Hey there 👋

This is Kelani Nichole, Founder of TRANSFER, writing to share some big updates.

Last year, TRANSFER celebrated 10 years of programming and announced our new direction: we're transitioning from a gallery to a decentralized artist-owned archive and cooperative trust.

TRANSFER 10 Year Anniversary Celebration at NYU Integrated Design and Media Tandon at the Yard Virtual Production Facility on April 10th 2023

 TRANSFER Data Trust was inspired by our solidarity experiments over the past decade like Pieces of Me, Well Now WTF, Ways of Something, and TRANSFER Download. We are redistributing the equity the gallery holds to our artists by making them co-owners of a perpetual purpose trust, representing an Exit to Community.

We’ve been prototyping this vision for the past year, and now it’s coming online!

Installation view of ‘The Garden of Emoji Delights’ (2014) by Carla Gannis at the PULSE Art Fair NYC in 2015

The Data Trust launched with a record-breaking acquisition from Carla Gannis, one of the founding artists. The first edition of her iconic large-scale artwork 'The Garden of Emoji Delights' was placed with a private collector on Objkt, fetching the highest price for an artwork sold on Tezos by a womxn.

This acquisition was facilitated via our Decentralized Trust Prototype built on the ODD SDK with support from the Filecoin Foundation. ‘Start Trusting’ to enable your browser as a node, and pull down the catalog of artworks restored so far.

TRANSFER Data Trust has received additional support to back archival work and the formation of our artist-owned cooperative trust. Gray Area Foundation for the Arts is our fiscal sponsor as we make the transition to a non-profit trust. Grant award details coming soon.

 TRANSFER Data Trust is stewarded by Kelani Nichole, Regina Harsanyi and Wade Wallerstein, in collaboration with Founding Artists: Carla Gannis, Lorna Mills, Huntrezz Janos, Rosa Menkman, Eva Papamargariti and Faith Holland.

You can find TRANSFER at Future Fair with a solo booth by Lorna Mills from May 1-4th, 2024.

Featured works by Lorna Mills (left to right) ‘Yellowwhirlaway’ (2017) 4-channel Animated GIF Installation, ‘Mountain Light/Time’ (2015) Single-channel Animated GIF, ‘Epic Biblical’ (2020) Unique Animated GIF Installation.

Join Kelani Nichole and Jay Mollica, Director of Digital Engagement at Pérez Art Museum Miami for a conversation about Emergent Models in Contemporary Art on Thursday, May 2nd at 6PM inside Future Fair NYC.

Congratulations to TRANSFER Artists LaTurbo Avedon, Leo Castañeda, Fabiola Larios, Cassie McQuater, Lorna Mills, Harvey Moon, Eva Papamargariti, Alfredo Salazar-Caro, Nicolas Sassoon and Rick Silva, and Rodell Warner featured in ‘Sea Change’ at Pérez Art Museum Miami through August 2024. The entire exhibition is also available to screen online at PAMMTV

Installation View of ‘Sea Change’ organized by PAMM’s Digital Engagement department under the guidance of Jay Mollica.

 Arts Equity Group provides PR and Strategy for TRANSFER Data Trust. Reach out to Danielle Amodeo for inquiries and press release mailings: [email protected]