Sotheby's Suspends Glitch-ism Auction Over All-Male Artist Lineup

Sotheby's suspended its Natively Digital: Glitch-ism auction on March 26, 2023, just two days after its scheduled launch on March 24, following criticism over the all-male artist roster. The auction, hosted on Sotheby's Metaverse marketplace, featured 21 artists but no women or non-binary creators. Artist Patrick Amadon withdrew his work Static Glitch (2013) and publicly protested the gender imbalance, prompting Sotheby's to pause the sale for revision. The controversy was ignited by a Twitter post from anonymous artist Oona, who questioned the lack of diversity in a movement deeply tied to queer and feminist theory, notably through curator Legacy Russell's Glitch Feminism. Sotheby's stated it would correct the imbalance and relaunch with better gender equity and diversity. The incident highlights ongoing issues of inclusivity in the crypto art sector, which often claims to disrupt traditional art world biases but has been criticized for replicating them. No new date for the auction has been announced.