Verse Talks

Verse

In this episode of Verse Talks, Leyla and Jamie speak with digital art historian and researcher Noah Bolanowski about the overlooked history of digital art. From street art and the early days of Nifty Gateway to the NFT boom, blockchain, and the pioneers of computer art, Noah takes us through his journey into uncovering the people, works and stories that helped shape the medium.

00:00 — Introduction: Noah Bolanowski
01:43 — Becoming a digital art historian
03:16 — Street art, collecting & the origins of Nifty Gateway
07:22 — Keith Haring, Timothy Leary & early digital art
11:59 — Becoming a “digital Indiana Jones”
15:15 — Discovering NFTs & collecting on Nifty Gateway
18:37 — The NFT boom and sudden six-figure valuations
23:27 — Speculation, collectors & the pandemic NFT market
30:48 — The 14-year-old CryptoPunks millionaire
33:03 — What happened to the NFT market?
36:48 — What can blockchain actually do for art?
38:19 — Museums, smart contracts & exhibiting NFTs
43:49 — Rethinking how digital art is displayed
45:15 — Museums and the 70-year history of digital art
48:19 — Why blockchain changed access to digital art
50:21 — 1OF1 and the institutionalisation of digital art
51:47 — Bill Gates’ early digital art displays
55:32 — Do we actually want screens in our homes?
58:49 — Why Noah turned towards digital art history
1:02:48 — Who gets canonised in digital art history?
1:04:05 — Questioning established narratives & the importance of provenance
1:09:13 — The forgotten pioneers of computer art
1:10:43 — Charles Csuri and the unlikely computer art pioneer
1:13:40 — Making computer art in the 1960s
1:16:49 — Why digital art history still needs to be written
1:18:58 — Collecting historic computer art
1:21:15 — How early digital artworks survive and are preserved
1:23:28 — Charles Csuri, treasure hunting & Part Two
1:25:17 — Investigating the past and rediscovering lost histories
1:28:03 — Closing & Part Two

You can find Noah on X @Noahbolanowski

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Tuesday · 2 hr 22 min
Oscar Murillo: Frequencies
Leyla Fakhr and Jamie Gourlay sat down with with Oscar Murillo in his studio to discuss Frequencies - a project 13 years in the making that cuts to the heart of his practice Oscar reflects on his childhood in Colombia, moving to London at eleven, and how drawing became both a refuge and the foundation of his practice. He discusses finding his way into art, supporting his early experimentation through cleaning work, and navigating the relationship between creativity, institutions and the market. Frequencies saw Oscar’s team place thousands of canvases on school desks around the world, and collected the drawings, marks and gestures made over time. We explore how Frequencies connects to his paintings, how it comes alive through exhibitions, and his thoughts on recording the archive on Ethereum. 00:00 — Welcome to Oscar Murillo’s studio 01:35 — Childhood in Colombia and his family’s move to London 09:52 — Memories of home and the experience of displacement 14:04 — Drawing as a refuge 19:08 — Dyslexia, solitude and finding a creative language 33:57 — Frequencies at the heart of his practice 37:10 — Choosing art and the importance of a good teacher 42:44 — Studying at Westminster and discovering London’s art scene 51:26 — Cleaning work and sustaining an artistic practice 1:00:58 — The Royal College of Art and finding his own approach 1:05:05 — Early career, recognition and gallery relationships 1:31:09 — Navigating success and staying focused on experimentation 1:38:58 — The origins of Frequencies 1:46:10 — Bringing canvases into schools around the world 1:51:12 — Drawing, word paintings and the meaning of Frequencies 1:56:11 — Taking the archive into exhibitions 1:58:14 — Activating Frequencies at Castello di Rivoli 2:01:23 — Participation and mark-making at Tate 2:02:15 — Anonymity, participants and leaving outcomes open 2:06:35 — Why take Frequencies digital? 2:09:15 — Blockchain as a structure for distribution 2:13:39 — Shared ownership, networks and connection 2:16:01 — Art-world attitudes towards NFTs 2:19:35 — Disruptive Frequencies and the future of the archive Frequencies: https://frequenciesproject.org/ Oscar Murillo Instagram: @lacachepli David Zwirner website: davidzwirner.com David Zwirner Instagram: @davidzwirner Oscar’s artist page: Oscar Murillo at David Zwirner
