a\terHEN aims to encourage engagement with NFTs among artists, organisations and art lovers and to imagine new models for the cultural economy as a result. The first experiment of this initiative is to provide a space to focus on the art itself, while also providing a gateway to the blockchain, to purchase works by a diverse group of artists in an eco-friendly way.
We believe the potential of NFTs is profound for the cultural economy. It is also here to stay. a\terHEN aims to experiment with alternative models for this new world, and to empower artists in a sustainable system that benefits all. The new art space is an open market, of quality, accessible to all and affordable. The concept of NFT’s, that of enabling digital artworks to be owned and shared, has created a transformatively new and vibrant space that allows art lovers who may have had no previous connection with the art market to participate. By embracing its full potential, cultural actors can benefit from a new and attractive market to generate new sources of revenues.
The borderless, decentralised nature of NFTs enables artists from a broader range of society and geographical location to be involved, and allows room for exploration of the often overlooked ethical values of diversity, inclusion and environmental awareness. alterHEN also aims to encourage art institutions, curators and collectors to become involved.
The a\terHEN space is organised by a diverse group of established and emergent artists who met on the eco-friendly, NFT platform Hic et Nunc. We aim to celebrate the potential of this lively, experimental platform, but also provide a space to allow a more meaningful appreciation of artists and their works.
We also act as a conduit for accessing the works directly on the blockchain, along with some helpful advice on how to take part for those with no prior knowledge of the process.
The name alterHEN is inspired by “altermodern”
Altermodern, a portmanteau word defined by Nicolas Bourriaud, is an attempt at contextualizing art made in today's global context as a reaction against standardisation and commercialism.
Together we believe that art should, first and foremost, be exhibited and experienced as art in bespoke, contemplative spaces aside from the marketplace, before being collected.
Who are a\terHEN's artists?
We are an informal group of international artists brought together by the art platform Hic et Nunc, hailing from Brazil, Philippines, Norway, Romania, France, Russia, Belgium, Germany and the UK. Our multidisciplinary approaches are wide-ranging, from abstract to figurative, from digital to analog, from sculpting to coding, encompassing the whole spectrum of contemporary art practices.
Thematically we explore diverse social, cultural and political topics with a truly international perspective. We also have a shared experience of exhibiting, selling and collecting NFTs on Hic et Nunc.
What is Hic et Nunc?
The art platform Hic et Nunc takes its name from the Latin phrase meaning “here and now”, and is often abbreviated to ‘HEN’ or ‘H=N’. Created by Rafael Lima, a former social scientist from Brazil, as a “social laboratory” in March 2021, the platform exists as an eco-friendly, artist-friendly alternative to the vastly more expensive and environmentally damaging NFT platforms.
Since launch, HEN has seen an unprecedented growth curve, with more than 300,000 NFTs listed and more than 10,000 active daily users.
HEN has differentiated itself as a space for art without gatekeepers and welcoming to anyone with the desire to turn their digital artworks into NFTs in an eco-friendly and affordable way.
This affordability is crucial and profound - the cost of listing an artwork is virtually non-existent. The net result is a huge influx of artists who would ordinarily be limited by the prohibitive cost of creating and selling an NFT on other platforms (this can regularly run into the hundreds of dollars). It has also created a culture of low cost editions being made available to collect for the equivalent of a few dollars only. The effects of such a frictionless and low-cost system are manifold, including:
- access to a large number of international artists, forming a diverse and borderless, multicultural artistic community with a plurality of voice
- the ability for community events to appear and gain traction with ease, such as OBJKT4OBJKT (free artwork exchanges), charity drives such as Hiceturco (for Turkish wildfire assistance) or local community spotlights such as ‘Greek et Nunc’ or ‘HENBR’ (for the Brazilian community)
- the ability for artists to collect fellow artists (often for the first time) enabling a mutually supportive, circular economy
- a rich, artistically experimental environment
Buy crypto currencies with VISA or Mastercard and start collecting NFT art in 2 steps
First, you need to set-up your “wallet” where you will keep your digital currencies and the digital assets you will collect. Go directly to wallet.kukai.app, click on the “DirectAuth” button and log in with your Google, Reddit, or Twitter accounts. Only as secure as your Google, Reddit, or Twitter account is. If you want something more secure, click on the + icon to make a “New Wallet”. For this more secure option, make sure to have an ID verification document nearby since this is a secure and financial service. You will receive your wallet address.
Second, you need to buy some Tezos, the digital currency used on alterHEN. Go on buy.moonpay.com, select a cryptocurrency from the drop-down menu, and enter how much you’d like to purchase in your currency of choice (e.g. US Dollar). Next you’ll be asked to enter your wallet address which you just got from Kukai. Next, we’ll ask you to verify your email address. Enter your email address and a four-digit code sent by email into the box. Once you’ve done this, read the Terms of Use, and if you agree tick the box and click “Continue.” Again, make sure to have an ID verification document nearby. Go through the verification process. That’s it!
IF Association sees NFTs as a powerful enabler of digital arts. They hold the potential to massively scale access to high quality artworks and to the thrill of collecting, while enabling artists to make a decent living from their artistic production.
This requires a fundamentally different approach than the speculation-driven hype that has captured public attention in the last months. We see hicetnunc as the platform most likely to unleash the true power of NFTs, and AlterHEN as an excellent model of how it can be leveraged with an eye on artistic quality, fairness, and accessibility. This is why we are happy and proud to support the artist collective that stands behind AlterHEN.
IF Association was established in 2021 to promote culture as a vector of humanity’s transition towards immaterial production and consumption. It is a Vienna-based not-for-profit entity with global ambitions.