Verse Talks

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.

Welcoming Erick Calderon aka Snowfro, to discuss all things generative, Art Blocks, Generative Goods, the difficulty of wearing multiple hats, the weight of people's expectations and dealing with competition in the space.      01:02 - Welcome Snowfro 01:40 - Bringing the energy and shaping culture 03:45 - The headspace of a founder vs an artist 05:25 - Being pulled in different directions 06:38 - The core goal of Art Blocks 09:00 - Democratisation of the art 12:20 - The importance of a longterm perspective 13:35 - Thoughts on the traditional gallery model 16:50 - Not leaning into FOMO as a platform 19:58 - The responsibility that comes with success 22:09 - How to deal with the distribution of audience attention among projects 24:00 - Why the Art Blocks schedule has slowed 26:18 - The still-unexplored potential of generative unchain art 28:04 - Extend your time horizon 30:20 - AB Curated, AB Studio and moving forward 33:21 - How to think about competition 44:50 - The power of generative art and blockchain as a distribution mechanism 46:56 - Navigating the success of Squiggles 50:00 - Collecting, Selling, and financial realities of a digital art platform 52:19 - Artists and projects that are pushing things forward 55:40 - The intersection of AI and code based work 58:58 - A new solo project and the power of constraints 01:02:13 - Juggling AB, Generative Goods and an art practice 01:05:15 - The Generative Goods philosophy and connecting with a different audience 01:15:15 - Different view points, different business models and creating upside 01:22:40 - Snowfro debrief 01:24:20 - The realities of gatekeeping 01:29:00 - Orkhan's Rêveries 01:37:30 - Technical issues with the minting process 01:40:20 - The semantics of gatekeeping 01:44:55 - Artist highlights Snowfro: https://x.com/artonblockchainnikita diakur: https://x.com/nikitadiakur Spencer Yan: https://x.com/spncryn Marcela Bellini: https://x.com/studiobellini Joain: https://x.com/0xjoain  LEGIO_X: https://x.com/legio_x_ Jesse Draxler: https://x.com/jessedraxler Petra Cortright: https://x.com/petcortright                              

Jay, Ivan, Leyla and Jamie sit down with Beeple to discuss the importance of authenticity, virality, the role of galleries in web3 and the responsibility of curatorial uplift in an attention economy. 00:50 - Welcome Beeple 01:33 - Avoiding burnout and connecting with an audience 04:30 - Looking back across an artistic practice 06:06 - When is a work finished and the exploratory role of an artist 08:25 - Developing a physical practice 12:09 - What role do galleries have in the space 14:32 - Beeple Studios as an alternative cultural hub 18:25 - Digital media's potential for greater inclusivity 24:20 - Curator guidance, imparting context and wall text 26:50 - Finding balance in politically charged work 32:30 - How to tell what will resonate 34:40 - The Trump phenomenon and attention economy 36:00 - What community really means in web3 39:30 - Why the imbalance between penises and vaginas 40:30 - Self-censoring, misinterpretation and deleting posts 43:26 - Where will we be in ten years? 44:00 - Post-Beeple debrief 45:06 - Meme-pyromania and community reaction as art 46:18 - The exponential curve of stimulation 49:40 - Beeple's curatorial approach and the democratisation of opportunity 51:36 - Red Chip, Blue Chip and wall text 58:39 - Node's acquisition of the Punks IP 01:04:00 - Verse rundown 01:06:26 - Artist Highlights Beeple: https://x.com/beeplePipiuniversel: https://x.com/pipiuniverselSogaki: https://x.com/sogaki The Galois Connection: https://x.com/thegaloiscxn MACBETH: https://x.com/macbethai                       

A conversation with legendary collector and timeline provocateur Phantom Scribbler. We dive into memes, the social impact of NFTs, the importance of concept & narrative in artworks and the death of aesthetics.01:30 - The state of the market 05:47 - New additions and a rising floor  08:20 - Welcome Phantom Scribbler 09:15 - The effect of price action 10:40 - Phantom's introduction to NFTs 12:05 - Is the NFT trade over? 14:32 - Phantom's approach to collecting 17:00 - Autoglyphs and onchain art 18:57 - The emotional connection with an artwork20:46 - The power of an ugly aesthetic 21:50 - Are aesthetics dead? 22:30 - Lost Robbies and the value of an origin story 24:37 - An impulsive approach to art 28:40 - Bidding on the Giraffe, and understanding memetic value 34:30 - Social stickiness around NFTs 38:00 - The responsibility collectors have to engage and build cultural narrative 50:09 - Brevity, complexity and genuine analysis 52:45 - Phantom's thoughts on physical art 58:35 - The magic formula for a successful release process 01:05:46 - What grabs Phantom's attention 01:09:00 - Artie Galerie and the importance of consistency 01:11:30 - How to onboard new collectors 01:18:57 - Phantom's favourite piece in his collection 01:19:25 - Thoughts on chains, timeframes and liquidity 01:26:28 - Phantom's biggest misses and questionable buys Phantom Scribbler: https://x.com/phantom_scribbs Pipi Universal: https://x.com/pipiuniversel skomra: https://x.com/skomra LEGIO_X: https://x.com/legio_x_ Yuri jjjj: https://x.com/yuri_jjjj                  

