Verse Talks

03:00 - Luba Elliott on Terence Broad 04:15 - Autoencoding Blade Runner 09:25 - Machine learning in 2016 12:31 - Arriving at the crossroads of technology and art 15:35 - Why Blade Runner? 19:05 - Luba and Terrence's collaboration through Feral File 22:06 - (un)stable equilibrium 25:00 - The conceptual journey behind the work 29:50 - Imperfect copies and more constraints 31:35 - The construction of the final video pieces 34:55 - A renewed mainstream interest in the work 40:01 - Looping in latent space 41:49 - Future explorations around (un)stable equilibrium 44:53 - The possibilities NFTs open up for a digital practice  https://x.com/terrybroad https://x.com/elluba https://verse.works/series/un-stable-equilibrium-by-terence-broad?itemId=07c502f4-8cec-47bf-9eac-8a9c0d2a0bc0           

00:50 - Welcome Roger Dickerman 02:48 - The importance of a physical space 06:02 - Roger's journey into digital art 07:45 - A deliberate imbalance 11:02 - Controlling the bookends 14:15 - The birth of Artifex and 24 Hours of Art 20:25 - Sustainability and longevity 22:35 - Putting the work in and riding out the bear 24:45 - A process of iteration and evolution 28:35 - "One foot in the market, one foot firmly in the love of the art" 30:05 - The objectivity of price action35:31 - How to define excellence and quality in art 39:25 - The impact of exposure to work 42:00 - Feeling vs technical precision 46:07 - A new energy in the space 48:30 - Testing convictions and responding to crisis 52:18 - Community, Sam Spratt and the power of participation 58:58 - Acting with focus and intention 01:01:45 - Ingredients for success 01:05:30 - Assessing the market and thinking about trajectory 01:10:30 - Verse roundtable 01:11:05 - The Art Blocks 500 01:16:15 - Eternalising a time period and creating canon 01:23:10 - Institutional interest and supporting collectors 01:24:45 - Takashi Murakami's 108 Flowers Revised 01:37:28 - Traditional artists' impact on the perception of space 01:43:02 - Speculation and gambling 01:47:15 - Taking personal responsibility for purchases and decisions 01:51:07 - Murakami's tweet and lack of awareness 01:52:50 - The complexity of collecting work on the blockchain 01:57:45 - Collecting to be part of a community vs collecting with an awareness of price potential 02:03:49 - Dalos Dov's Do Machines Dream of Human Bodies 02:06:30 - Valent's Athanasia 02:11:30 - The importance of authentic community engagement 02:21:46 - Verse rundown Roger Dickerman: https://x.com/rogerdickerman 24 Hours of Art: https://x.com/24_hours_artPaul Pfeiffer: https://www.instagram.com/pmp2021 itsgalo: https://x.com/galoandstuff  brawlers world: https://x.com/brawlersworldValent: https://x.com/0xvalent Dalos Dov: https://x.com/dalos 

This week we sat down with seasoned advisor Eli Scheinman to discuss his new role at Art Basel, what’s driving the market’s fresh momentum, how today’s collectors are maturing and how to frame emerging work for a more traditional crowd.00:50 - Welcome Eli Scheinman 02:39 - Why the market's moving 04:30 - The trickle-down effect of big sales 07:07 - New entrants into the space 09:48 - The flow from collectibles and PFPs into art 14:37 - Eli's role with Art Basel 21:30 - Evolving in the face of a challenging market 23:00 - How to create excitement and understanding among new audiences 24:30 - Context is key 28:49 - World-building, narrative and sponsorship 33:04 - Collections as an identity layer and a discovery tool 34:50 - Friction points when onboarding from the traditional space 40:20 - How things have changed across cycles 46:00 - Lower barriers to participation in the digital space and their effects49:00 - The maturation of the core collector base 51:10 - Kim Asendorf's PXL DEX, private sales and new points of discovery 56:45 - Artist highlights 01:02:40 - Social media's impact on an artists career Eli Scheinman: https://x.com/eli_scheinKaryn Nakamura: https://www.instagram.com/frog_spit_simulation Canek Zapata: https://x.com/canekzapata Agoston Nagy: https://x.com/_stc Li Yi-Fan: https://www.instagram.com/liyifanyifanli                         

