ZURICH.- iazzu, the Swiss technology company tailored to serving the art world, has launched the first integrated and scalable digital appearance for art institutions, organizations, as well as artists and collectors worldwide. The application seeks to identify and expand target audiences, as well as facilitate the presentation of works from the comfort of one’s home via augmented reality (AR). Leading up to the launch, iazzu’s unique approach has been recognized and commended by the École Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Vienna Business Agency.
iazzu’s app has been available to the art world since April 1st 2019. According to Romana Müller, the co-founder and CEO of iazzu, “We support galleries, institutions, artists and collectors with their digital presence, as well as assist in the management and expansion of their exhibitions and collections through innovative technologies.” With its solution, iazzu has introduced a complete CTA (Call-to-Action) tool for the global art community which builds upon and surpasses previous digital attempts by offering diverse interaction and visualization possibilities within a convenient and user friendly app. On the one hand, art organizations are connected with their audiences, while on the other hand, art connoisseurs can experience exhibitions, conferences, works, awards and artist biographies at their fingertips on smartphones or tablets. Nathalie Pichard, the CEO of the ArtTech Foundation said, “With iazzu, cultural organizations will acquire more modern and responsive possibilities to offer a new generation of collectors a complete digital experience.”
Visualization and works of art from the comfort of your own home
The Swiss solution is available for iOS and Android in English, German, Spanish and French. Among its many features is an in-app-chat which facilitates direct communication between the organization and user, a currency calculator with daily updates for 10 currencies, a unit of measurement converter, as well as an algorithm that learns art preferences. The AR features of the app make true-to-life visualization of breathtaking works of art easy and bring culture into any space. Dr. Robert Punkenhofer, the founder of Vienna Art Week, and holder of other numerous distinctions stated “Enjoying and purchasing art online is becoming an ever more popular trend. iazzu offers the perfect app for this.”
Not a marketplace, but a tailor-made app
iazzu was conceived as a tailor-made app and designed with the respective art institutions in mind. The organization guarantees its proper functioning, and will assist clients in integrating data, including that of individual works and event updates. Setup takes only a few days. While previous gallery-apps are extremely expensive, iazzu is available for an installation fee and a monthly subscription entailing only a few hundred Swiss Francs. End users receive access to the app exclusively from the respective institution. Different from marketplaces, such as Artsy, iazzu prides itself in emphasizing the art institution rather than individual works. Surfing from gallery to gallery at random, or “you may also like...” is not possible.
Awards from EPFL and the Vienna Business Agency
Several months ago, iazzu was selected by the EPFL Innovation Park as the Swiss App of the Month. Prior to this, it was voted by an international jury of more than 90 Art-Tech Startups into a group of seven finalists charged with presenting a solution to the Art-Tech Foundation. Among the members of the jury were Prof. Patrick Aebischer, the former President of the EPFL, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Honorary President, Nestlé and Christian Simm, the CEO of Swissnex Boston. At the Vienna Pioneers Festival in 2018, iazzu was selected as a finalist and invited by the Vienna Business Agency to engage in a 3-month residence in Vienna, so as to introduce the technology to the Austrian market. As a result, the company has begun to work with Austrian clients in the Swiss market.
