promoted content
LUX GROUP HOLDINGS
LET'S GEt ’phygital’:
IN 2021
HOW TO
BUY ART
IN 2021
n the heart of London’s most elegant shopping district is a new
breed of luxury retail experience. While the city has been laid low by
Covid-19, a team of expert craftspeople has been working quietly to breathe new life into an enormous 1930s building in Knightsbridge. Now, as restrictions lift, The ARX at the Luxury Pavilion has emerged from its hoardings, like a butterfly from a chrysalis.
This enormous space is like no other. Its four floors serve as a showcase for fine art, objets de désir and hand-crafted furniture of the appropriately named Lux Group, a company that is home to world-renowned bespoke joiners including Smallbone of Devizes and Mark Wilkinson.
Here you can even enjoy – and purchase – the world’s biggest 8K digital display, The Wall by Samsung. Measuring an impressive 7.4 metres (292 inches) diagonally, its micro LED technology can reproduce moving pictures with the quality of ultra-high resolution photographic prints.
The ARX, an appointment-only space spread over 15,000 sq ft, is an inspirational vision for luxury living that includes everything from home cinema to art – and beyond. Everything – from the art commissions and luxury collectibles to the Smallbone cabinetry, Officine Gullo appliances, Senso flooring, Kaia lighting, latest Samsung tech and even the Riviere Rugs and McQueens florals on display – is fully shoppable.
A new luxury retail destination in Knightsbridge not only provides inspiration for high end living but also gives a chance to buy physical artwork, and the digital equivalent, via a non-fungible token
I
Within the four walls of this new luxury environment, clients are also immersed in a virtual world as Lux Group’s designers share the latest CGIs of their bespoke commissions. Scattered throughout the four floors of the building are works of art – some of them physical, some of them digital, some of them both, in a fusion that’s being called “phygital”. Meanwhile The ARX’s advisors visit, in real time, artists and digital creators in their studios across the world.
“We wanted to elevate our clients’ experience,” explains Bob Moore, chief operating officer of Lux Group Holdings, “to take them on an experiential journey. Rather than just giving them a bespoke design presentation, which might take two or three hours, we wanted to let families and friends explore the space and feel comfortable within it, like a five-star hotel experience.”
Clients will sit down with their personal designer or art curator and discuss their requirements. An animated 3D visualisation of their ideas will be created and shown on the huge 8K screen – their new, personally crafted space springing to life before their eyes.
It promises to be an unforgettable experience, says Lux Group’s ideation director Iain O’Mahony, who took inspiration for the building’s aesthetic from the elegant supporting columns that were rediscovered when the building’s 1980s fixtures and fittings were stripped away.
The impact on entering the building is immediate. “We wanted a huge atrium space where you can see through the building, and create a link between the ground floor and the first floor. So you will feel both a cohesion and a tension between them,” O’Mahony says.
Look up and you’ll see a clever skylight. “We wanted to pay homage to the architect,” O’Mahony says. “So we made what looks like a glazed canopy, but it is actually completely synthetic. We made it with a clever stretch seam system lit from behind. It’s what I imagine the ceiling of the dining car of the Orient Express might have looked like in the 1920s/1930s.”
The ARX invites clients to enjoy art both physically and digitally. Moore explains: “Art is a crucial element to any well-designed luxury space. Our clients are often collectors, and we wanted to satisfy all of their passions, be that in the material world or virtual. But rather than just showcase art in its more traditional mediums such as sculpture or canvas, we did our research and sought to elevate our expertise by tailoring our offering to provide our clients with a truly phygital shopping experience.
“When you walk in, you’ll see a large-scale oil on canvas on the wall, which looks fabulous, but you’ll also see digital art displayed on screens; some static and some with movement to offer a new, dynamic way of experiencing the piece.”
Some of these works can be enjoyed in both ways and purchased as an “NFT” (non-fungible token, meaning it is unique). One of the hottest notions in the current art market, an NFT can be a digital work, or a digital representation of a physical work, and uses blockchain technology to establish and track its provenance with a unique digital code. NFTs made headlines recently when one digital work of art sold at Christie’s for $69 million.
The ARX invites you to buy NFTs that might come with the real thing. “We have commissioned an NFT of an exclusive Overfinch Land Rover Defender, which is worth over £250,000. If you buy the NFT, you could also get the car. So if a collector had the Overfinch parked at his home in London but then decided that he wanted to be on his yacht in Ibiza, he has the animated NFT version in his collection that he can view at the touch of a button. It is a new way to experience and enjoy art and becomes a conversation piece in itself,” Moore says.