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October 6 · 53 min
Caroline Csuri: her father’s life, art & legacy
In this episode of Verse Talks, Leyla Fakhr speaks with Caroline Csuri, artist, entrepreneur and daughter of pioneering computer artist Charles Csuri. Caroline reflects on growing up around her father’s work, his beginnings as a painter and sculptor, his early experiments with computers in the 1960s, and the extraordinary community of artists, programmers and animators that surrounded him. The conversation traces Csuri’s practice across seven decades, from Hummingbird and Random War to his experiments with 3D animation, proprietary tools and generative systems. Caroline also discusses Ordo, a previously unreleased series created in 2017 and discovered among the files Csuri had personally archived on his computer, and why bringing this work onto the blockchain feels like a continuation of his thinking about digital art, provenance and preservation. edit-caroline-csuri (1) Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:57 Meeting Caroline Csuri and carrying forward her father’s legacy 04:38 Growing up around computer graphics and early interactive technology 06:29 Caroline as an artist and understanding her father’s process 07:27 Charles Csuri: artist, scientist and multidisciplinary thinker 11:16 The New York art world, Cedar Tavern and Roy Lichtenstein 14:08 Early computer art and Hummingbird 16:19 30,000 punch cards and the making of early computer animation 18:15 Disney, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston and Chuck Jones 19:40 Csuri’s influence on a generation of computer animators 21:38 The 1980s and developing his own artistic tools 24:31 The Ribbon tool and drawing brushstrokes in 3D 26:53 Random War, chance and Csuri’s experience of WWII 29:22 Sine Curve Man and image transformation 30:11 Ordo: discovering the 2017 series on Csuri’s computer 33:31 Charles Csuri’s interest in blockchain and digital preservation 35:01 Renewed attention around Csuri’s work 39:18 Recognition, Christie’s and Caroline’s promise to her father 42:13 Cranston/Csuri Productions and the rise of computer animation 44:59 Returning to the studio and Csuri’s later artistic practice 47:01 How Charles Csuri wanted to be remembered 49:26 Collectors, institutions and renewed interest in his legacy 50:42 Caroline’s vision for Csuri’s work and archive 52:39 Making digital art accessible to a new generation 54:01 Closing thoughts @Charlescsuri wwww.charlescsuri.com
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September 25 · 58 min
Kika Nicolela: from digital art to collectible cards
Leyla Fakhr speaks with Brazilian artist, filmmaker and curator Kika Nicolela about community, collecting and finding new audiences for digital art. Kika discusses her work with Objkt, the culture around Tezos, and why physical exhibitions remain important for digital artists. They also talk about Kika’s recent exhibition in Shiraz and the role art can play in communities beyond the usual European and US centres. The conversation then turns to Kento, a new collectible art card project connecting physical cards with digital artworks. Kika explains how the project works, why they chose Kickstarter, and how it has helped them reach collectors outside Web3. They also discuss Instagram, onboarding new audiences, the relationship between physical and digital collecting, and what comes next for Kento. