Daniel Peace: Сrypto Art is like the Wild West

Acronyms:
Daniel Peace — DP
Anastasiia Spirenkova (TAEX) — AS

AS: Daniel, how did you become a curator in the first place? How did you decide to do that and why do you find it important?

DP: Originally I was doing event management in London, where I moved in 2010 from my hometown. I was doing music and teaching before that, and in London I started working with lots of venues and was trying to push the local scene. I don't think that back then I really thought about being a curator or having a gallery myself. At that moment I was a photographer. It was the main path I wanted to pursue, but couldn't really afford to practise it fully. That’s why I moved to Berlin. There I started to work a lot in the fashion industry with brands, models, and artists. Finally, when I was working as a photographer for Alternative Fashion Week (AFW), I ended up being asked to do an exhibition during the AFW, because I knew so many artists in the city.

Later on, still being a photographer, I moved to Mexico, where, again, I was surrounded by artists. I left the country quite abruptly but that time helped me to understand better what I’d like to do on my own. In a city that doesn't have a lot of contemporary art but a lot of artists and good ideas, I felt that it’s really important to promote the underrepresented artists. I was reflecting more and more about opening my own gallery, which I did. Eventually, I moved to Athens and focused on curation and promotion of other artists' works.

AS: And at what point did you start to focus on digital art?

DP: The gallery space that I set up myself was predominantly based on photography and video. There is a big crossover anyway with photography and digital art, even in the way the works are produced and sold. It really falls in line with how one adds value to prints.

I was researching more on how we can commission works as a gallery. For photographers, it can be very difficult to sell works, particularly when the realms like blockchain were becoming popular, as well as virtual exhibitions, and virtual art spaces (VAS). So photography and video art sales could become digital as well, essentially a new class of value to artists who were producing works this way in the same way an edition could be done in different formats of print photographic work displayed virtually and sold as a digital asset made a lot of sense. Mediums were crossing over.

At first it was a natural progression, but the real dive into everything was when COVID-19 hit. Virtual projects like Discord Club and Clubhouse appeared. The virtuality was part of a lot of panel discussions. During the pandemic, we were not sure that it wouldn't stay forever. So I was reflecting on how we can still be proactive within art scenes. I got really interested in digital art entities, virtual exhibition spaces, VR exhibitions, and so on.

AS: You're also a researcher working on cultural representation in virtual art spaces. Can you tell a little bit about the subject of your study and what does cultural representation mean to you?

DP: I decided that I really want to expand my knowledge and was trying to pursue a practice-based PhD. In a way I’ve already written my PhD proposal, which was accepted, but I had to complete a separate course first. I ended up applying to do a Postgraduate certificate (PGCert), which is an MA level degree, about digital curation and collections.

Traditional galleries always got their ‘white paper’. They select artists which typically have been white, especially Western male artists. However, in the last 20-30 years, curators got more inclusive and liberal in their selections. Sometimes it's not really a choice, many people do it because they feel it's just a necessity to say which isn’t true representation, which is something that is very important to me and what my PHD proposal specifically about “Cultural representation and inclusivity of under-represented artists in digital spaces”.

I suppose that NFT's give control back to the artists for work sales and virtual exhibitions. Virtual galleries, spaces, or viewing rooms essentially give artists a platform to choose their own curatorial topics, to select their own artists from around the world without a cost, and then to be able to share audiences without people having to physically attend the shows.

NFT's give control back to the artists for work sales and virtual exhibitions.

One can create immersive exhibitions very easily on any curatorial topic. This type of inclusivity allows a curator to incorporate in the exhibition people with various backgrounds. This gives artists an opportunity to share their audiences and to reach out to new people and collectors without being physically present. It then opens up this huge, this huge door to establish new ideas by new artists.

I’m sure that one may live on the other side of the planet and make their work visible to a brand new audience. I sincerely do see the world moving more towards it. I love that all these new augmented reality, VR headsets, the big consoles and computer companies are pushing these applications and developing them. More people are sitting down and creating from the comfort of the living room and becoming visible for the people from every country of the world. One can create any form of collectives and meetings and put on amazing exhibitions and have complete freedom over the type of work they're showing.

