Digital Renaissance: Saatchi Art’s ‘The Other Avatars’

Episode Transcript:

[00:00:00] Monty: many people think that NFTs are passing fat and something to be ignored, but, others, including the team at Saatchi art believe that they will play a major role in the future of art. And, you know, just the future of technology in general.

[00:00:17]Isotta: This is Art Is... a podcast for artists where we brainstorm the future of the art world and the creative industries. Today, I'm sharing part two of my conversation with Monte Preston Manager of art advisory and curation at Saatchi art. If you haven't listened to part one of our conversation, I recommend going back to season three, episode three. For a comprehensive introduction into what NFTs are, how emerging artists can use them to generate income.

[00:00:44] and how curation is evolving in the crypto space. If NFT is still confuse you, that is a great episode to help clarify all of these new and exciting concepts

[00:00:52] Isotta: Today, Monty, and I will dive into Saatchi art's latest project. The other avatars. A series of handmade originally designed and stylistically varied. Avatars created by an international collective of hundreds of artists. These unique avatars are inspired by the self portraits of Vincent van Gogh and this new interpretation of the NFT avatar trend.

[00:01:12]Isotta: It's an exciting move by Saatchi to empower emerging artists working across physical and digital media Well, bringing in much needed diversity and representation into the NFT arena. And this episode will also discuss Monte's interest in the metaverse as a place for art to thrive and Saatchi's interest in growing an online community.

[00:01:31] I really enjoy talking to Monte. So I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

[00:01:37] Monty: I'm Monte Preston, I'm the manager of art advisory and curation at Saatchi art, which is the world's, online, leading our gallery for emerging artists.

[00:01:48] Monty: as we know, the traditional art world has been really slow to recognize the achievements of artists, of color, women, artists, those working outside of major art centers and without a formal art education, the NFT community has started looking into, the statistics and this distribution.

[00:02:04] Monty: And recently it hasn't been looking so great. I think there was a study that came out that said that. Five or 7% of, and FTE art sales have been going to women artists what we're doing at Saatchi art with the other avatars project is really. a big focus of, onboarding artists,and getting artists participating in this space. A large focus of that is making sure that we are providing this access and we're providing this information on technology to many different kinds of artists.

[00:02:33] Monty: So we have 50% of the participating artists in the other. Project our women, artists. We have artists from 25 countries all over the world. 90% of them are brand new to NFTs, and they've never been exposed to this before. So they're creating their first NFTs with us. and it's really exciting just to have people from all different kinds of backgrounds, ethnicities, are they self-taught, do they have an MFA,

[00:02:56] having a broad and diverse community of artists working on this NFT project. and having them be a really great representative for who we are at Saatchi art and how much we care about representing the diversity of our artist.

[00:03:08] The other avatars, is the first of its kind project that Saatchi art is really uniquely positioned to bring to life. it is a series of handmade originally designed and stylistically varied avatars that are created by an international collective of nearly 200 emerging artists that our curatorial team selected and has been working very closely with.

[00:03:28] Put this collection together. So rather than having a generative avatar collection, for example, if you look at world of women or board API club, or, many of these other avatar projects that have been really popular and successful, The art is created by an artist, but usually it's one single artist.

[00:03:46] Monty: And then the use of an algorithm will ultimately produce the final product of what your single avatar looks like. And then there'll be in a collection of say, anywhere between a thousand to 10,000 different avatars. So what we really wanted to do at Saatchi or. Looking at the space and wanting to react to what we were seeing, but also do something that was really true to Saatchi art.

[00:04:08] and as a platform that represents emerging artists who are primarily working in a more physical practice you know, photography or creating new media, digital collages, but ultimately the work being produced is physical. We wanted to help artists bridge the gap, and be able to participate in a project that embraces who they truly are as artists and the work that they do, but also introduce them to the world of NFTs.

[00:04:32] each artist is creating 10 to 20 unique avatars inspired by the self portraits of, So then go, we thought was a really, great representative, for artists who are living and working today. but during his lifetime he saw relatively little commercial success and his story is really emblematic of many artists and creative thinkers whose visionary approach, while maybe under appreciated in the moment, turned out to be ahead of their time.

[00:04:58] and the NFT. occupies a really similar position, right? Like many people think that NFTs are passing fat and something to be ignored, but, others, including the team at Saatchi art believe that they will play a major role in the future of art. And, just the future of technology in general.

