The Olive Group Enters the Metaverse

May 2022: AD Singh’s Olive Group of restaurants has always been distinguished by its ability to identify industry firsts, and introduce new and exciting concepts to its guests. Now, the Group is looking towards the future and taking a bold step into the Metaverse.

Already booming in the United States and the United Kingdom amongst others, the blockchain phenomenon could very well revolutionize the restaurant industry, and be a force for a positive change. 

The Olive Group has collaborated with Hey Hey Global, an online platform powering experiential engagement between celebrities, influencers and creators globally via new-age technology where fans can discover and buy creator-powered NFTs. The Olive Group will become one of the first few Indian restaurant groups to offer NFTs which will also include the groups’ restaurants offering one-of-a-kind physical and virtual experiences to its guests. In the works are plans to engage with Olive’s wider community, via NFT and the Metaverse. 

To launch the group’s foray into the metaverse, AD Singh and the team at Olive Bar & Kitchen, Mumbai will host a one-of-its-kind event on May 22, where Olive will turn into a digital playground. Well-known personalities like actor Rahul Bose & Sunny Leone, designers JJ Valaya and Narendra Kumar, and creative director Kshitij Kankariaalong with other professional NFT artists will unveil digital creations. 

Guests will be able to explore the Oliverse of digital spoken word, pixel-perfect fashion and art never seen on screen before. The event, which will mark the launch of the Olive NFT gallery, will begin in Mumbai and travel to other Olive Bar & Kitchen properties across the country. 

Says AD Singh, “Since we launched The Olive Group over 20 years ago, we’ve been fortunate to have always had our finger on the pulse of what our customers want and like. We’ve introduced many industry ‘firsts,’ and now, we’re excited to see what our integration into the metaverse means, both for our customers and for us as a Group. We look forward to welcoming you all to the Oliverse.” 

The NFT Gallery Showcase

In signature Olive style, the NFT gallery will bring NFT art – which has so far been limited to the digital world – into our physical world. Collaborating with traditional creators as well as the new wave of digital web3 creators, the NFT gallery is an art exhibit firmly belonging in 2022, which showcases this new art form taking the world by storm. Come experience digital art spanning various different mediums and styles.

Rahul Bose will unveil a video monologue talking about the acting profession; Narendra Kumar will air short video clips relating to his current collection, and will also showcase clothing supporting the NFT; JJ Valaya will show portraits and architectural shots; Sunny Leone will showcase her ‘I Dream of Sunny’ NFT collection that has recently launched; and Kshitij Kankaria will show guests a collection of images shot by him that depict a raw India. 

On display in the NFT Gallery will also be works by the following artists:

Amrit Pal Singh A visual artist, 3D illustrator, and art director, Singh is known for creating whimsical 3D illustrations, NFTs, and diversity-driven design. He is the maker of Toy Faces & Toy Rooms, a series of artworks inspired by nostalgia and a sense of childlike wonder. 

Aaron Pinto | Kisdquidy Aaron Pinto who goes by the moniker Kidsquidy is a multi-disciplinary visual artist from Mumbai, India. He describes his work as bright colours for morbid themes. Starting off as an artist working primarily with Metal musicians and being influenced by comics, cartoons and music his style has evolved and leans more towards lowbrow and pop surrealism with a penchant for the macabre. 

Kashish Arora Kashish is a 3D artist & designer currently working as the lead visual designer for Polygon. He has been creating 3D art for over half a decade and has collaborated on NFTs with artists like Prasad Bhat and Amrit Pal Singh.

Santanu Hazarika Santanu is a multi-disciplinary autodidact visual artist based in Mumbai who became the first ever Redbull World Doodle Art Champion in 2014. He is also one of the pioneers of the NFT revolution in India, with his collaborative NFT with Ritviz selling as one of the fastest NFTs ever sold, in a record time of 37 seconds.

About Hey Hey

Hey Hey recently launched Sunny Leon's latest NFT collection as the technology partner on the project, using their proprietary minting engine & NFT tools. Hey Hey uses its innovative tech solutions to connect fans with over 2500 artists on its robust roster, ranging from famous Indian names to leading Hollywood stars such as Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Mariah Carey.

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