We are excited to announce that Institut is evolving by incorporating into the Unit London brand. Here’s why…

 

Unit London was built in 2013 upon the founding belief that art is for everyone. We seek to drive change in the art world by promoting accessibility and inclusivity – opening the doors to new artists and audiences by putting “U” at the heart of everything we do. 

 

In 2021, we led the way for art galleries in entering the NFT space, because we recognised the potential for unparalleled transparency, access and liberty for generations of digital artists who have struggled to build careers in the traditional art ecosystem. We realised that the dynamics of this space appealed to new audiences who  felt excluded from the traditional art world; that traditional barriers to access were breaking down, and new rules were forming. 

 

Over the last 18 months, we have learned invaluable lessons about the trajectory of the NFT ecosystem: the evolving requirements and desires of artists, the profiles and collecting behaviours of NFT buyers, the pace of change of technology, the development of different platforms and blockchains, and shifting sentiments towards digital art, collectibles and NFTs globally. We’ve also been incredibly humbled by the response from a new community of artists and collectors who were seeking a more curated, art-focused context that distinguished their practices from existing NFT marketplaces that are geared to volume and scale rather than quality and nuance. 

 

Our ambition is to unify artists, collectors and enthusiasts – regardless of the media or practices they choose to adopt – because we believe that art is a universal language that has the power to bring us all together. We are striving to remove the stigma around NFTs, liberating artists who are using the technology from the label of “digital artist” or “NFT artist”, and instead positioning them simply as artists. In line with this vision for a truly integrated art world, from today Institut will be known as Unit London, and all programming will be owned and resourced by the gallery. 

 

Uniting Institut with Unit London is a bold step for the gallery that signals its commitment to leading the charge in creating the art world of tomorrow. The gallery's Web3 programme will focus on championing the world’s most exciting digital artists, and will comprise both physical and online exhibitions, as well as art fairs and collaborative projects with third parties from the art, culture and technology sectors.

 

By bringing our Web3 offering into Unit London, our mission is to rapidly cross-pollinate the distinct traditional art and NFT collecting audiences, providing ongoing opportunities for education and participation across both communities, and creating a truly integrated, forward-looking art world.  

 

What you need to know…

 

If you’re a collector and you have NFTs currently stored in your Institut custodial wallet, you can withdraw your NFTs to an external wallet at your convenience. You can do this by logging into your Institut account, viewing your NFT, and clicking “Request Withdrawal”. If you don’t have your own wallet or you’d prefer to leave your NFTs where they are, we’ll take care of it for you. We’ll transfer your NFTs to your new Unit London wallet, free of charge. 

 

If you have funds in your Institut wallet, we would encourage you to log in and withdraw the funds to an external wallet, or to your bank account, in the next four weeks. We are happy to guide you through this process and if you need assistance, our team are on hand to help. Please contact us on hello@institut.co. If you have not withdrawn any remaining funds from your wallet in four weeks time, we’ll reach out to you personally to notify you, and you’ll have a grace 3 months from that point to withdraw before the wallet is closed.

 

If you’re an artist and you have NFTs that are not sold on institut.co, we will transfer them back to you on request. You can email us with your wallet address at hello@institut.co, and we’ll take care of the rest.  

 

If you have any questions about this exciting new step, please email us at hello@institut.co. 

 

Welcome to Unit London. The journey starts with U…