In the first half of January, digital art enthusiasts had spent more than $2.5 billion on Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). To highlight the popularity of digital tokens, the value of NFTs from the Bored Ape Yacht Club went up from almost $200 to $200,000 in just nine months. Firms like 3F Music in Dubai have splurged millions on NFTs of viral memes.

Amid the rising popularity of digital assets, the Middle East’s largest Web3 and NFT community Arts DAO and the region’s first NFT artist Kristel Bechara have joined hands. Together they’ll launch a collection of 2000 NFTs under the community’s debut NFT drop called The Ethernal Gates. Purchases are to be made in cryptocurrency Ethereum, with the prices starting at 0.49 Eth, which is currently equivalent to $1000.

Experts curate and buy these NFTs, which act as ownership certificates of digital or physical art, created using blockchain. The secure nature of these assets makes them preferred investment vehicles and opens a virtual window for artists to reach international collectors.

The collection by Bechara is a set of generative art pieces, which are formed when random artistic traits are assembled. Bechara is known for bridging fine and digital art through her use of vibrant colors and images. “These are recreations of iconic gates and doorways from fiction and history, while the props in black and white are inspired by the vivid terminology used in the crypto world,” she says

Buying NFTs during The Ethernal Gate will allow investors to become the Arts DAO community members. The group has been known for its diverse portfolio of NFTs from the Bored Ape Yacht Club and RTFKT Studios collections. Members also get quarterly rewards based on purchases or sales of NFTs and access to startup accelerator programs.

Investors in Art DAO’s NFTs also get priority for new projects and discounted rates for minting their tokens. Perks include the right to vote on the artists that the community chooses to promote through NFTs. Arts DAO’s co-founder Anar Bhurtun credits Dubai’s position as a crypto hub for the evolution of one of the world’s strongest NFT communities in the UAE.