Verse Talks

Eli Scheinman, an operator in the digital art ecosystem, shared his insights on bridging digital and traditional art. He discussed the Zero 10 initiative at Art Basel Miami, aimed at nurturing a new audience for digital art amidst market challenges. Eli emphasized the importance of embracing the quirks of crypto culture and the evolution of galleries, highlighting how artists like Beeple are changing the landscape. He also shared plans for expanding Zero 10 and creating long-lasting connections with collectors through engaging on-site experiences.

00:30 - Welcome OSF 01:40 - Coping with volatility and market panic 03:16 - The origins of RektGuy 06:15 - Managing impostor syndrome 09:15 - A community born in the bear market 10:55 - Pushing against societal definitions of an artist 12:56 - From PFP collection to drinks company 14:19 - The importance of branching out from NFTs 16:50 - Creating brand identity out of the art 19:20 - The pros and cons of launching a token 22:55 - An additive rather than extractive approach 25:21 - The evolution of brand 27:05 - From web3 to the traditional market 30:17 - Riding the wave of crypto adoption 36:08 - The power of organic growth 39:35 - Building a token around identity rather than utility 43:40 - Collecting and a.c.k. 44:37 - The inevitability of digital art 47:13 - Verse rundown OSF: https://x.com/osf_rektRekt Drinks: https://x.com/rektdrinks a.c.k: https://x.com/lphacentaurikid artie galerie: https://x.com/artiegalerieBangarang: https://verse.works/exhibitions/bangarang-week1Petra Cortright: https://x.com/petcortrightBurnt Umber Broken Silver American Spirit: https://verse.works/series/burnt-umber-broken-silver-american-spirit-by-petra-cortrighttinysoul: https://x.com/tinysoulgame Level 1 https://verse.works/series/level-1-by-tiny-soul 

David Shrigley, a Turner Prize-nominated British artist known for his darkly humorous drawings, shares insights from his artistic journey. He discusses the importance of maintaining an authentic artistic voice and the role of comedy in his work. Shrigley delves into his community art projects and the philosophy behind his merchandise at Shrig Shop, emphasizing quality and sustainability. He also reflects on how the art world has evolved since the 90s, his skepticism toward NFTs, and the significance of art as a means for community engagement and wellbeing.

Dive into the fascinating world of art and community in the digital age. Motzko shares experiences from Marfa, highlighting connections made and its vibrant art scene. The hosts unravel the intricacies of social media dynamics, including the fallout from a controversial clip. Explore the concept of curating a personal online gallery and the aesthetic journey of scrolling. Discussions touch on NFT engagement in Silicon Valley, the rise of unique art cultures across different chains, and the exciting future of digital art with artists like Rafaël and Lorna.

00:35 - Welcome Redbeard 02:58 - Discovering digital art 05:03 - Too many sellers, not enough buyers 09:13 - Debunking the cabal 15:13 - Power laws, high prices and rising tides 18:42 - Building relationships and community 22:30 - Uplifting voices and building on history 23:17 - The importance of open-minded participation 25:55 - Being part of a movement and making an impact 29:08 - Zoom out and refine your focus 31:28 - Collaborate more, compete less 32:44 - Inside the Whitney selection committee 35:05 - Performance art belongs on-chain 36:03 - Institutions help, community leads 40:35 - Expanding the community beyond X 42:38 - Showcasing the human side of the artists 46:20 - Looking past the tweets and connecting in person 50:15 - The value of innovation   Redbeard: https://x.com/redbeardnft

