NFT Paris ‘23 just ended. For those web3 enthusiasts who are NOT jet-lagged and/or nursing a hangover, let’s get in to what you missed.
The Exhibits
Perhaps there is no better setting for a cultural exposition than Paris, "the city of the arts.” Within this romanticized setting, the Grand Palais Éphémère was the venue for the official convention. The NFT Paris team put on a wide variety of exhibits, and panels–it was a who’s who of JPEGs!
Paris - Capital of the Arts pic.twitter.com/LN1T8AGJ08
— NFT Paris (@nft_paris) February 25, 2023
The Good
Fine art was celebrated; intelligent discourse was broadcast to the world. The highlight of this was Misan Harriman, one of the world’s foremost photographer’s (and friend to Redlion), having a discussion with Brigitte Macron, first lady of France. Later on, Mrs. Macron became an NFT holder!
I had a riveting discussion with the First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron about tech innovation, culture and art. So many people were inspired and encouraged to see her at @nft_paris today. 🙏🏾🇫🇷#web3 @culture3xyz pic.twitter.com/mi00guWebZ
— Misan Harriman (@misanharriman) February 24, 2023
The Bad
“Mon Dieu, le Queue!” Unfortunately, the line to get into the Grand Palais was absurdly long. This is both a good sign that the event was popular and a bad sign that the planners weren’t able to properly predict the amount of interest the convention would receive.
Who said that #NFTs are dead?
— Raphaël Bloch 🐳 (@Raph_Bloch) February 25, 2023
There is a 500m queue to get to @nft_paris 👀 pic.twitter.com/vX3naecIhT
There was an absolute cringe Pudgy Penguin and DeGodsNFT party! The event highlighted the lack of racial and gender diversity in the NFT space. Imagine starting up your dance floor by playing “N!@gas in Paris”... and the only apparent presence of people of color at that party are the pre-recorded voices of Jay-Z and Kanye! Well, that's what happened. To be fair to the party, despite its “broey energy,” there was an undeniable enthusiasm and community spirit within the event.
men are embarrassing pic.twitter.com/GT1LoNBzQh
— Stellabelle 🐇 (@stellabelle) February 26, 2023
The Early
From the words of our founder, Redlioneye, “it’s clear that the event and space are still discovering its target demographic. No one knows who is going to show up and who is interested.” The official panels did a great job of having insightful and diverse presenters on the dais. Some of the trends people talked about were a refocus on 1/1 art from known artists. Others mentioned that the lack of PFP interest might be a bottom signal for that sector of the NFT space. The fact that there was so much to discover, so many false assumptions about attendance, and a lack of consensus about NFT trends among experts, shows that web3 is still in its early days!
