"Connectivity infrastructure is like the railroads of the digital world. We can bring 2 billion people into the digital economy, but only if the digital tracks can reach them. This is what Giga is building." - Bill Tai
Art Auctions for Giga at CfC St. Moritz
Giga is proud to be in its third year of partnership with CfC St. Moritz. We believe that blockchain (DePIN) and crypto can drive digital connectivity for all.
Creating Connections – Digital Art for Connectivity
A two-part auction at CfC St. Moritz to support Giga
Presented by UNICEF Switzerland & Liechtenstein and Christie's
As part of CfC St. Moritz 2024, two auctions united under the theme “Creating Connections – Digital Art for Connectivity” will be launched to support Giga’s school connectivity efforts.
Physical auction
The physical live auction will take place on 11 January, 2024 as part of the CfC St. Moritz at Suvretta House. Bertold Mueller, Delegate of UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein and Managing Director of Christie’s EMEA will auction three bespoke art pieces by Cole Sternberg inspired by Switzerland’s Engadin region.
Online auction
The second – online and on-chain – auction will take place online from 24 – 31 January, 2024. Curated by Nina Roehrs – expert for art in the digital age – Christie’s 3.0 will auction around 24 artworks generously donated by 0xDEAFBEEF, Kevin Abosch, Daniel Calderon, Mitchell F Chan, DADA Collective, Linda Dounia, Emily Edelman, Entangled Others, Moxarra Gonzales, Andreas Gysin, Mario Klingemann, Haru Komoda, Des Lucréce, Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, Sarah Meyohas, Rhea Myers, Niceaunties, Luis Ponce, Roope Rainisto, Anna Ridler, ROBNESS, Helena Sarin, Cole Sternberg, Sasha Stiles and more.
How to Participate
Physical auction
The traditional art auction will take place on 11 January, 2024 as part of the CfC St. Moritz at Suvretta House. Conceptual artist Cole Sternberg will put up for sale three bespoke art pieces inspired by Switzerland’s Engadin region.
For those unable to attend the live auction and would still like to bid, clients can submit a written bid or participate in the auction by telephone. For further information, please contact info@cfc-stmoritz.com.
Digital auction
The second – online and on-chain – “Creating Connections – Digital Art for Connectivity” runs from January 24 – 31, 2024 on Christie’s 3.0 platform. It will feature artworks donated by around 24 digital native artists.
During the CfC St. Moritz from January 10 – 12, 2024, a preview of the auction lots will be presented. The auction is open to the public. To bid in this auction, clients must connect a digital wallet and set up a Christie’s 3.0 account. Interested participants can pre-register now at nft.christies.com.
Physical Auction in Detail
Art by Cole Sternberg - to be auctioned live on 11 January 2024
In September 2023, Sternberg traveled to the Engadin to capture visuals using a vintage 1970s Canon 35mm camera, a notebook, and a laptop. Each piece is prefaced by that journey as well as the history of the region. In a traditional painting, a standalone NFT, and an art piece merging physical media with digital art forms, Sternberg narrates a compelling story, spanning from glacial threats to Vaslav Nijinsky’s final dance. The works developed by Sternberg for both the live and online auctions artfully weave together and coalesce into a sublime ode to the natural beauty of this special place.
Lot 1
“ample shade for ferns and lilies”
Acrylic, Watercolor and Pigment Ink on Linen, 172.7 cm x 274.3 cm
This large-scale painting stretching across three panels merges Sternberg’s photography of the Engadin with painterly techniques, digital glitch and exposure to environmental elements producing a robust synthesis of abstraction, ecology and materiality in the work.
Lot 2
“he staggered under the burden of the empire”
Png File, 7200 x 5280 pixels
This work is Sternberg’s first standalone 1/1 digital piece (NFT). In the piece, Sternberg collages painterly layers with vintage photography of Vaslav Nijinsky, who performed his last public dance in the Suvretta House on January 19th, 1919. The work captures both the joy and haunting nature of the historic moment, while capturing Nijinsky’s movement, which still echoes in the hotel.
Lot 3
“somewhere in between”
Acrylic, Watercolor, Serpentine Rock, Wood, Steel and Television,
189.7 cm x 143.2 cm
A combination of physical media with digitality, this piece serves as the apothe- osis of the Artist’s experience in the Engadin region. With each element being produced in tandem with the environment, it blurs the lines between the earthly and the synthetic, between organic human composition and biomimicry. The painterly element was exposed to the environment of the Engadin, the digital component features photographic and painterly elements created in the region, and the sculptural rock acts as a sage, surveying in a manner akin to the mountains peering down on the lake. Even the enclosure was made in collaboration with local artisans. It is the Artist’s first combination of digital and physical work in a singular sculpture.
Get a glimpse of the creation process in the snowy Engadin valley here.
Meet the Artist
"Giga aims to give every student access to the Internet - its infinite libraries, communities, and educational tools. Can you imagine the revolutionary, earth-changing impact of such an accomplishment?" - Cole Sternberg
Cole Sternberg
Cole Sternberg is a California-based contemporary conceptual artist known for his thought-provoking and socially conscious artworks. Sternberg‘s creative expression is marked by a deep exploration of various mediums and processes, including painting, sculpture, digital, installation, and literary work. His work often reflects his profound engagement with the world‘s complex socio-political issues, inviting viewers to contemplate themes of environment, community, and the human condition.
Check Cole’s works at www.colesternberg.com
Online Auction in Detail
Creating Connections: Digital Art for Connectivity
24-31 January 2024
Creating Connections: Digital Art for Connectivity is a charity auction to benefit Giga, a UNICEF and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) initiative to connect every school and student to the Internet. Curated by Nina Roehrs, the auction features 24 artworks generously donated by notable digital artists including 0xDEAFBEEF, Kevin Abosch, Jennifer and Kevin McCoy and Sarah Meyohas, among others. Find out more here.
Proceeds of the Sale
Proceeds from the auction will be donated to UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein, in support of Giga’s school connectivity work.
For more information, please visit unicef.ch/en/events/2024-01-24/creating-connections.
About CfC St. Moritz
Educate. Connect. Collaborate – The CfC St. Moritz is an intimate international conference for hand-picked opinion leaders and investors in the private and unique setting of the Swiss Alps. The annual application-only conference fosters a culture of genuine connection and deliberately admits a maximum of only 250 international UHNWI, family offices, funds, and institutional investors, uniting the traditional finance sector and the crypto industry.
For more information, visit: www.cfc-stmoritz.com
Connect with Giga at CfC St. Moritz:
11 Jan 2024: Giga Lunch Roundtable (13:35), Auction (19:30)
12 Jan 2024: Giga Blockchain Workshop (10:15)
Giga's Blockchain Initiatives
Giga is a joint UNICEF-ITU initiative to connect every school, and every young person to the Internet.
Giga is tokenizing the gigabyte. We are wrapping gigabytes and allowing them to be traded as a new asset class.
Giga is using crypto for payments. We are using smart contracts to register school connectivity and we pay service providers when dots on the map turn green.
Giga is creating on-chain data objects for every school in the world.
We are creating updatable, on-chain data for schools and other public buildings which can help with infrastructure planning at scale.