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction: Leyla Fakhr and Kika Nicolela 02:46 Being an artist and curator 05:12 Community, collecting and onboarding artists 08:52 Tezos and experimentation 12:06 Curating at Objkt and Objkt One 16:47 Why physical exhibitions matter for digital art 21:46 Presenting digital art in physical spaces 24:30 Shiraz and the Iranian art scene 28:37 Introducing Kento 30:43 Connecting physical cards with digital artworks 32:01 Rarity, editions and claiming the digital work 35:01 The 40 artists in Kento’s first season 37:00 Why Kento chose Kickstarter 42:45 Building an audience and raising $160,000 44:16 Finding new collectors through Instagram 49:45 Kento’s artists and the theme of web nostalgia 53:06 What comes next for Kento 55:58 Upcoming exhibitions and projects 57:53 Closing thoughts https://kento.art/ https://www.kikanicolela.art/
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September 19 · 1 hr
Michael Spalter: four decades of collecting digital art
Leyla sat down with Michael Spalter, co-founder of the Anne and Michael Spalter Digital Art Collection - one of the world’s most important collections of computer and digital art. They discuss the collection’s history, the pioneers of the field, and the life and legacy of Charles Csuri. https://spalterdigital.com/ Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 00:46 – Michael and Anne Spalter’s journey into digital art 05:08 – Building the Spalter Digital Art Collection 09:05 – The pioneers of computer art 15:34 – The extraordinary life and work of Charles Csuri 20:40 – MoMA’s early acquisition of Hummingbird 22:55 – Discovering and collecting Csuri 31:51 – Artistic value versus market value 35:12 – Museums rediscover computer-art pioneers 39:59 – NFTs, Art Blocks and generative art 44:39 – Why Csuri remained outside the traditional art market 52:15 – Collecting as stewardship 56:17 – Csuri’s later 3D ribbon works and legacy 1:00:00 – Closing thoughts
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August 23 · 1 hr 28 min
From Street Art to the History of Digital Art: Noah Bolanowski
In this episode of Verse Talks, Leyla and Jamie speak with digital art historian and researcher Noah Bolanowski about the overlooked history of digital art. From street art and the early days of Nifty Gateway to the NFT boom, blockchain, and the pioneers of computer art, Noah takes us through his journey into uncovering the people, works and stories that helped shape the medium. 00:00 — Introduction: Noah Bolanowski 01:43 — Becoming a digital art historian 03:16 — Street art, collecting & the origins of Nifty Gateway 07:22 — Keith Haring, Timothy Leary & early digital art 11:59 — Becoming a “digital Indiana Jones” 15:15 — Discovering NFTs & collecting on Nifty Gateway 18:37 — The NFT boom and sudden six-figure valuations 23:27 — Speculation, collectors & the pandemic NFT market 30:48 — The 14-year-old CryptoPunks millionaire 33:03 — What happened to the NFT market? 36:48 — What can blockchain actually do for art? 38:19 — Museums, smart contracts & exhibiting NFTs 43:49 — Rethinking how digital art is displayed 45:15 — Museums and the 70-year history of digital art 48:19 — Why blockchain changed access to digital art 50:21 — 1OF1 and the institutionalisation of digital art 51:47 — Bill Gates’ early digital art displays 55:32 — Do we actually want screens in our homes? 58:49 — Why Noah turned towards digital art history 1:02:48 — Who gets canonised in digital art history? 1:04:05 — Questioning established narratives & the importance of provenance 1:09:13 — The forgotten pioneers of computer art 1:10:43 — Charles Csuri and the unlikely computer art pioneer 1:13:40 — Making computer art in the 1960s 1:16:49 — Why digital art history still needs to be written 1:18:58 — Collecting historic computer art 1:21:15 — How early digital artworks survive and are preserved 1:23:28 — Charles Csuri, treasure hunting & Part Two 1:25:17 — Investigating the past and rediscovering lost histories 1:28:03 — Closing & Part Two You can find Noah on X @Noahbolanowski
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August 6 · 1 hr 31 min
Jon Washburn: AI, Consciousness & the Theory of Reality