This week Leyla sits down with artist and filmmaker Nikita Diakur to explore his journey in the art and film worlds, spotlighting his acclaimed short film 'Ugly'. They dive into the film's themes and the creative process behind it, as well as his artistic identity, experiences with NFTs, and his upcoming exhibition on Verse with SOLOS. 00:40 - Welcome Nikita Diakur 02:20 - Identity and a multi faceted creative path03:15 - Finding inspiration06:04 - Exploring the themes in Ugly 10:40 - Unpacking the creative process and the role of simulation17:08 - The expansion of the Ugly world 18:40 - Opening the treasure box, unfinished works and future exhibitions 21:05 - The role of lived experience in Nikita's work 23:50 - Art, politics and the message behind Ugly 26:02 - Finding NFTs and the web3 space 29:49 - Working with Colección Solo 32:28 - A glimpse into Nikita's upcoming SOLOS show on Verse38:02 - Balancing parallel creative practices       

This week we sat down with former General Manager of CryptoPunks and founder of StoneWork Natalie Stone, and artist, gallerist and broker Shane Lavalette. We unpack Stone's journey into NFTs, Node’s Punks acquisition, and the enduring passion of the community as well as the evolution of curation and collector identity, Shane's thought process when looking at an artist's body of work and the value of transparency and provenance.00:30 - Welcoming Natalie Stone and Shane Lavalette 02:44 - Stone's path into NFTs and her work with CryptoPunks 06:40 - The significance of Node's Punks acquisition 09:50 - The future of CryptoPunks under Node 12:40 - The resilience and passion of the Punks community 16:30 - Will there be another project as significant for the space18:13 - First order of business for Node 20:05 - How time has shaped community dynamics 21:38 - The maturation of the space and collector curation 24:00 - Curating as an expression of identity 29:00 - Developing taste, the role of education and exposure 32:40 - Notable collections and collectors 34:55 - Shane's background in the arts and introduction to NFTs  37:32 - The importance of brokering and advisory services 43:24 - Creating space for emerging voices 44:44 - Diving deep and collecting against the trend 51:10 - Dream collecting, "if money were no object" 52:28 - Shane's list in GrailersDAO 55:05 - Balancing transparency with a simplified marketplace experience 59:28 - The importance of provenance  01:01:48 - Artist highlights 01:07:37 - Verse Rundown Shane Lavalette: https://x.com/shanelavalette Stone: https://x.com/naughtaliestone bhare: https://x.com/bhareboy0009: https://x.com/0009ineKlea McKenna: https://x.com/klea_mckennaNoah Kalina: https://noahkalina.com/chickencameraMolly Soda: https://mollysoda.exposedRalph Lemon: https://www.momaps1.org/en/programs/377-ceremonies-out-of-the-air-ralph-lemon                      

We sat down this week with long-form generative pioneer Tyler Hobbs to explore Day Gardens, his new body of work released with La Collection at Art Basel this week. They dive into the balance between personal life and artistic career, and the future of generative art in a rapidly changing landscape, as well as the effect of audience expectations and market dynamics on a creative practice.00:50 - Welcome Tyler Hobbs 04:50 - The evolution of Tyler's artistic journey 10:20 - Consistency and integrity and putting the work first 13:22 - Art Blocks and the shift to digitally focused distribution 15:50 - Navigating between the digital and physical artworlds 21:20 - The importance of saying no, learning when to say yes 25:49 - Thinking about release cadence and managing time 27:30 - Exploring Day Gardens 33:20 - Dealing with the noise and finding balance 39:25 - The increasing speed of culture 41:45 - Thinking about audience expectations and the effect of a legacy 47:00 - QQL and exploring new formats 50:15 - Cultivating community and stepping back 56:00 - What made Fidenza resonate 56:27 - The evolution of generative art and future directions59:10 - Different ways of creating and engaging with the space 01:01:20 - Diewiththemostlikes and a new wave of superstar artists 01:02:50 - Prioritising fun over a traditional approach 01:06:50 - Social commentary and online performance 01:08:30 - Changing perspectives and open mindedness 01:11:55 - Artist highlights 01:61:21 - Verse Rundown Tyler Hobbs - https://x.com/tylerxhobbs Jack Butcher - https://x.com/jackbutcher Shl0ms - https://x.com/shl0ms diewiththemostlikes - https://x.com/toadswiback Sarah Zucker - https://x.com/thesarahshow                      

Jamie and Leyla sit down with artist Erik Swahn in advance of his upcoming series Soma. They discuss his artistic evolution, the impact of attention on creativity, and the relationship between colour and music. The conversation delves into the title and concept of Soma, as well as Erik's thoughts on the future of his artistic practice. 01:10 - Welcome Erik Swahn 02:40 - The effect of attention on the creative process 04:30 - From architecture to art 06:39 - Discovering NFTs 08:31 - The impact of fxhash and community 10:30 - Exploring the success of Farbteiler  12:00 - The relationship between colour and music 14:19 - Fields, abstraction and the sublime 16:50 - An evolving practice and the influence of the Baroque 18:43 - How time frames work differently 23:40 - The weight of expectation 25:50 - A flattening of art history 27:25 - The emergence of Soma 29:38 - An ongoing preoccupation with colour 31:25 - The significance of a smaller series and a finite frame 35:30 - A brave new world and finding inspiration in the abstract39:41 - Shared attention and the power of art Erik Swahn: https://x.com/erikswahn        

