Future of Digital Art: Recent Episodes
futureofdigitalart
The Future of Digital Art is dedicated to empowering emerging artists by helping them better understand how they can use technology to expand their art offerings. In each episode, we’ll interview successful artists, collectors, and digital art influencers. They’ll share insights on how the art world is changing, how they got involved in digital art, art NFTs, the creator economy, and actionable advice that you can use to grow your portfolio and win at the future of digital art. Brought to you by SaatchiArt.com
Anne Spalter spent her younger years fighting her parents' attempts to drag her to art galleries, and few would have anticipated her rise to become one of the world's leading pioneers in digital art. First encountering a computer in the 1980s, and finding it both a source of inspiration and endless possibility, Anne's career took her away from the world of finance towards a life dominated by digital art. From her early days as an educator in some of America's top academic institutions, hostility to the very idea of digital art has been a part of Anne's experience, but in recent years the ubiquitousness of computers in our daily lives has shifted how all of us think about their role in our creative process too.
On today's show, Anne talks about the impact NFTs have had on how people perceive digital art, the potential for computers to power innovation and exploration in creativity, why visual communication is going to dominate the future, and why she's convinced the future is bright for artists of all disciplines.
Topics discussed:
- How a chance encounter with a computer helped change the trajectory of Anne's life
- How a lack of opportunities to learn about digital art pushed Anne to teach it herself, and learn more than she ever expected
- Why digital technologies give us all more opportunities to explore and innovate in art
- Taking a leap into the unknown, the move to become an artist full time
- Computers as a part of the creative process, regardless of what form the end result takes
- The NFT effect on digital art and the inspiration for new ways to collect and share
- Why artists aren't going anywhere, and how our visual future leaves plenty of room for artists
- A woman's role in the art market, anonymity, and why collectors should keep an eye on the space
Andrea Bonaceto's journey to the frontiers of digital art hasn't been what you'd call conventional. Trained in Economics and Finance, he found his way into the art world via NFT exchanges, and now produces powerful, thought-provoking and conceptual pieces both alone and in collaboration with other artists. His iconic AB INFINITE 1, a constantly evolving open-access multimedia digital canvas of image, sound, and poetry, curated and crafted by AI, has been recently auctioned at Christie's, marking a fundamental shift in the mainstream perception of digital art in the modern era.
On today's show, Andrea talks about what art means in the modern era, how digital art is helping to transform the way we relate to creativity itself, how to get started in the space (and more importantly, why to get started), and why balance is still the key to building a fulfilling life.
Topics discussed:
- How NFTs helped bridge the gap between digital art and the mainstream
- AB INFINITE 1, and how new media provides whole new opportunities to be creative
- Why it took so long for digital assets to get the recognition they deserve
- Differentiating digital art, and why not everything has to be an NFT
- Why setting your personal priorities is important when you enter the digital art space
- The great digital art debate: just another medium or the frontier of a whole new cryptoverse?
- What art means, why it matters, and how context helps keep things relevant
- Why a quiet period in the digital art market might make more creative communities, moving away from products and back to pure expression
Emily Carrig is the co-founder of True Stars, a web3 brand inspiring people to be their true selves through quality art NFTs, fine jewelry, and creative storytelling. Emily is an NFT Degen and collector with a passion for exploring emerging web3 technologies that can empower both artists and collectors.
Topics discussed:
- Emily’s foray into the world of crypto, web3 and NFTs
- What excites Emily about digital art
- How NFT and web3 technology helps artists and creators
- What the digital art space will look like a year from now
- The challenges of working in the NFT space
- Emily’s advice for artist and collectors just starting out with crypto and digital art
- Emily’s thoughts on the economics of artist networks within the NFT ecosystem
Trevor Jones might not be what you expect from a crypto-oriented digital artist, having begun his personal journey in art at the age of 30 and only making his first moves into the digital art space in 2017. He quickly discovered a space defined by innovation, collaboration, community and growth, which embraced his unique pieces in a way which he felt the traditional art world never did. We talked to him about his journey with digital art, cryptocurrencies and what it means to be on the cutting edge of contemporary creativity.
Topics discussed:
- Coming late to the art world, and finding your space in unexpected places
- The digital art landscape today - why the recent NFT market crash is a good thing in the long run
- Why community is crucial to making an impact in digital art
- The challenges of the digital transition, learning a new language to access a new world
- How reaching out for help makes digital art more accessible, and why Trevor still relies on people who know more than he does
- The culture of the crypto-art community based on collaboration, learning, and pushing the frontiers of what's possible
- Why nothing shocks Trevor in digital art, and why it will continue to evolve from strength to strength
- Trevor's top advice for people looking to establish themselves in the digital art space, why talent alone might not be enough
Grace Insogna is an experienced Social Media Manager at World of Women, a community-centric NFT brand celebrating art, representation, inclusivity, and equal opportunities for all. Grace formerly worked within the fashion space, but has now shifted into the exciting world of Web3, fem tech, and wellness.