Jon Wubbushi is one of the most unconventional thinkers we've spoken to. After building companies, he became known for his AI-generated artworks before unexpectedly turning his attention to theoretical physics. Today he leads a research team working on what he believes is a new framework for understanding reality itself. In this conversation we discuss creativity, AI, quantum mechanics, consciousness, religion, death, morality, and why Jon believes the next decade could fundamentally change humanity. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, it's a fascinating conversation about some of the biggest questions we can ask. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:20 Why Jon keeps changing careers 03:30 Becoming addicted to flow 05:00 From entrepreneur to AI artist 06:30 The trilogy of Jon's early AI artworks 09:20 The question that led him into theoretical physics 10:50 Quantum mechanics and the double slit experiment explained 13:15 "We may have discovered how reality works" 15:00 Information, consciousness and the foundations of reality 18:10 Souls, consciousness and reincarnation 22:20 Entering the world of science after becoming an artist 26:40 Could this discovery change humanity? 29:30 Spirituality, religion and why society feels more divided 34:00 AI as a reflection of humanity 35:40 Does the universe have an objective morality? 38:15 What happens after death? 41:40 Is God real? 43:20 Are all religions describing the same thing? 45:30 Why Jon stopped calling himself a Christian 48:20 Aliens, consciousness and advanced civilizations 50:15 Is Elon Musk human? 51:15 Time travel, meditation and the Monroe Institute 54:30 Are we living in a simulation? 55:15 Jon's biggest lesson about life 58:30 Why suffering gives life meaning 1:00:30 The inspiration behind Jon's newest body of work Edit This Episode Episode is Not Live Publish: Aug. 04, 2026 @ 5PM Edit Add a Transcript Add Chapter Markers Create a Visual Soundbite Mid-Roll Placements Share Link to Episode Episode Share URLCopy View in website Direct Link to Audio Copy Download MP3 Embed Audio Player What's New Platform Stats Refer a Friend About
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July 26 · 1 hr 30 min
Mat Dryhurst: The Future of Digital Creativity
In this episode, Mat Dryhurst joins us to discuss how digital art has evolved over the past decade and where it's heading next. We talk about blockchain, NFTs, AI, and the idea of protocol art - works that are defined less by a single image or object than by the rules, systems, and networks that produce them. Along the way, we discuss collecting, curation, online communities, software as an artistic medium, and why some of the most important developments in contemporary art are happening outside traditional institutions. Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 01:35 – Growing up in Kuwait & finding his way into art 03:09 – Collaborating with Holly Herndon for two decades 05:26 – Music, software and creative beginnings 09:29 – Discovering Ethereum before it launched 11:07 – DAOs, crypto and building new institutions 14:00 – Why ambitious artworks take years to make 17:50 – Building a practice outside the traditional art world 20:06 – Making artworks that exist as real software 25:54 – Artist vs Creator 31:04 – Is autonomous art a productive lie? 35:04 – Why we value art we don't always understand 41:14 – Inside *The Call* and designing participatory artworks 44:45 – Why they never create work for the market 48:28 – AI, backlash and losing friends 53:46 – The biggest misconceptions about AI 58:18 – Oxford, AI policy and the future of regulation 01:01:44 – Matt Dryhurst on NFTs 01:07:25 – What NFTs got right 01:12:30 – Crypto art, digital ownership and why it still matters 01:18:05 – Building culture on the blockchain 01:23:10 – Final thoughts Connect with Matt Dryhurst: Twitter instagram
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July 19 · 57 min
Evil Biscuit on Drifella, Trading Cards & Digital Art
