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Human Generated: VESA

Published

7 months ago

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This is Human Generated

 

This is an interpretation of VESA’s appearance on the Human Generated podcast by Omid Honari. The two met during a day of keynote speeches at the Mohammed Bin Rashid library, where as it turns out, both of their topics touched on not only art and its implications, but also spirituality.
It was no wonder that when VESA and Omid sat down to record this podcast, the deeper topics were soon elaborated on.

Watch the conversation on Youtube
Watch it on Spotify

Why read further ( or return)?
Breakdown, links and illustrations:

The conversation took place in late May when Dubai was plunging into the hot temperatures. Vesa told that as a 44-year-old, the elapsing winter was the first where he had enjoyed consistent warm weather, being natively from Finland and having lived in the UK for several years.
‘There’s a lot of cold trauma still to be purged’, he said.
Omid relayed a piece of advice he heard as a boy that coping with cold is much easier than coping with heat, since you always have the option of adding a layer of clothing, but there is only so much you can remove. This advice also speaks to how personal our relationship with the weather and our immediate surroundings is. We rationalize our emotions towards it via stories and these pieces of advice that we tell each other.

VESA and Omid met at the Mohammed bin Rashid Library in early 2023, where they both were speaking.

New Horizons

To delve right into the mouth of the beast, Omid poses an interesting proposition of the constellation of new technologies, NFTs, metaverse and the whole Web3 being at odds with the creative arts as we know it.
‘Most respectfully, I disagree with that, VESA starts.
VESA explains that one of the concepts that governs how he views art, and life itself, is Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory. This theory helps to see yourself, your contribution, philosophies, and beliefs as functional parts of the elaborate whole. This way of approaching art is not taught in colleges and universities, where most art history begins or at least emphasises the post-modern period without studying the roots of why humans began creating art in the first place, namely cave painting and body painting.
With a fractionalized outlook on art, new technologies can feel like a jarring, disjointed note in the melody of human creativity, whereas from the Integral point of view, these are tools that if utilized to their utmost potential, will remove the old gatekeeping systems for more creativity to blossom in society.
‘My LUXOR- inspired art gallery is a great example of this. It uses new technologies, it breaks barriers of entry and in substance, it studies the origins of art, VESA says.
‘It’ll take a little bit of time, and whether the traditional art institutions will adopt this remains to be seen, since their interest is so much in identity politics, but for people, this means total freedom’, he explains.

The Luxor Metaverse temple is live with Superworld

 

Possibilities or threats

Omid agrees that the limitation of the current arts education seems to be that it is taught from the perspective of the current ideological climate, and it must go along the epoch of our time and what that does is hides the vastness of possibility that is currently available.
Intrigued by VESA’s mention of primordial art, Omid asks next how does an artist with a capital A bridge together the gap of something so corporal, so essential as body paint with something as cerebral and intangible as the digital realm.
‘When I saw my first model with full body paint in my studio, I knew that this was it, it was like a superhero had appeared in front of me’, VESA says.
‘But when it comes to embarking on the digital journey, I had no other choice. My method dictated that my originals were digital ever since 2008, and this was a major issue for the art institutions before the advent of NFTs. They would ask for an oil original that I didn’t have’.

“Escapist” was the first bopypainting and photography based collage work VESA made in 2008.

‘The technology that facilitates Bitcoin is the turning point in digital scarcity and digital ownership, because it facilitates digital assets, like artworks, that are as rare as the physical Mona Lisa’.
Omid then points out that isn’t one of the most valuable digital artworks verified on the blockchain a picture of a monkey, homing in on his original point of new technologies diluting actual artistic endeavour.
‘There’s some genius marketing behind that project, and it gains its value also through being an access pass. What it’s not is art’, VESA explains.
‘How is the casual consumer going to gain an education about the difference between these two categories?’, Omid asks.
VESA explains that this is a deeper issue than what meets the eye, how in the words of the cultural critic Camille Paglia we are on the brink of another cultural Renaissance, should we take the steps to get there, but our institutions are not paving the way for our collective consciousness to get there. He also re-iterates the difference between the collectible digital art and the digitized fine art, where the only common factor is the underlying technology. Having said that, VESA expresses how positive it is that the gatekeeping of the old system is coming down due to technological advancements.
His native country Finland is a great example of this, where a lot of government grants are given only to art that perpetuates a certain narrative. This suffocates actual creativity and resembles more a high-school student, who studies what he knows the teacher cares the most about, not what is relevant.

The Camille Paglia lecture “Art belongs to everyone” has been one of the themes that have inspired this direction of thought.

The Origins

As VESA has mentioned Finland, and the general climate of art there, Omid is interested to know how art and VESA came to be.
‘What was the origin story?’, he asks.
‘It’s always been about connection, and the two points in time that come to mind are my connection to music, and especially African drums that lit something up inside me, and my connection to something spiritual that I experienced, when I very nearly drowned as a six-year-old.’, VESA says.
‘At its best, it doesn’t even feel like I am the one who is doing it. And skill comes into play so that it takes a form that others might enjoy as well, but it’s always about that connection that drives everything I do creatively’.