Moore’s own enthusiasm for digital art and NFTs led The ARX to mark the launch of its immersive phygital art space with its inaugural exhibition “MINTED”. Available to peruse on thearx.com from May 22, this exciting cryptoart collection is a series of unique digital artworks and rare collectibles launched to celebrate the inauguration of The ARX’s virtual gallery and physical art space in London.
The MINTED crypto collection by The ARX comprises otherworldly motion graphics by MRE, ethereal photography by Gala Mirissa, and surrealist art by Nadia Forkosh. Dropping exclusively on MakersPlace, these pieces are certain to generate a frenzy of interest as the highest bidder of each piece will also acquire the real-life equivalent of the items that have inspired each of the digital works.
Each NFT is accompanied by the opportunity to acquire the digital work’s subject in its physical form. The physical objets de désir also include a coveted “Hulk” Rolex Submariner by The ARX, and a large-scale oil on canvas by artist Nadia Forkosh to name but a few. The first-ever minted Overfinch Land Rover Defender (“minting” being the process of authenticating a digital artwork using unbreakable blockchain technology) is arguably the most exciting piece. A rare open edition by MRE, The ARX Defender is a lone space ranger on a quest to explore a desolate planet in his all-terrain Overfinch Defender. In a race to conquer the virtual world, his solitary mission is to mine physical Ethereum. What will he discover? One thing is guaranteed; the iconic vehicle featured in MRE’s work will make history as it is minted for the first time and available to win via The ARX’s exclusive prize draw.
Digital creator Gala Mirissa's latest work is inspired by the ethereal beauty of female icon Audrey Hepburn. The award-winning visual artist and NFT collector, whose work has been showcased globally and selected for the 10th Berlin Biennale in 2018, applies her multifaceted skills to combine photography and art with motion graphics, a signature technique for the celebrated artist. In this 1/1 work, Mirissa showcases her immeasurable talent to perfectly capture the symbiosis between classic and contemporary and the physical and digital realms. Bids for “Audrey’s Eyes” by Mirissa close on June 2 on MakersPlace.
Similarly, phygital artist Nadia Forkosh adds a different dimension to The ARX’s Minted Collection. An incredible one-of-a-kind artwork, “Portrait of Hesitation” is a surrealist take on the shape of human emotions and feelings. The painter and digital artist uses digital and physical mediums to explore the different forms and colours of the human soul such as when it feels happiness, sorrow, love, hesitation, or suffering. A master in her own field, in this example Forkosh illustrates her talent via the digital work and the physical piece, a large-scale oil on canvas. The age-old technology of brushstrokes and paint is impressive but the digitally inscribed version, using modern day bits of electronic wizardry, makes it equally impactful. The digital work is available to purchase as an NFT alongside the original oil on canvas, signed by Nadia Forkosh. Bids close on June 11.
Alongside other physical items, the collection is on display from May 22 to June 22, by appointment only, at The ARX’s new art space in London or available to view online at its virtual gallery on thearx.com.
Moore says: “Our debut exhibition MINTED by The ARX pays tribute to the many artists and creators whose talents had largely gone unnoticed; that was until cryptocurrency turned the art world on its head and opened the gates to an entire new world of collectors. A gift to humanity, blockchain has now unleashed the chains of repression and is allowing the flowering of talent – and the The ARX takes centre stage to present the exciting series of cryptoart.”
An animated 3D visualisation of their ideas will be shown on the huge 8K screen – their new, personally crafted space springing to life before their eyes
Own a piece
Bid to win more than
just a piece of art
Modern living
d'you wanna be a spaceman
non fungible tokens
of the action
Rich List Cover by MRE – 1/1
CentRal park
tower 2021
The 1:1 digital artwork by MRE showcases the world’s tallest residential building, Central Park Tower, featured on the first-ever minted front cover of The Sunday Times Rich List 2021. Rising to 1,550 sq ft, the architectural masterpiece is the ultimate castle in the sky and elevates the concept of living life at the top. This piece of crypto-history is available from May 22 with bids running until May 28.
the ARX Defender By MRE
A rare open edition by MRE. The ARX Defender is in a race to mine Ethereum and conquer the virtual world as he explores a desolate planet in his all-terrain Overfinch Defender. Each purchase of this seminal piece by MRE will allow the collector to opt-in to enter a free prize draw by The ARX to win the iconic Overfinch that provides inspiration for this NFT. With access to the edition closing on June 22, each minted edition of this work is a step closer to owning the real-world piece.