00:00 – Introduction 00:45 – Dropping out of art school 02:20 – Family, comics & collecting 05:20 – Discovering NFTs 06:00 – The birth of Drifella 08:45 – Ethereum, Solana & finding a community 12:20 – Why the Solana art scene exploded 16:30 – Building the Drifella universe 20:20 – Why Drifella 3 became a breakout moment 24:00 – Why trading cards? 27:00 – How Card NFT is made 31:00 – Burning NFTs for physical artworks 33:00 – Curating 100,000+ images 37:30 – AI, intuition & making images 42:00 – NFTs, galleries & the future of art 45:40 – Collaborating with Parker Ito 49:00 – Building a community online 52:00 – What's next for Evil Biscuit? 55:10 – Multiple artistic identities 57:00 – Closing thoughts
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June 28 · 49 min
Ed Fornieles on Identity in the Internet Age
Artist Ed Fornieles joins Verse Talk to discuss Borrowed Lives: Anon 2026, a body of work exploring how the internet shapes identity. The conversation ranges from Tumblr and 4chan to memes, online belonging, gamer culture, masculinity, AI, and what it means to grow up in a world where images never stop arriving. Along the way, Ed discusses his wider practice, why online communities matter, and how visual culture quietly changes the way we think about ourselves. 00:00 Introduction 03:45 Introducing Ed Fornieles & Borrowed Lives: Anon 05:45 How Tumblr inspired the project 08:35 4chan, anonymity and internet culture 12:00 Cell: recreating online communities in real life 20:25 "The memes meme you" 22:55 Why Borrowed Lives isn't a traditional narrative 25:10 Growing up through images 29:45 Building Anon: research, internet rabbit holes & image collecting 34:40 Inside the artworks: grids, chapters and visual storytelling 37:20 Why it's called Borrowed Lives 39:45 Are online communities inherently dangerous? 44:35 Masculinity, belonging and growing up online 49:45 How the artworks are actually made 53:00 Pepe, Wojak and the evolution of internet identity 56:10 Future characters, AI and where the project goes next 58:50 Raising teenagers in the internet age 1:02:15 Final thoughts
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June 15 · 42 min
Trevor Paglen: curating Basel Switzerland’s first Zero 10
00:18 - Welcome Trevor Paglen 01:17 - Co-curating Zero 10 Basel 03:34 - Beyond labels and distinctions 05:36 - Blending traditional and digital audiences 08:45 - A blockchain agnostic view 11:44 - NFTs, legitimacy and cultural perception 15:08 - How the art world has shifted 18:00 - The collapse of the mid-tier gallery 20:45 - NFTs as an alternative path for artists 22:58 - Selecting artists for Zero 10 27:00 - Why digital galleries do fairs 31:00 - Presenting digitally first work in a physical context 32:29 - Verse as a cultural archive for the internet 35:00 - Art, collecting and cultural stigma 36:55 - What success looks like at Zero 10 Basel 40:04 - Programme highlights https://x.com/trevorpaglen
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June 14 · 1 hr 25 min
Jalil: Visualise Value, Checks and a new auction house for Cryptopunks
00:24 - Welcome Jalil 03:29 - From art to coding 07:04 - Finding Web3 and NFTs 08:05 - Finding Visualize Value and community 14:01 - The Permissionless Apprentice and connecting with Jack 18:47 - Embracing Ethereum and learning Solidity 22:10 - Scapes 24:24 - Experiencing the NFT boom 29:46 - From rock bottom to Checks 35:08 - Building the Checks contracts 39:39 - How Checks works 41:53 - Rarity, MEV risk and gaming the system 43:26 - From Checks to Opepen and an ongoing collaboration 44:24 - Creative roles, collaboration and ego 45:58 - The impact of AI on Jalil's practice 50:38 - Obsession as a path to exceptionalism 53:58 - Exploring an individual art practice again 56:43 - CryptoPunks V1 and V2 01:00:50 - Fixing V1 trading on-chain and the issue with wrappers 01:04:22 - V1 drama and shifting views on IP 01:09:33 - The birth of Networked 01:14:32 - Building for wider understanding with EVM Now 01:18:40 - A new auction house for Punks 01:21:01 - New launches and ideas at Verse Scapes: https://scapes.xyz/ https://jack.art/checks-originals https://opepen.art/ https://x.com/jalilwahdat