00:40 - Welcome Hilde Lynn Helphenstein07:20 - Conservatism in the art world 10:02 - Early exposure to different cultures 11:54 - Conceptual Art, new genres and developing a practice 14:01 - The art world as a performance 16:54 - From Hooters to Art Basel 18:09 - The birth of Jerry Gogosian 22:24 - Problems built into the business model 24:43 - AI and the potential valuelessness of art 30:03 - How social media has changed the art world 34:15 - The myth of inclusivity 39:20 - The pandemic, cultural shifts and NFTs 44:36 - The power of physicality in art 48:45 -  We are all memes 50:40 - The power of the network and connection 56:00 - Normalised extremes and impostor syndrome 01:02:10 - The cost of opening up to an audience 01:14:50 - Moving forward and thinking about the future 01:25:10 - Gozo and the importance of texture in digital art 01:30:37 - A missing historical context in NFTs 01:38:30 - What art will look like in the future 01:43:05 - Technophobia and protectionism in the traditional art world 01:49:20 - Cancel culture, polarisation and satire 01:55:52 - A future NFT true believer Jerry Gogosian Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerrygogosian Jerry Gogosian X: https://x.com/jerrygogosianGozo - an improbable thread: https://verse.works/series/an-improbable-thread-by-gozo Gozo: https://x.com/uncertaingaze

00:42 - Welcome Sasha Stiles 04:55 - The foundations for an endless curiosity 09:50 - Connecting with Kalmyk art forms 13:40 - From academia to the arts 16:20 - New York, cultural absorption and parallel careers 19:05 - Living through pivotal technological shifts 21:52 - An ongoing cultural relationship with technology 23:20 - Nick Bostrom, Superintelligence and Attention Is All You Need 26:39 - The role of the writer and language in the wake of AI 28:29 - Talk to Transformer, early tooling and digital exploration 32:58 - Working with an AI co-author 33:40 - A constantly evolving data set 35:30 - Defining the art and shaping the system 38:26 - Loss of nuance online and the impact of live performance 41:40 - Identifying as an artist and blockchain as a multi-media printing press 48:20 - 2020 and people connecting online 52:00 - The importance of community and social media 54:38 - The role of a gallery in an artist's career 58:45 - The stresses of a financialized practice 01:00:45 - theVERSEverse and the growth of an experimental collective 01:06:56 - A Living Poem at MoMa 01:11:23 - Situating AI-powered verse in the tradition of text-based art 01:16:19 - Upcoming writing, work and special events at MoMa Sasha Stiles: https://x.com/sashastilesA Living Poem: https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5839 https://theverseverse.com    

00:25 – Intro: Raoul Pal01:05 – Real Vision: why it started after the GFC/Euro crisis02:06 – Democratising finance content; early crypto coverage03:41 – Bootstrapping video: “we knew f*** all” era (2013–14)04:45 – Word of mouth growth; mistakes + learning media/tech06:40 – Art + NFTs: desire to be part of a cultural movement09:05 – Crypto Twitter as daily culture; priceless long-term record10:33 – What is “consensus”? Attention as the driver13:00 – Influencers vs. durable consensus (fleeting vs. lasting)14:32 – Do we need museum/gallery validation? Two worlds emerge16:36 – Museums, value, and attention 17:19 – Counterpoint from museum practice; cultural significance18:37 – Once museums act, value follows; UK institutions lag on digital20:56 – Egalitarian internet: anyone can show, few will sell22:19 – Raoul’s barbell thesis: ultra-culture ↔ frontier tech24:10 – Living with digital art; display that works vs. doesn’t25:33 – XCOPY supply dynamics; Beeple’s opposite path28:05 – Die With The Most Likes: world-building & collector bonds29:57 – Explaining it to the “old world”; youth curators & A&R analogy30:52 – People will write the art history; institutions must adapt32:27 – Contemporary art attention collapse; digital shows done poorly33:48 – Onboarding wealthy collectors: friction + sticker shock35:48 – Curation, custody, and NFT funds as bridges37:22 – Can outsiders “feel it” without the chats? Not yet38:52 – Is recommending digital art scary? On risk & Lindy effects40:19 – The collector’s journey: pain → pride → taste41:57 – Where are we in the NFT art cycle? Re-ratings ahead43:45 – Token incentives = attention fuel, but fleeting44:48 – Toward automated, attention-driven art funds (later)46:11 – Shiny objects vs. signal; what the experiments teach48:00 – AI upends moats; community as the moat49:39 – One-to-one media future; end of “one-to-many”51:00 – Human connection, shared experiences become scarce51:40 – Art as cultural capsule in an AI world53:06 – Marfa event as a “marker stone”54:13 – Small world energy; one degree of separation55:18 – Thanks + closing…55:37 – One last Q: why Raoul goes against the grain56:05 – Rebellion roots; living in the future57:38 – Do it differently; travel > prestige paths59:50 – Be yourself in the age of AI; find your voice01:00:26 – Comfort zone ≠ where the magic happenshttps://x.com/RaoulGMIhttps://x.com/XCOPYARThttps://x.com/kimasendorfhttps://x.com/toadswiback

