Arcual is a blockchain startup focusing on the purchase, sale and authentication of art, which is backed by major stakeholders in the art and tech worlds such as Art Basel, MCH Group, BCG X and Luma Foundation. Based in Zürich, Berlin and London and launched in November 2022, the startup aims to build a digital ecosystem addressing a plethora of pressing needs within the art world, such as increased transparency, greater agency for artists and custom terms of payment. To achieve this, Arcual provides various services such as an in-house salesroom and an integrated payment system boasting the highest transaction limit on the digital art market, and has recently expanded on its utility for artists and collectors alike by unveiling their ‘Digital Dossier’ feature, which allows entities within the art space to engage with artworks over the course of their lifecycle.
Through the Digital Dossier, the blockchain ecosystem will enable artists to add pertinent information for a work, which may include its Certificate of Authenticity (CoA), preliminary sketches, installation guidelines and art exhibition histories among other files relating to documentation, exhibition and resale of the piece. Foreseeably, this will enable entities in the art market to establish and maintain provenance with greater ease and at a higher standard than was hitherto possible. Arcual’s launch of the Digital Dossier came ahead of the startup’s involvement in Zurich Art Weekend and Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, in June 2023. To inaugurate the Digital Dossier, Arcual commissioned a unique sculptural art exhibition titled Deepfake Eden (2023) by British ceramic artist Phoebe Cummings, who creates temporary sculptures and environments on-site from raw, unfired clay.
Arcual’s chief executive officer Bernadine Bröcker Wieder discusses the Digital Dossier’s conception with STIR, “I have always seen art as a form of storytelling. Each artwork has a narrative that includes its creation, ownership and exhibition. Unfortunately, this story often gets misplaced as the artwork evolves and transitions from one owner to another. This loss is equally regrettable for the seller, the collector and the artist.”
The files attached in the Digital Dossier follow the artwork on its journey as it changes hands between users and, as Wieder explains to STIR, this new function is meant to enhance the ownership and authentication experience of an artwork, “adding value for the future in a way that’s easy to access and is secure.” She mentions that this has already attracted the attention of several collectors and members of the contemporary artist community.
Cummings outlines her craft, telling STIR, “Time and nature remain a continuous interest throughout my sculpture practice, and the brief physical duration of the work is in direct contrast to the intensity of detail and labour invested in the art making process.”
Cummings developed her sculpture in Arcual’s booth at Art Basel, where audiences could watch the artist work, adding an element of art performance to the event. Wieder looks back to the art exhibition, telling STIR, “Through this new feature, Cummings set out exactly how her artwork came to be and outlined how it might best be presented in the world in the future. We used Arcual to pay for and own the work so that we preserve her vision for Deepfake Eden even beyond its inevitable deterioration.” Digital Dossier users will be able to view images of the work over time, and will also have access to provenance and condition reports that highlight its point of origin and current state. This is in addition to other documents that Cummings may choose to share, such as her resume.
Regarding the Digital Dossier, Cummings tells STIR, “The technology is particularly interesting to me as I have worked over the past 18 years creating artworks that only exist temporarily.” Increasingly, she finds herself concerned with the question of legacy regarding her pieces, and feels as though she may have found the answer through Arcual.
The British artist endorses Arcual’s Digital Dossier for its ability to amplify the storytelling of artists around the topic of their art practices, and the ease of outlining the manner in which they envision their work to be best presented. Cummings underlines that this new feature supports the collection of ephemeral works, such as those that she creates, and allows for the development of an archive around an artist’s practice, which is of great value to her.
It must be acknowledged that there is some ongoing discourse around the benefits that blockchain technology actually provides artists. When asked whether or not she is concerned about this skepticism, Wieder highlights what she sees as an ironic reticence on the part of the contemporary art world to embrace and adopt new technologies in the digital age, in light of its supposed interest in the avant garde.
The ceramic sculptor tells STIR, “We have seen transitions like this in the art world before, such as when galleries, at first cautiously and now enthusiastically, began adopting web-based management software after 2010, and when artists started exploring the benefits of NFT technology for digital art sales in 2020. At the end of the day, the benefits need to outweigh the cost of change.” She firmly believes that the art market will increasingly recognise the need for blockchain technology and that if it is implemented correctly it shall protect all participants within the market. “Furthermore,” she says, “by having an organisation like Arcual that is built by the art community for the art community, it helps protect that which we love about participating in this art world rather than risking being left behind.”