[00:05:14] Monty: you know, I can't speak for Saatchi R and say that, we are jumping into the metaverse right now, but I think that. As a company and as a platform for emerging artists, which has traditionally been, you know, right at the intersection of art and tech, right?

[00:05:28] Monty: Like we are always trying to make art more consumable, in different media To collectors, right? We want collectors to be able to experience and appreciate art in many different ways. And you know, one of those things is a partnership with, the other art fair that we have,which is a traveling fair that, it's shown in cities all over the world.

[00:05:45] Monty: We're constantly expanding. We have hundreds of emerging artists who come to every fair, and it's really exciting. As an online our company, we also feel it's important to be able to have a more immersive experience with art. And that's why the other art fair is so successful for us. We also partner with a lot of artists who do VR or AR work.

[00:06:04] Monty: And so we have, sometimes the digital experience happening at some of our fairs, which is really exciting. during the pandemic, we also did have virtual editions of the fairs. Saatchi art artists who were participating exhibitors were able to show their works in sort of a virtual experience. not unlike what you would experience at decentraland or in, another metaverse.

[00:06:25] and so that was really exciting and very cool and a lot of fun for us to explore and, like test out, do people like this, what needs to be improved? Right. as somebody who has been to decentral land and, we'll check out art exhibitions or go to events.

[00:06:39] I think the amount of ours has a long way to go in terms of, conveying art in high fidelity and just making art something that is, being represented accurately. It's being given the context that it needs. there's just a lot of progress that can be made.

[00:06:55] I personally would love it if Satya would do something along these lines and really, help to advance the space and advance people's experience of digital art, in a virtual environment,

[00:07:05] Monty: And I think that in the future, we will see a ton of exhibitions. Like all the major galleries and museums will have spaces in the metaverse. and people everywhere in the world will be able to access that culture.

[00:07:18] Could you explain what's behind the name, the other avatars.

[00:07:21] Monty: other avatars was so named, for a number of reasons. firstly, we wanted something that felt, on-brand with us, right? So the other art fair, which is, our partner fair, the whole idea of the other art fair, being different from many other fairs that you might go to just in the experience that?

[00:07:38] Monty: you have, right?

[00:07:39] Monty: You get to interact directly with artists. it's very welcoming and friendly. It's extremely transparent. And this is a sentiment that. we want it to really convey with our NFT project as well because, transparency, welcoming new people into the space, and being a little bit different. it's who we are at Saatchi art.

[00:07:56] Monty: So calling it, the other avatars was, a little bit. Of a nod to all of the avatar projects that are happening out there in the NFT space now, but it also felt very true to us and that we wanted to do something that was different and special and, uniquely Saatchi art.

[00:08:13] Monty: The other avatars project will be dropping in early 20, 22. And it will be available for purchase first as a part of a pre-sale to collectors. Who've made a reservation with us and in an effort to encourage the such your community and our collective. To purchase their first NFT with us. we'll be opening up reservations to our current collectors beginning on January 6th, and then we'll be opening it up to, our NFT newsletter subscribers later in that week.

[00:08:37] Monty: And you can get on that newsletter and learn more about the other avatars by going to Saatchi art.com/nft.

[00:08:44] So do you see NFTs becoming the latest art status symbol? How do you see the other avatars existing in the world?

[00:08:50] Monty: I think that art has always really been a status symbol for a lot of collectors. People collect art for different reasons. many collectors purchase art because they want to support emerging artists or they fall in love with a piece, or they want to have something amazing to talk about when they have all of their friends over for dinner.

[00:09:06] And, for a lot of collectors having. Major blue chip artists within their collection is a status symbol. And I think for NFTE is it's really no different what traditional collectors and what, crypto native collectors look like. It's really not that different. A lot of the motivations are very similar.

[00:09:22] Monty: So for many people purchasing in it and FTE might be. A status symbol and,it might just be because they really love that artwork. I've seen instances of both types of people using their NFTs as their avatar on Twitter or, you know, social media, for instance. and I think it's great, you know, it's really fun.

[00:09:39] I think that I would love it if I went on Twitter and there were a bunch of people who were all using their. the other avatar and NFT is as their social media profile techs. I think that would be really fun. And I hope that it is that widely embraced and that people love the art that much. They want it to be their representative for a given amount of time.

