After facing criticism from the Web3 community over the lack of diversity in its previous sale, Sotheby’s has relaunched its glitch art-themed auction as “Glitch: Beyond Binary,” featuring the work of 31 artists who provide a diverse range of perspectives in glitch art and the subgenres that it encompasses. This latest sale was co-curated by Dina Chang and Dawnia Darkstone, better known in Web3 as Letsglitch, with additional research and an essay provided by Rosa Menkman, whose work is also featured in the sale.
Beyond excited to announce that in addition to co-currating an updated version of the Sotheby’s glitch show my work was also curated by my co-curator. Go check it out IRL at an exhibit at @Sothebys/@Sothebysverse
Piece info:
"LetsFixIt" is an eye-opening glitch video art piece… pic.twitter.com/pFIbWtAWoV— Dawnia aka Letsglitchit -NFTNYC (@letsglitchit) April 12, 2023
The pause in the sale, previously known as “Glitch-ism,” came in late March after a collective of female artists in the Web3 community, spearheaded by artist OONA, called out the house for its all-male curation. Following the community call for change, Sotheby’s responded by announcing a new auction that better represents the diversity of the glitch community.
“Glitch: Beyond Binary” features a wide range of artists, including Drain, Rosa Menkman, Ras Alhague, Cyber Shakti, neurocolor, Sky Goodman, Micah Alhadeff, Katherina “Kate the Cursed” Jesek, XCOPY, EmpressTrash, Marta Timmer, Jake Osmun, Wondermundo, jakNFT, Tù.úk’z, Xer0x, and more. Michael Bouhanna, Sotheby’s Head of Digital Art and NFTs, shared that “listening closely to the feedback from the community, we are pleased to relaunch our sale with a group of artists that better represents the diversity of the glitch community.”
He added that “in expanding the works on offer in the sale, Glitch: Beyond Binary is a celebration of the range of styles and voices that have defined this unique genre within digital art and takes a closer look at the pervasive influence of digital culture shaping our lives.” In addition to the auction starting on April 19, Sotheby’s is hosting a panel discussion about the history and evolution of glitch art within the larger digital art ecosystem. The discussion will be moderated by Randi Zuckerberg, the Founder and CEO of HUG, with speakers including Dawnia Darkstone, Dina Chang, and Rosa Menkman.
Sotheby’s decision to restructure the curation of its glitch art-themed auction reflects the importance of diversity and representation in the art world. By including a diverse range of artists in the sale, Sotheby’s has created a space that celebrates the unique voices and perspectives that make up the glitch community, and takes a closer look at the influence of digital culture in our lives.
