By Justin Mays:
Esteemed Turkish new media artist, Refik Anadol, is not only a hit artist in Turkey but has demonstrated his global influence with his latest NFT work, Casa Batllo: Living Architecture. This homage to Barcelona, a city often compared to Istanbul for its seaside location and rich culture. Fast becoming one of the digital media’s most recognizable artists, he is collecting praise from around the world. The piece was the only NFT at Christie’s Spring Marquee Week Auction which included lots with iconic artists like Warhol, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet. The dynamic work sold for $1.38 million USD and merges Gaudi’s classic urban architecture and the present-day city environment using digital data. People in his hometown of Istanbul and beyond are celebrating his success in the global art market.
From Istanbul to beyond
Anadol was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, and received his Master of Fine Arts from Bilgi University, which has four campuses in Istanbul. His most recent public artwork in Istanbul was at Istiklal’s Hope Alcazar-one of Beyoglu’s newest cultural spaces. Represented by Pilevneli Gallery in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Dolapdere, people queued for hours to see his last exhibition there. Casa Batllo: Living Architecture is an immersive NFT that maps out environmental data collected throughout Barcelona. The piece is projected on Gaudi’s Casa Batllo and at Rockefeller Center in New York City. On an opening day, over 45,000 people gathered at Casa Batllo to enjoy the interactive piece as it was the first UNESCO World Heritage site to use a live NFT on its facade.
The Metaverse
After selling one of the highest-priced NFTs, Anadol will continue to utilize the popular Metaverse. (See our post on Istanbul real estate and the Metaverse) Sotheby’s will be the next auction house host to his collection Space: Metaverse NFT collection. Over two million images captured by NASA have been collected to create vibrant visuals of space exploration and to further explore humankind’s curiosity about the unknown depths of outer space.
We are awaiting his newest collaborations with other architectural inspirations like Zaha Hadid as Anadol continues to wow with his immersive pieces.