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June 8 · 56 min
Nuclear Samurai: BRAINROT
00:14 - Welcome Nuclear Samurai 02:51 - Expectations going into the mint 06:13 - Why choose Verse for BRAINROT 08:59 - Early explorations in digital art 11:59 - Fine art to fashion photography 16:04 - Rediscovering NFTs in 2022 17:30 - Finding community on X 20:27 - New technologies and artistic freedom 24:21 - Cultivating a broad audience 28:03 - The Artist as a Founder 29:14 - The importance of a considered rollout 33:28 - Timing the drop, attention, and outreach 36:50 - How trends shape culture 38:28 - Scaling the work 41:06 - The power of a custom contract 42:51 - The next steps for BRAINROT 46:34 - Community and Discord plans 47:55 - Why BRAINROT resonated so widely 53:29 - Zeitgeists and references Nuclear Samurai: https://x.com/nuclearsamurai BRAINROT: https://verse.works/series/brainrot-by-nuclear-samurai
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April 29 · 1 hr 11 min
Sssluke and Brian Droitcour: New Bad Image
00:18 - Welcome Brian Droitcour and sssluke 02:50 - Burnout and returning online 04:50 - Brian and the origins of Outland 07:54 - A mismatch in value systems and the importance of critique 10:03 - Outland's relaunch as a nonprofit 12:41 - How important are NFTs to digital art 15:46 - Why try to bridge different art worlds 21:11 - New Bad Image 22:27 - Evil Biscuit and the avant scene 25:51 - Trait Maxing, Mythmaking and the birth of new movements 29:10 - The meaning of New Bad Image 31:39 - Brian on schizocollage 35:37 - Rejecting the good image 39:04 - Curating a group show 42:00 - Emergent online culture 46:54 - Why subculture matters 50:27 - Where credibility comes from today 54:30 - Art as collectibles 56:29 - After the Art World and Drifella III 58:41 - The goal of New Bad Image 01:01:45 - Following a curatorial path 01:03:14 - Collaborating with Andreas Gysin 01:05:30 - The state of the space sssluke: https://x.com/sssluke1 Brian Droitcour: https://x.com/briandroitcour After the Art World: https://outlandart.substack.com/p/after-the-art-world-part-1 Brian's thread on schizocollage: https://x.com/briandroitcour/status/1932829548720369949
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April 13 · 1 hr 1 min
Simon Hudson and Justin Gilanyi: cultural architecture, patronage and Art Basel Hong Kong
00:30 - Welcome Simon Hudson and Justin Gilanyi 05:32 - Building cultural architecture 06:46 - How Justin and Simon met 10:33 - Art Basel Hong Kong group dynamics 11:55 - A collaborative mindset 12:47 - Comparing the energy in Miami and Hong Kong 14:58 - Botto installation lessons 18:54 - Pre-sales and fair prep 20:55 - New gallery models working with fairs 24:00 - Exposure costs and thinking long-term 29:26 - Focusing on patronage and support 31:20 - Adapting to the Art Basel environment 35:49 - New collectors, immersive work and tiered entry points 37:31 - The art world's multiple centres 39:25 - Jack Butcher's Work, Luck, Play 42:43 - Balancing online and physical worlds 44:44 - Fair economics and infrastructure 46:50 - Botto, CNN, and moving beyond the crypto space 51:30 - The Botto token and novel patronage models 53:25 - Strategy for future fairs Justin Gilanyi: https://x.com/justingilanyi Simon Hudson: https://x.com/hudsonsims
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March 22 · 1 hr 28 min
Tabor Robak and Harvey Rayner: from Human Resources to Art Basel Hong Kong
