring as it might be, the movement of generative art and NFTs remains quite unfamiliar and somewhat mysterious to many. It was  with this curiosity that I walked into the venue of the deeep AI art fair, located  in  the heart of Paris.

Deeep gathers the top-ranked artists and the newest movements in the field of AI and NFT art. For its co-founder, Stefan Lebenson, a gallerist in London, it was both natural and necessary to showcase this avant-garde movement. Being interested in post-human aesthetics and having already worked with several talented AI artists such as Obvious, the idea of holding a commercial art fair for AI and NFT art came to him during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As an AI and NFT art fair, deeep attracts not only traditional but also the new generation of art collectors who are more receptive to NFTs and digital format. Paris,  without a doubt, is an ideal location for such encounters. Not only does it have a  large number of contemporary art enthusiasts and passionate art collectors,  but also  hosts many active communities engaged in and with artificial intelligence. Thus, after two successive editions in London, the third edition of deeep took place in Paris at the Strouk Gallery, from the 21nd to 25th of February, in parallel with NFT Paris, an event dedicated to the Web3 industry and its cutting-edge developments.

Opening with an AI-designed cocktail and a captivating performance by the artist Graham Fink, where he used an eye-tracker to draw images of the visitors, deeep was there to surprise its audience with the latest developments and brilliant ideas. This year, the fair featured more than a dozen galleries, including Lebenson Gallery, belonging to the co-founder himself, Strouk Gallery, and RCM Gallery, and showcased more than 100 artworks, according to Stefan Lebenson.

The venue was filled with screens, panels, and installations that explored the intersection point of art and technology. Walking down the stairways at the entrance of the venue, I found myself in front of a huge screen displaying seatide patterns and surrounded by the sound of the ocean. This was the installation Tidal Echoes by the Paris-based artist Milkorvaa. The pattern, rather abstract yet clearly evokes the image of seatides, was in fact generated by an algorithmic process. It was a beautiful immersive experience, with the  breathtaking ocean dancing on the screens pushing the visitors to reflect on the alternative reality offered by digital and generative technology. Another installation that raised similar questions was Echo Scatter, created by artist Bevarela. The patterns and sound of this interactive installation responded to the movements of the audience. In front of the screen, people walked, waved hands, and turned. Visitors’ interaction with the installation prompted a reevaluation and rejuvenation of the endpoint of artistic creation in the process.

Apart from the screens and panels  one would expect at an art fair like deeep, the venue was also filled with sculptures, photos, and paintings —formats not typically  associated with generative art at a first glance. Yet, deeep is all about surprises. Standing in front of a painting depicting  two wrestlers, I was told that it was a lost piece found under a still life painting of Van Gogh. Part of  the NeoMasters project led by a group of passionate researchers and artists Oxia Palus, this painting,  like others in the project, was discovered and resurrected using spectroscopic imaging and AI. After the restoration of the original images, they were brought to the eyes of the public through 3D printing technology, capturing even the slightest traces of  paintbrush left by the masters. On the other side of the venue was the work of Boris Eldagsen, represented by the prestigious Berlin-based Guelman und Unbekannt Gallery. His black-and-white piece titled "Pseudomnesia: The Electrician" won the Sony World Photography Award in 2023. The artist, having refused the award, revealed the  work to be AI generated. It was exciting to encounter this milestone work at the fair and to engage in its challenge to the definition of art.

While celebrating the newest creations and developments, deeep also paid tribute to the history and milestones of this magical combination of technology and art. Enthusiasts of digital art must be familiar with Raoul Pictor and his pioneer work "Raoul Pictor cherche son style…". Launched in 1993, the original software ran on a Mac LC that was connected to a printer. In the software, a digital avatar of the artist Raoul Pictor working in his pixel studio. The artist created paintings on his digital canvas, and once finished, they were  printed and  revealed in the real world. This  incredible piece questions the ownership of art, the agency of creation, and the boundaries between virtual and real world. At deeep, several printed works produced by the digital Raoul Pictor were displayed, accompanied by a video representation of the software, paying tribute to this early initiative in the realm of generative art.

Another surprising discovery was two CryptoPunks, #8832 and #2560, transformed into embroidery pieces by VANGART. The CryptoPunks, a project that marked the history of NFT art, was launched in 2017 with the releasing of 10,000 unique NFTs of various characters with punk attributes. It has gained enormous success, even entering into the permanent collection of world-renowned art institutions such as Centre Pompidou in Paris and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

AI and NFT art is constantly evolving, breaking norms, and redefining practices. This spirit of change and innovation is incorporated by deeep in its development as well. Before the physical edition in Paris, deeep in collaboration with Walter’s Cube, an American enterprise that digitalizes exhibitions and artistic institutions, held the first virtual art fair during the Art Basel Miami week in 2023. This was a bold attempt  to  transform the future of art fairs, and  co-founder Stefan Lebenson shared with  me that deeep intends  to continue using this virtual format. However, he also expressed a  wish to show the public that albeit their digital nature, AI and NFT art are not just gadgets confined to computer screens but are  well-conceived  artworks and solid creations. This is why deeep insisted on having a “material incarnation”.

As emerging fields with  great promise, AI and NFT art receive not only applause, but also doubts and criticisms. Environmental impacts, authorship, creative agency… Although the NFT and blockchain technology are shifting to a greener future, there remains ample room for debate and numerous questions to be answered. In the venue, a 3D-printed sculpture referencing the famous work of Rodin "The Thinker", depicts a robot falling deep in its thoughts. To me, this work of Arnie titled "Der Golem'', is a good metaphor, reminding visitors that deeep is not only  a place to discover exciting ideas but also a space that nourishes reflections on these emerging art formats as well as humanity's future relationship with technology.