[00:10:00] So the reason that we're entering the NFTE space is really that it's an evolution of our mission to support emerging artists and provide a space for people around the world to discover and buy high quality art that they love. it shouldn't be any different for NFTs and for digital art.

[00:10:14] Monty: We're really uniquely positioned to introduce both artists and collectors into the NFT world, in an environment that's curated and transparent and welcoming. So with the other avatars drop, we're really excited to be beginning this journey. know, in project that really reflects the incredible breadth and diversity and talent of Saatchi arts, global community of artists and moving forward, we're exploring many different opportunities for a subsequent NFC collections, which could include, additional curated projects, artists one-off drops and more.

[00:10:45] Monty: These projects are helping us to move toward, realizing Satya its long-term vision, which would be displaying and selling traditional art and NFT side-by-side in an integrated marketplace. in the meantime, we're also exploring like how can we bring additional utility and value to Saatchi art, token owners?

[00:11:03] Monty: So people who purchase the other avatars, you know, what additional benefits can we bring to them? Can we. Develop a strong community for collectors, where we can have, you know, ask me anythings when. Are different artists or can they get access to the other art fair tickets? Um, special programming, VIP access to, online exhibitions, et cetera.

[00:11:24] Monty: So there are a lot of different things that, we, as a company are able to offer, having a physical fair, having, a platform where we are selling, other art, having access to So many incredible art. and what can we do to really help build this out to our community of collectors and artists and bring them together in new and exciting. ways.

[00:11:43] What role does online community have in that? this is an exciting question for me to answer because, it's one That's very close to home. right now we're working with all of the artists who are participating in the other avatar project, in a dedicated discord. And this is where we've been, sharing information. And I personally have been able to work one-on-one with every single artist involved in the project, helping make sure that they are, Creating work that is really true to who they are,helping with questions and deadlines and getting their crypto wallet set up and just all of this,exciting stuff.

[00:12:14] I'm imagining that, you know, moving forward that community's only going to grow as we continue to do and Ft projects, and it will become a central hub for. To be able to learn more about the space and connect with one another and share insights and share their art. and I'm really looking forward to what that looks like.

[00:12:30] Monty: And we're also going to be opening up a dedicated discord server for buyers as well. Like have some more in-depth conversations and really help people, Learn more about the project, learn more about crypto NFTs and, you know, maybe work with some crypto native collectors who might be new to collecting traditional art and, helping introduce them to what that process looks like and so on and so forth.

[00:12:52] Monty: So I think there's a lot of opportunity for us within this space to develop, more holistic community and bring people together and new.

[00:13:01] Monty: I think the art world has notoriously been a very exclusive, very unapproachable. That's one of the things that, you know, Satya really tries to combat and democratizing art and being available. if you're a collector and you're looking to buy art for your home or your office or adding to your personal collection, whatever it is, you can reach out to our curators directly.

[00:13:20] at curator@saatchiart.com and somebody will get back to you and work with you. One-on-one for free to help you find artwork. You know, we're all very friendly and welcoming and passionate about art. And we just really want to be able to share that with other people, right? Like art should not be something that is only accessible to a very specific kind of person.

[00:13:39] Monty: And it shouldn't be like, you shouldn't feel uncomfortable going into an art gallery. And unfortunately that's the reality for. a lot of the galleries out there. so anything that we can do to improve that experience, I think is really exciting. And the idea of community, as you said, is just, it's really a positive.

[00:13:55] Monty: I would love to hear from you all. you can find me on Twitter at underscore Monte Preston, or you can reach me at Saatchi art, uh, by emailing curator@saatchiart.com. And if you want to learn more about the other avatar project and such yard's vision for NFTE future, um, you can do so. Saatchi art.com/nft, where you can also sign up for our newsletter and get more information and updates.

[00:14:20] Monty: As the project gets closer to dropping.

[00:14:22] Isotta: Thank you for listening to Art Is… a podcast for artists. This episode, I'd like to thank Monty Preston for sharing her expertise and insights with us. Please leave. Art Is… a podcast for artists, a rating and review in apple podcasts. It really helps others find us.

[00:14:37] Isotta: You can support the work I do by subscribing wherever you listen. And by donating to the podcast. The link to do so is any episode description? Also, I really love hearing from you. So please keep reaching out on Instagram at artists podcast or by emailing. listen@artistspodcast.com.

[00:14:54] Isotta: Okay. That's it for now. Thanks so much and see you next Wednesday.