As if you hadn’t noticed, this is a coming-of-age moment for Web3. Just as major Art Basel galleries are joining the Zero 10 digital art initiative, with blue-chip houses like Hauser & Wirth, Esther Schipper, and Marian Goodman committing serious floor space to digital practices, NFC Summit is putting art first at its new factory site even as it seeks to sustain the event’s crypto-friendly culture.

For years, blue-chip galleries have avoided association with anything even NFT adjacent. That they are finally willing to accept the hybrid reality of contemporary art reflects both the instability of the traditional market and the concerted efforts of Art Basel, whose CEO Noah Horowitz regards digital art as a cornerstone of their future strategy. If the cancellation of this year’s planned edition of NFT Paris augured ill for the fragile Web3 ecosystem, Arab Bank Switzerland has helped to support the continuation of NFC Summit, sharing highlights from its collection along with its own resources.

Sadly for the emerging artists of Web3, the economic outlook remains bleak; and it is notable that none of the seven traditional galleries joining Zero 10 have yet embraced art on the blockchain. All of which leads one to ponder whether institutional validation is in fact closing doors for the new generation, entrenching a familiar walled garden.

This week: RGBMTL announces artist-curators for 2026; Es Devlin invites users to co-author an AI-collaborative “National Portrait”; Liam Young imagines planetary futures at the Barbican; Petra Cortright exhibits new digital paintings at Independent New York; ArtVerse, Paris invites the public to join Patrick Tresset’s Human Study #1; Nguyen Wahed, New York, hosts a group show for the 2026 graduates of the University of Pennsylvania’s MFA program; Gozo Yoshimasu wins the Serpentine x Flag Art Foundation Prize; applications for The Lumen Prize close on May 23, 2026; and we revisit our interview with Patrick Tresset.

— Danielle King, Head of Community at Right Click Save