00:23 - Welcome Harvey Rayner and Tabor Robak 01:40 - Human Resources launch and mint-out 04:44 - Tabor's thoughts post-mint 07:00 - Organic growth, communication and momentum building 09:00 - First reactions: risk, confusion and conceptual clarity 11:00 - Roleplay, identity and embodying PFPs 13:00 - Timing, AI and why the project works now 15:00 - The state of PFP culture and shifting expectations 17:00 - Market dynamics and collecting behaviour 19:00 - Collecting as belief in the artist, not just the asset 21:00 - Risk, politics and performing identity online 23:00 - Narrative construction and PFPs as creative tools 28:00 - Clowns, anti-status and rejecting “cool” aesthetics 33:00 - Mr Happy and corporate ideology 34:30 - What's next for Human Resources? 35:00 - Tabcorp as an art company and long-term vision 37:00 - Expansion, tools and the limits of the ecosystem 39:00 - Gender, identity and ethical boundaries 42:00 - Harvey on ChatFUKR, PFP fatigue and lessons learned 45:00 - Community management, responsibility and burnout 47:00 - New collectors and shifting audience dynamics 49:00 - Phase two and sustaining long-term value 51:00 - Glitches, clones and technical refinement 53:00 - Subjective rarity, provenance and long-term meaning 56:00 - Maintaining momentum 58:00 - Balancing engagement with artistic practice 01:00:00 - Institutional context and gallery reception 01:01:50 - Harvey on Art Basel Hong Kong and physical work 01:04:30 - Translating digital practice into physical space 01:07:00 - Presentation, scale and audience perception 01:09:30 - Series mechanics and live minting 01:10:55 - Focusing on accessible art for a more traditional collector base 01:15:40 - The power of the modern print process 01:19:15 - Finding positivity amid market swings 01:22:55 - Social media and the politics of art https://x.com/harvey_rayner https://x.com/taborrobak https://www.taborrobak.com https://rayner.art
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February 25 · 1 hr 25 min
Abigail Miller and Micol Ap: sustainability, growth and long-term thinking
00:20 - Welcome Abigail Miller and Micol 01:07 - Micol’s journey into digital art and NFTs 02:20 - From corporate to crypto art 04:12 - Expectations and burnout 05:26 - Abigail’s background 06:26 - The Fulbright program, Russia and cultural diplomacy 09:32 - Crypto roots and art school 11:07 - Space struggles and growth 14:25 - Echo chamber and reset 18:46 - Financialization vs. experimentation 21:28 - Changes in identity, fame and cultural experience 23:54 - Art Basel Miami and Zero10 27:11 - The missing middle ground for artists 30:53 - Avant Arte operations 36:01 - Artists, curators and different value propositions 40:41 - Industry challenges behind the scenes 41:33 - Vertical’s hard lessons 45:10 - Building in public 45:36 - Feeling on the periphery of the community 47:46 - Women going quiet 49:18 - Social media burnout 56:09 - Beyond Twitter, IRLs and mailing lists 58:09 - Why female artists tend to be under represented 01:06:05 - Bro culture and access 01:10:24 - Sustainability and long-term thinking 01:12:37 - Women supporting women 01:22:03 - Checks, balances and ensuring growth https://x.com/micolmicolmicol https://x.com/proofofgail https://x.com/avant_arte
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February 15 · 1 hr 26 min
Jack Butcher, Adrian Pocobelli and Emir Dino: The shifting state of the digital art market
00:24 - Verse Talks returns 02:55 - The state of affairs in digital art 04:40 - Launching new work, market cycles and algorithm whiplash 07:56 - Focusing on the internet as a canvas 09:15 - The difficulty in bridging crypto and wider internet culture 16:15 - Where are all the new artists post Art Basel's success? 17:55 - Crypto liquidity and its impact on the digital art market 20:34 - Building a diversified practice 22:35 - Has there been a shift in Jack's audience post Art Basel Miami? 28:40 - Over-indexing on institutions, the same names and public fatigue 31:27 - What actually changed after Art Basel Miami? 35:57 - Moving beyond Crypto Twitter 37:20 - Parallels between institutions interacting with crypto art and BTC's adoption by TradFi 42:09 - The benefit of releasing work into a quiet market 45:45 - Is 2020–21 Ethereum culture dying? 