AS: In this situation, how do you gain the trust of potential collectors?

DP: I’m pretty sure that there won’t be a lot of traditional old style collectors diving into the NFT world except maybe the more forward thinking ones, but a new type of collectors of artworks produced with an essentially new medium. It's a whole new crowd. There are new artists who are computing new artistry and becoming successful in this digital space right now. It opens the doors for people who might have no formal interest in Art History or anything like this.

There is no real historical research written about it yet, because it's happening right now. There's not enough data yet, to see where NFTs and virtual art spaces are going.

It’s a pinnacle moment at the minute.

It’s a pinnacle moment at the minute. Either everything will get pushed back under the water and fall back into a traditional system, or people will really pioneer the way for this. Currently, there is a lot of scepticism about NFTs and VAS, but I'm quite optimistic. It is important that artists and curators are able to take control of these new spaces and exhibitions away from galleries with a completely different attitude.

AS: Do you see any place for sort of ‘underground’ crypto art there? You just mentioned that many artworks are getting viral, what about the non-viral ones?

DP: It's very interesting that even some of the stuff, which has become super hype about the value of crypto art, cannot disappear and is archiving. In 20 years from now, we could be witnessing a museum of underground artworks stored as NFTs, which might have been popular once. We may even be nostalgic about it one day.

It's like the Wild West.

It's like the Wild West. Twitter is the main marketing force for crypto art, then some curatorial platforms enter the room and provide guidance. It's a minefield in some respects because there's so many people spending their own money to make works, without really a clue, and making money or losing it in the process. You may call it ‘the stock market of art’. A new medium for art sales.

AS: In this new system, with new artists, new collectors, what is required from a new type of curator?

DP: I suppose a new type of career path and an open mind is required. A number of things have been changing rapidly since the Industrial Revolution, but things are changing especially rapidly now in the Internet era that we're living through.

And I think concepts will become more important for our time. There's a massive resurgence obviously off digit lot, software and the technology quality work is important especially in the abundance of it. There is so much going on. From a political standpoint, I think the environment needs to be inclusive. This is a perfect opportunity to really shout about amazing artists which haven't been traditionally represented.

Helin Sahin, Sanguine Spirit, Available to purchase on TAEX

AS: When you see established art institutions that are trying to adapt to the crypto art world, do you think that they are really capable of doing it?

DP: It’s funny because these institutions, galleries, art fairs have all the resources to do something great. However, still, many virtual viewing art rooms look more like PowerPoint presentations. Also, rather than pushing to validate new artworks created as NFTs they’re just using them as marketing tools to look relevant to what's going on.

Smaller galleries and institutions end up doing more with fewer resources. The big players in the art world are way behind with what can actually be done to represent themselves and artists in this new realm. Smaller galleries find a much more proactive and exciting way to pave the way for more than just the future of digital art and how it's viewed, archived, and collected.

Developers are creating much more immersive types of experience, where people are able to communicate through a chat room as little avatars and walk around a space designed for VR. In other communities for instance there are virtual DJ sets from Berlin, where you can go to a club virtually and actually meet your friends in essentially a virtual chat room rave.

AS: Do you think it's possible that the crypto art community will have a huge impact on traditional art institutions? Do crypto artists need to approach and persuade huge art fairs and museums at all?

DP: If we look at it from a standpoint of archiving, as you know many museums keep so many artworks in storage. However, the access to it is vital for Art History and for people to research. So it is always up to the curator to bring out what is in the museum to be seen by the general public.

NFT technologies may provide a next step in the evolution of archiving and provenance.

But museums and galleries are archiving online anyway, taking pictures, collecting information about the provenance — they have metadata. With NFT technology, art pieces could be completely available for people to view, explore and purchase. For instance, if an institution needs to raise funds, it may sell digital versions of artefacts which are stored in archives which people would really love to own or have ownership of, but not necessarily have it physically, you know. I see it as a next step in the evolution of archiving and provenance.