Jay, Ivan, Jamie and Leyla sit down with Adam Berninger of Tender and Heft Gallery to dive into Heft's opening, the realities of opening a physical space, artist-gallery relationships, the culture casino and institutional vs influencer gatekeeping.  01:38 - Welcome Adam Berninger 03:50 - The relationship between Tender and Heft 07:49 - What inspired the move to a physical gallery model 12:30 - Connecting in person and object-hood 16:00 - The power of a digital community 18:55 - How digital ownership is understood from outside the space 20:40 - The financial pressures of a physical gallery 25:45 - Galvanising the New York digital art scene 27:40 - Artist-gallery relationships 37:20 - Heft's upcoming program 39:41 - Keeping a balance of blockchain-based and physical works 44:20 - Showcasing the digital art community to people outside 46:30 - The challenges of onboarding and making it sticky 48:02 - What's in Verse's pipeline, working with different galleries and voices 54:30 - Heft's site, Verse white labelling and potential opportunities 59:50 - An expanding gallery presence for digital art in New York 01:01:39 - Meeting and working with Edward Burtynsky 01:07:00 - Fx(hash) airdrop announcement 01:09:51 - Artworks being sold as coins, fractionalisation and editions 01:17:02 - Turning culture into a casino 01:22:10 - Everything is a simulacrum 01:25:41 - Reacting to market conditions and competition 01:32:20 - The bell curve meme takes on gatekeeping 01:40:10 - The issue with the lack of institutional knowledge 01:44:15 - The issue with lack of influencer knowledge 01:50:56 - Artist Highlights 01:56:31 - Verse rundownAdam Berninger: https://x.com/adamberninger Heft: https://x.com/heft_gallerySkomra: https://x.com/skomra Pipi universal: https://x.com/pipiuniverselLEGIO_X: https://x.com/legio_xYuriJJJJ: https://x.com/yuri_jjjjMika Ben Amar: https://x.com/100o111 Orkhan: https://x.com/orkhan_art                             

Kenny Schachter joins Leyla, Jay, Jamie & Ivan to discuss NFT-ism, technology, criticism and all things art before diving into Sketchbook B, content coins and Rodeo's pivot to USD.01:00 - Welcome Kenny Schachter03:20 - Building an audience in a pre-internet world06:30 - Embracing authenticity and integrity 09:00 - Art as a means of social expression 12:49 - Closed mindedness in the art world 15:35 - NFT-ism 19:35 - Dealing with criticism 23:03 - A new audience and the appeal of NFTs 25:40 - Rebuilding the reputation of the NFT space 32:01 - Will the art world and the NFT space ever merge? 35:15 - Presence, reputation and engaging with community 39:50 - Technology and the impact of the computer 44:07 - Surviving in the current landscape 50:12 - Institutional and critical impact vs social media 52:20 - Finding opportunity in failure 01:01:27 - William Mapan and Sketchbook B 01:05:12 - Generative art in 2025 01:09:00 - How do you help to break new artists 01:10:47 - Tinysoul, Zora and content coins 01:19:15 - The impact of monetisation on creativity 01:28:25 - A different outlook on consumption 01:32:17 - The problem with just coining it 01:41:25 - Rodeo's pivot to USD 01:48:27 - Pocobelli and crypto art 01:54:25 - Artist highlights 02:00:02 - Verse Rundown         

Jack Butcher, founder of Visualize Value, brings his expertise in simplifying complex ideas through visuals. He chats about the dynamic relationship between design and art, questioning if the term 'Artist' is still relevant. Jack emphasizes the internet's role as a creative canvas and discusses the importance of authentic connections over mere technical skills. They also delve into the power of networks, the challenges faced in the NFT space, and how independence impacts creativity in the ever-evolving digital art landscape.