49:53 - The SILK model: global events, Eastern markets and physical-first collabs 52:48 - Jack Butcher at Art Basel Hong Kong 01:00:28 - Batsoupyum, cabals and treating money as meaning 01:03:55 - An argument for looking outside the echo chamber 01:06:41 - NFT aesthetics and the BAYC era 01:07:21 - Crypto art vs. art on the blockchain 01:08:13 - Node’s opening 01:10:42 - SuperRare's new exhibition, "We Have Digital Art At Home" 01:12:01 - Why Art Basel is so hard: costs and risks 01:13:33 - Bridging to the traditional art world and expanding beyond our bubble 01:17:24 - Martín Bruce's GEOCITIES auction 01:20:23 - Fresh blood, new energy and what’s next https://x.com/pocobelli https://x.com/jackbutcher https://x.com/DnoTAO https://silkarthouse.com/
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January 23 · 1 hr 19 min
Tabor Robak: Human Resources and the Tabcorp shared universe
00:26 - Welcome (back) Tabor Robak 01:40 - Broken Printer and Tabcorp Labs 03:25 - The Tabcorp universe 05:25 - Human Resources and exploring PFP as a genre 11:10 - A critique of corporate culture 12:45 - The process behind Human Resources 16:05 - Traits and rarity 19:00 - Are we the PFPs? 19:57 - Community and the future of Tabcorp 21:50 - Between the traditional and web3 art worlds 25:50 - Determining the number of traits 29:07 - The relationship between Human Resources and Tabcorp 31:05 - Building the network 36:09 - Addressing diversity and conceptual challenges 41:36 - Exploring release mechanics and mint allocations 47:31 - How NFTs have fed into Tabor's broader practice 51:49 - What drew Tabor to NFTs as a medium 55:25 - Challenges and perceptions in the art world 58:20 - Online fatigue and a move back towards IRL 59:49 - Indexing Human Resources 01:03:34 - The simulation as a medium 01:06:20 - Tabcorp Labs artwork updates 01:08:25 - Keeping pace with technological change 01:10:22 - Art as a brand and the studio as a factory 01:13:47 - The social dimension of an artwork https://www.taborrobak.com https://x.com/taborrobak Human Resources: https://verse.works/series/human-resources
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January 9 · 1 hr 55 min
Rhea Myers: making art to understand the world
01:18 - Welcome Rhea Myers 01:26 - Rhea's journey into art and technology 02:08 - Art school experiences and early career 07:56 - An anthropological approach to the tech industry 10:59 - An artistic approach to programming 17:43 - Blockchain and cultural observations 24:39 - Early days of blockchain and crypto art 37:47 - TORCHED H34R7S 42:05 - Challenges in works that depend on audience participation 44:29 - Cryptocurrency and cultural misunderstandings 46:19 - Blockchain's artistic and conceptual impact 52:17 - Early days of Ethereum and smart contracts 01:01:27 - Art and blockchain: a symbiotic relationship 01:09:51 - The evolution of crypto art and NFTs 01:12:08 - The Fractionalized Phallus and gender identity 01:19:57 - Navigating the art and crypto worlds 01:22:31 - Reflections on the artistic origins of NFTs 01:24:03 - Gallery collaborations and curatorial insights 01:31:20 - Emotional depth, authorship, and personal resonance 01:34:44 - Introducing Koala Noosphere 01:40:02 - The concept of ownership in NFTs 01:52:41 - Future projects and final thoughts
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Dec 19, 2025 · 47 min
Phil Mohun: building Node Foundation and the future of digital art
00:26 - Welcome Phil Mohun 01:44 - The vision behind Node Foundation 03:23 - Why Palo Alto? 04:05 - The importance of Silicon Valley 06:14 - The role of Node in the art community 15:09 - Node's programming and seasonal approach 19:02 - Focus on presentation, education, and preservation 25:18 - CryptoPunks and ERC standards 26:36 - Yuga's contribution and collection bids 28:06 - Creating cultural impact and a distinct brand 31:20 - Node's vision and nonprofit model 34:39 - Sustaining Node and community support 43:34 - The importance of physical and digital spaces https://x.com/philmohun https://x.com/nodefnd?s=21&t=Y0qIYiBAAsy4ea-t-FfRQw https://nodefoundation.com/
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