Europe’s first virtual NFT exhibition launched at Russia’s Hermitage Museum

Russia’s famed Hermitage Museum has opened its first ever completely virtual exhibition.

‘The Ethereal Aether’ displays NFT artworks in a digital space modelled on Saint Petersburg’s old Stock Exchange.

There’s only one way to see this art – by going online.

It’s not taking place inside the institution’s galleries, it’s being hosted exclusively in a virtual space.

How does the exhibition work?

On show are NFT artworks – the unique digital units that stormed the art world this year.

Curator Dimitri Ozerkov says he wanted the exhibition to tell the story of this new craze.

The exhibit allows users to create digital avatars and explore the virtual site using computers, smartphones, virtual reality glasses and other digital devices.

While the space is just online, it does have roots in reality.

Programmers recreated the interior of local landmark the old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange as a backdrop for the digital art.

Ozerkov feels there’s a strong link between the work and the historic building.

What’s digital displays can ‘visitors’ expect to see?

The full list of 37 artworks is listed on the exhibition’s official website.

They include ‘Schrödinger’s Cat’ by CryptoKitties, a famous blockchain game created by the Canadian studio Dapper Labs on the Ethereum network.

The exhibit also features a popular Saint Petersburg’s artist, known as Darkzuu.

The exhibition will be online until 10 December.

Check out the video above for a glimpse of the virtual exhibition