As Art Basel Miami Beach draws to a close this weekend, the twin buzzwords of NFTs and the metaverse have been left ringing throughout the convention hall with the notion that the oft-dismissed digital art platform will invariably become an art fair mainstay as the critical acceptance of the works and their medium continues to grow.

Going into this year’s rendition, many attendees and other interested observers were eager to see how Big A architecture might respond to the new mandate for metaverse spaces with showcase designs that offer real-world locations to host and display the blockchain technology.

Zaha Hadid Architects took up the mantle with a virtual gallery that houses a dynamic multi-artist exhibition its curator compared, favorably, to a Trojan Horse. The studio says its spatial design focuses on the user’s experience and interaction with one another along with the theatrical presentation of the virtual exhibition itself. 

The exhibition NFTism is curated by art market impresario Kenny Schachter, who has been an outsized supporter of the NFT movement since its shock-inducing introduction into the world of high culture just a few short months ago. 

Schachter’s presentation includes his own work along with that of other artists and a selection of what he calls “hybrid furniture-sculpture” commissioned from the late architect dating from their decades-long artistic collaboration and personal relationship.

“Zaha was one of my closest friends and relationships, and we did many projects together. I commissioned many objects from her. I curated exhibitions for her. I’ve written about her. So, she was a very formidable force in my life and a close relationship,” he told Archinect. “The metaverse is another metaphysical space, and in a way, it’s like continuing my relationship with Zaha.” 

The curator related that it also constitutes a continuation of his work with ZHA principal Patrik Schumacher, stating his view that it should serve as a barometer for other architects, and claiming that he is now driven to physically secure its place in the annals of art and design history. 

“The fair ends tomorrow. My project which has existed for the duration of the fair is going to come to an end. My job now is to find a permanent location to situate this space to make sure this place has a life beyond the art fair and beyond my life — or Patrik’s.” 

“I think this is a model of how independent projects can thrive,” he concluded. “For me, one of the most important parts of my entire career is to teach and to learn and inspire people, and I hope that this project will inspire other architects not to dismiss this. Fear of change is a human defense mechanism, so I’m hopeful that people will be more open-minded and embrace such exercises. There should be as much innovation in the metaverse with as much quality as there is in the physical world. I hope that this will exist as a kind of benchmark that raises the bar to that quality.”