Jamie and Leyla sit down with Sofia Garcia to explore her journey through digital art, from the early days of ARTXCODE and building lasting relationships, to navigating the 2021 hype and envisioning the future of art in the age of the internet.1:00 - Welcome Sofia Garcia 05:25 - The birth of ARTXCODE 10:50 - Selling works at CADAF and the first mint 17:10 - Finding an organic aesthetic in the digital 18:42 - The state of the community circa 2019 23:37 - The pandemic and a move to digital curation 26:55 - The early perception and growth of NFTs 31:55 - 2021 and navigating the hype 37:40 - Taking ARTXCODE full time 40:17 - Thoughts on collecting, curation and the current digital art zeitgeist 42:55 - A fluid definition of a practice 45:14 - Artist representation 49:58 - Honest feedback and understanding collector expectations 52:00 - Building a roster and working relationships 54:25 - A support system based on shared values 01:01:02 - Thoughts on gatekeeping 01:08:01 - What does the future of art look like 01:12:20 - A holistic approach to the digital art space 01:16:30 - Sales and the realities of curating blockchain-based art 01:20:42 - What's next for ARTXCODE 01:27:09 - Sophia's dream artist to sign 01:29:09 - Artist highlights 01:37:06 - Verse rundown Sofia Garcia: https://x.com/sofiagarcia_ioMika Ben Amar: https://x.com/100o111 enigmatriz: https://x.com/enigmatriz Frank Manzano: https://x.com/loved_orleer Kevin Esherick: https://x.com/kev_esh Mr Richi: https://x.com/richi0118 Mr Richi - It's Just JPEGs: https://x.com/richi0118/status/1931643514003111974?s=46&t=Y0qIYiBAAsy4ea-t-FfRQw                  

Jay, Jamie, Ivan and Leyla sit down together and examine the markets growing optimism, gallery models, transparency and creating value and confidence for both artists and collectors.     01:00 - Jay's summer break 05:53 - Twitter toxicity and curating your social feeds 09:30 - The market's heating up 15:40 - Speculation vs desire  18:30 - The confidence speculation can inspire in a collector base 19:50 The benefits and difficulties of playing in an emergent space 22:10 - Jay and Jamies' collecting thesis 27:37 - Financial realities and looking for a return 29:20 - Advice for new entrants to the space 33:00 - Balancing business, artist and collector interests 40:45 - Making the market 44:03 - What creates confidence and value around an artist 47:00 - Building market confidence and adopting a Gagosian model 53:16 - Artifice, transparency and creating real demand 56:33 - The issues with pursuing a traditional gallery model in the web3 space 01:02:50 - How important is a program and justifying time spent 01:08:38 - A difference in approaches between the traditional and web3 spaces 01:11:33 - The importance of a diversified program 01:12:45 - Artist Highlights 01:15:03 - Evolving collector tastes 01:17:45 - "The subject matter doesn't make the piece" 01:20:03 - Has the space's aesthetic been calcified? Skygolpe: https://x.com/skygolpe  Jack: https://x.com/franskeej  Frank Manzano: https://x.com/loved_orleer  Itsgalo: https://x.com/galoandstuff  ex_mortal_: https://x.com/ex_mortal_  canek zapata: https://x.com/canekzapata  Robinson St. George: https://x.com/rbnsnstgrg  skomra: https://x.com/skomra  neuraldivine: https://x.com/neural_divine  MCHX: https://x.com/mchx17  DJKero: https://x.com/djkero  Greg Nikshumika: https://x.com/gregnikshumika  Kyle Flemmer: https://x.com/wildmissingnos  Nicolas Sassoon: https://x.com/nicolas_sassoon  Jeres: https://x.com/heyjeres  Erik Swahn: https://x.com/erikswahn  Godmin Lilan Yang: https://www.instagram.com/lilanyang.studio                

Ciphrd and Cosimo dive into the exciting realm of open-form generative art and the launch of the $FXH token. They discuss the mechanics of art coins and their potential to revitalize collector engagement in the NFT space. The conversation navigates the balance between speculation and long-term collecting, emphasizing the evolution of art ownership. They explore how open platforms can foster emerging artists, alongside the importance of community involvement and innovative strategies for sustainability in a transforming digital art landscape.