Aine Foran is the community and project manager for NFTs at Saatchi Art. Today’s episode looks at the future of digital art and Web3 from varied perspectives.
Topics discussed:
- Grace’s and Aine’s thoughts on the current state of community and social engagement in Web3
- World of Women’s WoWverse NFT Capacitors
- Challenges and positive experiences Grace encountered in their role as a social media manager for World of Women
- How World of Women inspired and influenced Aine’s NFT journey
- What excites Grace the most about Web3’s potential for artists
- A quick background on Yam Karkai, co-founder of World of Women
- How artists should use Web3 tools and channels to maximize engagement
- Grace’s and Aine’s advice for new artists and collectors who want to join a Web3 community
Raina Mehler is the Director of Pace Gallery, one of the leading international art galleries representing some of the most influential contemporary artists. She is also an independent curator, producer, and writer, working in both physical and digital spaces (AR, VR, NFTs, Metaverse).
With over 15 years of experience in the fine art industry and a Masters in Art History, Raina is an authority in the field of experiential, time-based art, and the Web3/Crypto/NFT space.
Topics discussed:
- Raina’s work trajectory at Pace Gallery, starting out with a registrar role to being the gallery’s director
- The state of digital art today and the role blockchain technology plays in it
- Her transition from traditional to digital art, and the biggest challenges she encountered with collecting and curating digital art
- What excites Raina about digital art today
- Noteworthy digital art exhibitions in the past years
- What Raina looks forward to seeing in the world of digital art a year from now
- The story behind the #Retouched exhibition
- Raina’s advice for artist who are just starting out in digital art
Jonny Wilson is the video remixer behind Eclectic Method. Jonny started out as a musician and was inspired after hearing a Public Enemy album to make sample-based music. He then became a DJ where he started making mashup videos and eventually moved into creating robust audio visual music video experiences and has had 3 NFTs on Super Rare.
Topics discussed:
- Jonny’s journey from a rock band, to a video DJ on MTV Europe, to collaborating with bands like U2, to motion graphics and crypto art
- How crypto art makes space for more robust audio visual music video experience
- The copyright challenges around music videos and how crypto helps solve these challenges
- Jonny’s experience with viral memes
- How Jonny describe the state of digital music and audio visual art today
- The power of word of mouth vs algorithmic content
- How more analog musicians are shifting toward NFTs and the benefits they’re seeing
- Jonny’s top three pieces of advice for artists who are just getting started
Colborn Bell is the Co-Founder and Director at the Museum of Crypto Art. His background working in finance has gradually morphed into a career of collecting art and NFTs. He shares why he believes digital art to currently be in a state of crisis. Digital art is a hot industry right now, and Colborn has seen people come in with distorted expectations. If you are an artist who is considering making the transition into the digital art space, then this episode will serve as a great intro to the industry and an overview of the most common pitfalls.
Topics discussed:
- Colborn’s background and the work he does at the Museum of Crypto Art
- The influences that shaped Colborn’s unique career and work
- Why Colborn thinks digital art is in crisis
- The truth about working in the digital art industry
- What happens when creators are also the collectors
- The biggest challenges of collecting and curating digital art
- Reasons to be excited about digital art today
- What crypto art could look like a year from now
- What artists need to know as they are getting started in digital art
Miss Aniela, also known as Natalie Lennard, had an interest in digital art from a young age when she got into photography as a student. In her project, Birth Undisturbed, she traveled through the world and history to depict birth from ancient to modern, and squalid to famous, the series depicts stories of women both real and imagined.
On the show today, she talks about her favorite medium, photography, some of her recent projects, and what excites her the most about digital art right now.
Topics discussed:
- Miss Aniela’s background and how she got into digital art
- What drew Miss Aniela to the medium of photography
- The state of digital art today in relation to photography
- Some of Miss Aniela’s favorite projects
- What excites her the most about digital art at the moment
- Storytelling through static images in her Birth Undisturbed series
- What the future of digital art will look like in 3 years
- Miss Aniela’s advice for artists that are just getting started with digital art
In this episode, we are joined by Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah, an internationally exhibited and published German-Ghanaian visual artist and documentary photographer based in Zürich, Switzerland.
Her work is frequently awarded for exploring new territories through image-making, research, and human connection. She equally engages in documentary work and conceptual arts and has an active practice in the NFT and web3 space, most notably with her project Behold The Ocean.
Topics discussed in this episode:
- Why Akosua believes digital art is absolutely necessary and how NFTs and web3 are technological and cultural tools
- Why and how Akosua made it a point to get outside the echo chamber of web3
- Her perspective on how the digital art revolution started
- How Clubhouse created a gateway for global conversations in a different way than social media had before
- The biggest challenges Akosua faced in creating digital art and how she overcame them
- Why the marriage of work and technology and forming communities with the courage to communicate about their work excites her most about digital art
- Why the blockchain’s decentralized system is the most resilient storage solution digital artists have
- Akosua’s Behold the Ocean project based in Patagonia and how she got involved in this passion project
- Her top three pieces of advice for artists