Greetings, fellow art and technology enthusiasts! Today, we’re talking about the NFT Paris convention, the leading French and European event dedicated to non-fungible tokens. The convention is set to take place on the 24th and 25th of February 2023, and it’s all going down at the Le Grand Palais Éphémère which is a fancy way of saying it’s a temporary exhibition town hall on le Champ de Mars, in front of La Tour Eiffel.

Now, let’s talk about NFTs. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years, NFTs are basically digital tokens that use blockchain technology to verify ownership of a unique digital asset, such as an image, video, or piece of music. They’ve taken the art world by storm, with some NFT artworks selling for millions of dollars, leaving traditional artists scratching their heads and wondering if they should just quit painting altogether and start learning how to code.

NFT Paris is a highly anticipated event that brings together art and technology enthusiasts from all around the world. However, as the event draws near, it’s becoming clear that NFT Paris is not just any ordinary convention. It’s a crossworld between an art fair like Art Basel and the Paris Fashion week, and it’s crystallizing both of the worst aspects of these two worlds.

So, what can we expect from NFT Paris? Well, according to the organizers, the convention will feature talks and panels from industry experts, showcasing the latest trends and technologies in the world of NFTs. There is also an exhibition of “NFT art”, which undoubtedly feature a lot of trippy, psychedelic imagery and some cats wearing top hats.

Now, let’s deep dive, shall we? It’s hard not to be a little bit skeptical about the whole NFT craze. I mean, who in their right mind would pay millions of dollars for a digital piece of art that anyone can just copy and paste (this one was easy, I know)? But hey, who are we to judge? If people want to spend their hard-earned cash on a GIF of a dancing pickle, then more power to them.

NFT Paris promises to be a fascinating event for anyone interested in the intersection of art and technology. Whether you’re a die-hard NFT enthusiast or just curious about what all the fuss is about, it’s definitely worth checking out. And who knows, maybe you’ll even walk away with a newfound appreciation for digital art or an Ape NFT worth millions. One can dream, right?

The similarities between NFT Paris and Art Basel are evident. Both events showcase contemporary art, and they are attended by wealthy, high-end buyers and collectors. However, while Art Basel has a long history of showcasing groundbreaking and meaningful art, the same cannot be said for NFT Paris. Some of the NFTs being sold or showcased have little artistic or creative merit. They are nothing more than flashy digital tokens that rely on hype and speculation to sell for astronomical prices.

In addition to the Art Basel-like atmosphere, NFT Paris also resembles the Paris Fashion Week. Attendees come dressed in their most fashionable and expensive outfits, eager to be seen and admired. The focus seems to be more on the attendees’ appearance and status rather than the technology or the art itself. This type of superficiality is not only disheartening but also contributes to the notion that NFTs are nothing more than a fad for the wealthy and trendy.

While some argue that NFTs represent a significant breakthrough in the art world, NFT Paris seems to be missing the point entirely. The attendees’ contribution to the ecosystem is useless if all they do is show off (the French first lady also came by, and we still can’t figure out why) and perpetuate the elitist culture that has plagued the art world for decades. What we need is an event that celebrates true innovation and creativity, not one that glorifies superficiality and excess.

One of the worst parts of NFT Paris is the event management itself. Attendees are forced to wait in long, tedious lines for hours on end, leading to frustration and exhaustion. To add insult to injury, there is no reliable wifi or network onsite, which makes it difficult for anyone, (not journos) to work or even communicate with other apes onsite. Guys, how TF, am I supposed to mint a POAP if the network doesn’t work? Should I draw it myself on a notebook? The scalability of the project is also an issue, as the sheer number of attendees makes it difficult to navigate the event and find the most interesting content. From 800 peeps to 10K this year, it’s a complete shitshow. Moreover, the ecological impact of bringing thousands of people to the event cannot be ignored. The event’s carbon footprint is significant, and it’s unclear what measures are being taken to mitigate this impact. Finally, the lack of interesting topics and speakers is also a concern, as attendees may feel that their time and money were wasted. Overall, while NFT Paris has the potential to be an exciting and groundbreaking event, these issues highlight the need for better planning, organization, and sustainability practices in the future.

NFT Paris may have started with the best of intentions, but it has become a symbol of everything that is wrong with the art world. It has become another flashy meaningless event, from digital tokens to wealthy attendees who are more interested in showing off their wealth and status than advancing the field of technology or art. We need to do better than this. We need an event that is inclusive, innovative, and forward-thinking. Only then can we truly appreciate the potential of NFTs and their impact on the art world (if there is one).

The NFT industry may be booming, but the conventions that showcase it are not doing it any favors. With events like Miami NFT Week, NFT Los Angeles, NFT New York, and NFT Berlin, it’s clear that this trend has become a copy-paste, with little to no variation or innovation. These conventions are more interested in showing off the absolute vacuity of the industry than advancing it in any meaningful way. Instead of more of the same. Until that happens, the NFT industry will continue to be nothing more than a flashy, over-hyped trend that serves the interests of the wealthy few at the expense of everyone else.