NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) have become one of the hottest topics in recent memory, and the most well known NFT collective is Bored Ape Yacht Club. They are made up of a collection of 10 thousand unique Bored Ape NFTs, each with their own accessories, background etc. As of today (May 6th 2022), the most affordable Bored Ape costs 109 ETH, which is an estimated $300,000 USD ($2.35M HKD). The rarest Bored Apes could worth up to tens of millions.
Source：BlueArk
BlueArk is collaborating with Elite Apes as well as other local NFT collectors to curate the first Bored Ape Yacht Club exhibition in Hong Kong. It will be held at The BlueArk in Tsim Sha Tsui’s Peninsula Hotel from the 5th May to 31st July 2022.
Source：BlueArk Group
Dough-Boy, one of BlueArk’s co-founders stated “A lot of friends ask me, “why are NFTs worth so much? We can’t even see them.” Hopefully, this time we could let everyone experience these NFTs in real life.”
Bored Ape Yacht Club have been occupying the top 3 spots for having the highest volume trades at Open Sea for a long time. Dough-Boy said, “Elite Apes are the representatives of BAYC in Hong Kong. We are very happy to work with them on this exhibition. Their team is very enthusiastic about the future and development of NFTs and we hope to push this culture in Hong Kong. Together with collectors overseas, we are displaying over a dozen of Bored Apes at The BlueArk. The floor price of this exhibition is worth over $100M HKD. I hope people could see that whether it’s the art world or the NFT space, Hong Kong is still at the forefront of it all.”
Source：BlueArk
Elite Apes founder and chairman, Jason Au stated “We started Elite Apes 9 months ago with only $2M USD in assets but through our collective effort as a community which has really come together to contribute, learn and share, our total asset value is well over $100M USD.”
Jason added, “What we do is to fully leverage on the commercial rights of these valuable NFTs to collaborate with major global brands to develop further products and other developments in the metaverse. Elite Apes is proud to be the honorary advisor to the NFT project featuring the 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist Cheung Ka Long.”
In addition, Jason explained, “Despite being frequently approached for exhibitions, we are very selective in who we will collaborate with. Blue Ark impressed us because they had a great exhibition location in the prestigious Peninsula Hotel and their creative approach is very authentic to NFT culture and own directions. As such, Elite Apes is keen to support this endeavour as it will help to promote and develop the local NFT scene, and also help the general public and commercial businesses appreciate the benefits and potential of this new era of Web3 and in particular NFTs.”
This exhibition is not just a display of NFT artworks, BlueArk prepared a full experience with BAYC inspired elements such as jungle themed interior design and a bar, bringing the Bored Ape lifestyle into the real world.
At the same time, Dough-Boy collaborated with an NFT collector to combine his own Gummy Villain with the collector’s BAYC #8155, traded earlier for 106ETH ( Price at that time over $320,000 USD), to create “Bored Ape Gummy”.
Source：BlueArk
Dough-Boy said, “I’ve started Gummy Villain late last year and have collaborated with other NFTs and metaverses. I hope that art can constantly evolve. Art will always have its value and one of the directions is to enter the world of NFTs. Because it’s still a rather new industry, there are still endless opportunities to explore. That’s where you can find the potential value of your artwork.” He also stated that the collection of Bored Ape Gummy NFTs will be given to people who come to the exhibition. These NFTs will not be sold publicly. Dough-Boy said, “It’s like going to any exhibition or concert, you’ll get a piece of merch or gift. People have to come to our venue in order to get the NFT. When we started BlueArk, one of our main objectives was to let people interact with NFTs. I feel like the best way to do it is to let them own an NFT.”
The Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT Exhibition will also include limited gifts like exclusive face masks, face mask holders, USB cables, and T-shirts for holders of Bored Ape Yacht Club, Mutant Ape Yacht Club and Bored Ape Kennel Club. Lastly, Dough-Boy stated “Owning an NFT isn’t just owning a JPEG file, we should always aim to add secondary value to your assets. A great example is that owners of Bored Apes gets airdrops of the ApeCoin (APE) which is rapidly growing as we speak. This time NFT holders can come to our exhibition and get free gifts. Thank you everyone for your love and support!”