AS: You were talking about these virtual rooms and some spaces where collectors and artists can all chat together. And what's the best way for you personally to present crypto art?

DP: When crypto art started booming, many exhibitions had floating artworks in the middle of the universe or some sort or other background. Curators have endless opportunities. You can literally put an artwork on the sides of a volcano, in the middle of a rainforest, in space, or anywhere else. I prefer traditional white wall spaces however, I'm a minimalist.

I also love seeing digital lots displayed physically, as well on monitors, or screened with projection mapping. I think a lot about the way we display things, and the value attached to NFTs. It's hard work to display video art and to figure out what gives the video its value.

If Mona Lisa was tokenised, then became a crypto art piece, people could have ownership of it and show it in their own virtual exhibition spaces. You know, there's always a talk about this sort of thing that may happen. It's just a very thin line, which is why I think, as it matures, this will become a bit more clear.

AS: I see this concept of sharing in this different notion of ownership: one can own an artwork in order to let others see it.

DP: Exactly, I think it's a really fascinating time to be in and I think it's really growing at the moment.

AS: Where do you think this potential for support of emerging and underrepresented artists lies? Where do you think it's possible to find resources for it?

DP: One unknown artist on Instagram on one side of the world who follows another unknown artist on Instagram on the other side can contact each other and put a virtual group show together and have their works displayed online and exposed to completely different audiences, who had never crossed their works before. It has a huge potential for growth and audience building. It’s a socialist way to share work when I think about it.

Tatsuru Arai, "FaceOfUniverse" Korea2, Available to purchase on TAEX

AS: How can a curator help collectors to navigate in all these endless numbers of artists and galleries?

DP: I suppose the role of the curator is to explain the value of artworks. It's a bit of a gamble in a way — which one has the value? Collectors need some guidance in this new asset class. It's harder for some people to wrap their heads around this new collectible.

I feel that there's going to be so much value added to crypto art in the future because that's the way technology is going and has been going for years.

AS: When you started working with TAEX, why did you choose this particular platform to collaborate with?

DP: First of all, it was good timing. At some point I wanted to launch a Patreon campaign and raise funds to onboard new artists into the world of NFTs and guide them through minting their artworks and helping promote them. Then I understood that the platform I wanted to do was already built. I mean, completely ready. So instead of putting in 100 hours a week to establish it I was essentially able to join an already existing platform that shared the same ideology which is rare and it's been great.

It's important that I follow the same ethics in regards to ideas about duration and development of crypto art. I had the same mission statement with TAEX. We share the same views on curation and the kind of oversaturation of crypto art in marketplaces and why curation is important in such a new sort of asset class.

With these artists we are like-minded in our politics and our sense of darkness and beauty.

AS: You travel a lot. Do you see any difference in the attitude towards crypto art among artists, collectors, and institutions in different parts of the world?

DP: I was in Athens before, and there, the concept of NFTs and such is pretty much nonexistent at the moment. No one is really talking about it other than perhaps a couple close circles. Then I moved back to Berlin, which has such a big tech startup industry. Surprisingly, although there are events and snippets of things going on, I am not seeing here as much as I would expect, compared to places like Los Angeles, New York and Asian markets such as Japan, China, Korea. Perhaps, the States are currently at the forefront of NFT's in the West and the way it's promoted and spoken about.

AS: And if we take just Europe, which country is going to be first?

DP: I have to say Germany, specifically — Berlin. I believe that Berlin has a huge potential, since it has so many artists and a massive tech industry. That’s why I moved back here. I think it's a melting pot of artists and creatives alongside developers and a good place to explore new ideas, so in theory it seems like a perfect place for a big boom. Obviously, people also want to monetise crypto art without being vulgar about the financial aspect. I think that soon, here the tech people, 3D designers, and artists are going to collaborate with each other more. I hope it progresses in that way while I'm here.