CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston’s art scene is colliding with the digital frontier as world-renowned artist Beeple is showcasing his groundbreaking work at the Gibbes Museum of Art. Best known for shattering records in the NFT world, Beeple, also known as Mike Winkelmann, has made the leap from online sensation to gallery heavyweight and has debuted a new exhibit at the Gibbes Museum on display through the spring. Beeple’s art is surreal. It blends digital creativity with social commentary, and his work pushes boundaries and shatters records. A collection of his work sold for $69 million in 2021. The bundle was sold as an NFT – or Non-Fungible Token, a unique digital asset that uses blockchain technology to verify ownership and authenticity. Think of it as owning a one-of-a-kind digital collectible. Whether that is art, music, or even a “tweet”. His digital art has quite literally taken over the world, yet Beeple is approachable, charismatic, and curious. Beyond his custom creations, he has helped musical artists like Justin Bieber, One Direction, Katy Perry, and Janet Jackson help bring concert visuals to life. He also consults and creates works for iconic brands like Coca-Cola, Apple, Nike, and Louis Vuitton. While Beeple’s reach is global, Charleston is home, and he is thrilled to be introducing the Lowcountry audience to the next generation of art. The Gibbes Museum of Art is welcoming the exhibition – A Digital Renaissance – that explores themes of technology, culture, and connection – and as Beeple says, asks more questions than gives answers and shows that digital art can have a real tangible presence. "This to me is such an honor, and so exciting,” said Beeple. “The idea of sort of displaying my work in a museum is really something that was not part of my thought process for the first 20 years of making work. Museums were places where you had paintings […] my work was stuff you see online, and so it really was just kind of two separate worlds, and the NFT stuff kind of merged those two worlds in a way that to be quite honest, I did not see coming in advance.” Angela Mack, the longtime head of the Gibbes Museum, is thrilled to expose our community to cutting-edge art and welcome Beeple to the oldest art museum of its kind in the southeast. “This is the first group of works that Beeple has displayed in a museum on the East Coast, so this is an opportunity to see several pieces, in the same vein, the way that he has progressed these pieces from one to the next,” said Mack. “It also underscores his capabilities as an artist and his incredible work ethic." The exhibit is now open through April if you want to see it yourself, and you can follow along with Beeple and his art on his Instagram page. His studio is also housed in Charleston and frequently hosts community gatherings as they look to engage the Lowcountry’s cultural art scene.