Verse Talks

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/artonblockchain

nikita 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/beeple

Pipiuniversel: https://x.com/pipiuniversel

Sogaki: 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 artwork

20:46 - 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 rundown

Adam Berninger: https://x.com/adamberninger 

Heft: https://x.com/heft_gallery

Skomra: https://x.com/skomra 

Pipi universal: https://x.com/pipiuniversel

LEGIO_X: https://x.com/legio_x

YuriJJJJ: https://x.com/yuri_jjjj

Mika 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 Schachter

03:20 - Building an audience in a pre-internet world

06:30 - 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 

This week Jack Butcher joins Jamie, Leyla and Jay to discuss, the power of a network, Systems art, the internet's huge creative unlock, the value of independence and whether 'Artist' is a dead word.

00:50 - Welcome Jack Butcher 

03:46  - Jack's practice in his own words 

05:56 - Don't over think it 

07:32 - Design vs Art  

10:11 -  Systems art and the internet as a canvas 

18:05 - In-search of resonance 

23:30 - Validation and recognition 

26:05 - How useful is the term 'Artist'? 

31:45 - The internet's huge unlock 

35:50 - Effort does not equal value 

38:00 - Independence, control and  externalising your thinking 

39:54 - Minting on instinct 

43:00 - The power of a network 

45:30 -  Why is the industry so male orientated? 

48:10 - Thoughts on exhibiting in a physical space 

54:50 - Creating understanding and the issue with working outside the box 

59:55 - Power laws and growing the network 

01:05:15 - Making your process visible 

01:11:50 - New projects, experiments and constraints 

01:14:32 - AI as part of a creative practice 

01:16:35 - Where we'll be in three years? 

01:25:00 - News from across the space 

01:29 50 - Embracing the intensity of the space 

01:32:15 - Artist highlights 

Jack Butcher: https://x.com/jackbutcher 

Visualize Value: https://x.com/visualizevalue

Ed Atkins:  https://www.instagram.com/edatkinsdiet

Rafaël Rozendaal: https://x.com/newrafael 

Heft: https://x.com/heft_gallery 

Kevin Esherick: https://x.com/kev_esh 

William Mapan: https://x.com/williamapan

01:20 - Recap on William Mapan's SOLOS exhibition in London

05:00 - Mapan's holistic artistic approach 

07:40 - Are discussion panels boring

14:20 - Embracing browser discrepancies 

22:00 -  The artist's intent vs breaking emerging standards

28:15 - Leyla's wallet boycott 

33:10 - Jack Kaido and SuperRare 

43:07 - Diving into Holly's collection 

47:37 - Toxic positivity and Grace's post 

54:17 - Timeframes and an opportunity to miss out 

57:58 - Building out context in the digital space

01:00:30 - Botto's Liminal Thresholds 

01:05:06 - Artists Rooms, formats and new focus 

01:12:03 - Developing a release program and striking a balance 

01:14:00 - Artist highlights 

01:23:45 - Verse rundown 

 https://x.com/andreasgysin 

https://x.com/graphicapng 

https://x.com/reas 

https://x.com/graceb_art 

00:58 - The Deviates aftermath 

02:15 - Unpacking the process 

03:45 - The secret 

06:40 - Driving variety and collaboration 

10:50 -  Battling platform censorship 

13:50 - The reveal 

16:45 - Great art can come from anywhere 

20:20 - Self-expression and acceptance 

23:15 - Deviations and community 

24:18 - Permanence and provenance 

27:09 - Personalised slop machines 

35:40 - ChatGPT and the next wave of entrants 

40:50 - Overly complex, off-putting tech 

43:40 - Digital goes physical 

47:30 - Deviates blue chip, red chip, purple chip? 

49:10 - Fall out from Ghibli-gate 

51:18 - William Mapan, sales mechanics 

54:50 - Artie Gallerie and Kevin Esherick 

56:29 - Fakewhale and Andy Duboc  

01:22 - A complex practice 

05:30 - Reflecting on Sketchbook A 

09:50 - Parenthood on creativity  

12:15 - Slowing down and escaping a framework 

16:00 - Building bridges and the importance of physical work 

19:48 - The evolution of Sketchbook B and Etudes 

26:05 - Immersed in the process

27:33 - The completion of the sketchbook 

31:20 - Mark making, self-exploration and identity 

34:35 - Dealing with the noise 

37:35 - The current focus on AI 

39:49 - Does the medium matter 

43:15 - Burnout and maintaining a work-life balance 

47:30 - Installing Sketchbook B and highlighting the algorithm 

53:45 - Authenticity and freedom of expression 

56:38 - Thinking on sales mechanics and allowlists 

59:19 - Intensity, stress and prerelease thoughts 

01:30 - Jeff Magid 

08:50 - Discovering another world 

16:25 - Becoming a collector 

19:15 - Risks and rewards 

24:35 - Breaking convention 

28:40 - The future of the art world and digital art 

36:19 - Value creation and a complex market 

39:55 - Stagnation and exclusivity 

44:27 - Welcoming new participants 

48:40 - Where digital art is going wrong 

57:27 - The stigma of the PFP 

1:00 - An outside perspective 

01:01:54 - The roundtable returns

01:03:10 - Growing the digital space 

01:05:30 - Fantasy art funds 

01:06:20 - Parallel worlds 

01:08:20 - The physicality of digital 

01:10:08 - The promise of the metaverse 

01:13:40 - Interacting and living with digital art 

01:21:13 - Breaking down an outsiders perspective 

01:26:20 - Blue chip art in a red chip world 

01:36:30 - Converging towards a consensus look 

01:41:10 - Agency, exposure and the impact of social media 

01:51:49 - Red or blue 

01:52:25 - High-end sales and moves 

01:54:08 - Artist Highlights 

01:58:28 - Verse rundown 

hicetnunc2000: https://x.com/hicetnunc2000 

kiszkiloszki: https://x.com/kiszkiloszki 

Molly Soda: https://www.instagram.com/bloatedandalone4evr1993 

Casey Reas: https://x.com/reas 

Shl0ms: https://x.com/shl0ms 

Jeff Magid: https://www.instagram.com/magideye