00:33 - Welcome Adrian Pocobelli 01:39 - Discovering the counterculture 07:10 - The desire to collect 13:05 - The Stone Roses, The Smiths, and J. G. Ballard 19:00 - Neoplatonism and psychedelics 24:30 - Learning the craft of graphic design 26:50 - Becoming a broadcaster 29:05 - Finding crypto, Objkt and Tezos 31:35 - The difference between crypto art and art on the blockchain 34:52 - The evolution of the NFT space 39:45 - The complexities of running a marketplace 44:05 - Chain-specific culture 45:51 - The Pocobelli Collection on Verse 46:45 - What does it mean to be a digital gallery 51:07 - The difference between a traditional and digital understanding 54:42 - The thinking behind Artist Journal 01:02:10 - Speaking on inspiration vs. plagiarism 01:08:50 - Derivative culture in the space 01:12:40 - Placing the focus on the art rather than the market 01:14:50 - The Kurt Hustle Collective and WeB'97 01:21:41 - An Italian sensibility and open-minded approach 01:26:20 - The future of digital art01:31:15 - Creating a welcoming environment for new collectors 01:35:30 - Educating new entrants to the space Adrian Pocobelli: https://x.com/pocobelli Kurt Hustle Collective: https://x.com/kurthustle97 Terry Visual: https://x.com/terryvisual JNK: https://x.com/jnk101 haydiroket: https://x.com/haydiroket 

00:45 - Welcome Sebastian Sanchez 08:55 - A journey into digital art 11:05 - Christie's 3.0 and joining the team 17:44 - Developing a commercial mindset 20:40 - Finding the right market fit 22:30 - Nurturing artist and collector relationships 25:05 - Highlights across the last three years 26:58 - Curatorial vs commercial perspectives 30:18 - The effect of an open market on institutional Web3 adoption 32:12 - The closure of Christie's digital art department 35:05 - The implications of digital work in the evening sale  38:42 - Winning collections and building the narrative 43:40 - Dynamics between primary and secondary markets 45:55 - Institutional vs. market credibility 48:00 - The reality of a nascent space 52:04 - A changing collector base 54:26 - A moment of future historical importance 56:19 - Sebastian's artist highlights 57:40 - The emergence of a merged market 01:00:28 - Verse roundtable 01:02:00 - V001: In Real Time recap 01:08:27 - The power of relational dynamics and mixed lots 01:14:26 - Marketing, strategies and themed lots 01:25:25 - Upcoming in-person events and gallery shows 01:27:45 - $PNKSTR 01:30:47 - Traditional art market decline 01:36:30 - Jack Butcher's Gas Wars 01:38:48 - Eric De Giuli and Zero (Broken Symmetry) 01:47:00 - Artist highlights Sebastian Sanchez: https://x.com/sebastianss527 Lowbie: https://x.com/archivepilled Thelonious Stokes: https://www.instagram.com/thelonious_art Sachcoo The Arty: https://x.com/sachcoo_thearty James Bloom: https://x.com/crashblossom1 Maya Man: https://x.com/mayaonthenet Joe Pease: https://x.com/joepease William Mapan: https://x.com/williamapan