Race Against
Time by MRE
This 1/1 digital artwork is the latest piece by MRE featuring the “Hulk” Rolex Submariner, a rare piece that is no longer in production. In a world where time is our most precious luxury, MRE playfully toys with the notion of the ticking clock and poses the question, what are we all racing for? Purchase the one-of-one NFT to acquire the rare edition of this iconic Rolex alongside the digital work. Bids close on May 26 at 9pm. Exclusively on MakersPlace.
Inspired living: The ARX at the Luxury Pavilion is spread over 15,000 square feet and showcases everything from home cinema to fine art
Look and feel: The ARX invites clients to enjoy art works physically and digitally –
as an animated NFT version that they can view from the palm of their hands via digital
mediums such as phones, tablets, and digital displays
Dancing Jack by MRE
“Dancing Jack" is an uplifting celebration of life’s golden moments brought to life in the form of a one-of-one NFT by MRE. With bids running until May 27, the winning bidder will not only acquire the unique digital work but a rare special edition bottle launched to celebrate Jack Daniel’s 150th anniversary, signed by MRE himself.
by Nadia Forkosh –
1/1 + Oil on Canvas
Portrait of
Hesitation
A surrealist take on the shape of human emotions and feelings, this surrealist work by Forkosh explores the different forms and colours of the human soul, when it feels happiness, sorrow, love, hesitation, or suffering. This is a first for the artist as the digital artwork comes with the original oil on canvas, signed by Nadia Forkosh.
Audrey's eyes
Digital creator Gala Mirissa's latest work is inspired by the ethereal beauty of female icon Audrey Hepburn. Turning her hand to one of her favourite mediums of photography, Mirissa takes inspiration from one of Hepburn's most popular quotes to bring the icon to life in the form of an NFT. Available exclusively on MakersPlace, bids can be placed until auction close on June 2.
EXPLORE MORE
Open Edition + Token to win iconic Overfinch Land Rover Defender
1/1 + Minted ‘Hulk’ Rolex Submariner
1/1 + Minted 150th Special Edition Jack Daniel's
by Gala
Mirissa - 1/1
To enter, each purchase of the NFT on MakersPlace comes with a token to opt-in to the free prize draw. With bids opening on MakersPlace from May 22, collectors have until June 22 to acquire the digital artwork and enter to win the physical piece that inspired it. As for the one-of-one (1/1) pieces, one lucky collector will receive the physical counterpart to the NFT under the hammer by securing the bid on MakersPlace.
For the one-off pieces, the winning bidder of “Dancing Jack” – MRE’s uplifting celebration of life’s golden moments brought to life in the form of an NFT – will acquire a rare special edition bottle of Jack Daniel’s launched to showcase its 150th anniversary, and signed by MRE himself. Similarly, “Race Against Time” is one of a number of NFT pieces by MRE based on the concept of time. However, this will be the first artwork available that comes with the physical timepiece that inspired it, the Rolex “Hulk” Submariner 116610LV.
Another first includes the minted front cover of The Sunday Times Rich List 2021, which features Central Park Tower, the world’s tallest residential building. The winning bidder will not only acquire this digital piece of history but will also have first-dibs to preview an unreleased seminal digital artwork by MRE due to drop in October 2021.
The NFT will be unlike any other ever created as it grants exclusive access to experience the Penthouse at Central Park Tower, located on the entire level of Floor 113 and valued at over £80 million. Along with the piece, the collector will acquire a virtual live-in Penthouse and the one-off opportunity to win the chance to immerse themselves in the architectural masterpiece that drew its inspiration. By bidding you could be making history by winning a truly immersive phygital art experience.
“I have an immense appreciation for the material,” says Moore. “But I’ve come to learn that digital is equally as significant and can actually enhance and complement the physical. As we emerge from the global pandemic, there is huge appetite for newness and cryptoart fits the bill. While NFT art is not new per se, some clients will need guidance to fully understand where the value is. We bring the two worlds together and are curating and future-proofing luxury living.”
If you’re tempted to get phygital, you can buy with a credit card but most buyers will invest in a trusted cryptocurrency such as Ethereum or Bitcoin. Once you’ve done that, seek out reputable online marketplaces for NFTs, such as thearx.com or makersplace.com, and start bidding.
One of the hottest notions in the current art market,
an NFT can
be a digital work,
or a digital representation
of a physical work
An animated 3D visualisation of their ideas will be shown on the huge 8K screen – their new, personally crafted space springing to life before their eyes
How to buy art