The Knight Rider theme was the first song to get VESA to play to be a rock star as his toy plastic axe as the guitar, sliding on his knees across the room as a 5 year old.

‘So where is the divine for you, then?’ Omid asks.
‘One of the books that talks about this is called Flower of Life, and it explains that this pattern at the very core of everything that comes into being is all coming through the One, but the multitude of expressions that the One takes, is our experience of the world’,

The ancient secret of the flower of life was a significant book to read while travelling shooting a documentary in Egypt and Mexico in 2012.


‘In terms of humans, I see the brain much more a receiver than a generator’, VESA says as he hints towards his understanding of the divine.
‘My traumatic experience of nearly drowning was so pivotal to my creative growth because it brought me violently close to that origin point, the point of ultimate connection to God. Maybe I remembered something, maybe I have been here before – it is a possibility’, VESA expands.
Omid illustrates our longing for our origins beautifully through a famous opening to a poem by Rumi, which describes the haunting sound of the reed pipe, longing to return to the whole it was cut from. Perhaps we are like the reed pipe, the divine breath moving through us, but always hankering to get back into unity with our origin.

The Pink Floyd “Back catalogue” poster on VESA’s wall as a teenager likely had a significant impact on his life choices later on.

Different bodies

Omid draws a parallel between VESA’s method of bodypainting and seeing inanimate objects as bodies, such as the body of a car that Omid had seen at an event recently. Does VESA see his Art Cars and other painted objects as a continuation of his bodypainting methodology?
‘In some sense, it is still human centric, because these different bodies are still painted for humans to admire’, VESA starts.

The Dr Marwan Tesla covered in art in Dubai also has a digital douible made by Zoan.

‘I also want to be incredibly respectful towards Islam, and not to portray a human as an idol, so I have a lot to study on how to bring to the front my goal of showcasing the divine spark in the human form, how He made us so magnificently’, VESA says.
‘In that spirit of further conversation and discussion, we could go on for so much longer, but I want to invite you to the possibility of having a second episode with you,
‘Inshallah’, VESA says.

Watch the conversation on Youtube
Watch it on Spotify

______

Until next time, 

VESA & Lotta
Crypto & NFT Artist
All links to physical, NFTs, and more below
http://linktr.ee/ArtByVesa



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CyberKongz Receives Wells Notice from SEC, Vows to Fight for NFT Clarity

Published

1 day ago

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January 21, 2025

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The NFT collection CyberKongz said the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will likely charge it.

In a post on X on Monday, the collection said it received a Wells Notice, a letter from the SEC staff that recommends an enforcement action. It commented that the SEC is trying to pull through its laws before Joe Biden’s administration is over.

CyberKongz: “We Will Not Be Silenced”

In a recent post on X, CyberKongz revealed that it received a Wells Notice. A Wells Notice is a formal letter from the SEC staff notifying a company that the staff intends to recommend an enforcement action.

In a statement, the NFT collection said it was disappointed with the approach of the SEC and vowed to stand up for and fight for greater clarity in the NFT space.

The collection shared that, for the past two years, it remained silent in response to SEC inquiries. The SEC was concerned that combining an ERC-20 token with a blockchain game could be considered a security.

It also mentioned that the SEC raised concerns about its business with Genesis Kongz in April 2021, describing it as a “contract migration.”

It said:

“They cannot distinguish between a primary sale and a contract migration. What hope do we have for a clear regulatory pathway moving forward?”

CyberKongz added it intends to fight for clearer crypto regulation, particularly regarding NFT projects.

Eyeing Trump’s Crypto-Friendly Stance

The NFT collection has been vocal about the current administration, which it claims is anti-crypto in its approach. Just recently, as the US Senate Banking Committee was preparing to vote on SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw’s renomination, lawyer Bill Hughes raised concerns about her stance on cryptocurrency regulation. Hughes argued that her renomination one could see as politically hostile to the crypto industry. This stands in contrast to the increasing support for crypto-friendly policies under the incoming administration.

CyberKongz is optimistic that the new administration will provide a more level playing field with a more just regulatory framework. In the meantime, the team comited to support all NFT projects on every blockchain platform.

In the past year, the SEC has acted against several cases related to NFTs. This includes lawsuits against podcast studio Impact Theory and Stoner Cats 2 LLC over unregistered NFT offerings that raised millions. The commission also doled out a Wells Notice to NFT marketplace OpenSea, signaling potential enforcement action.

It is up to wait and see how this enforcement will unfold in the transition of the commission’s leadership. The current SEC Chairman Gary Gensler announced his departure on January 20, in concert with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. Trump has named former SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins, considered friendlier to the crypto industry, as the head of the SEC.

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Teuta Franjkovic

Teuta is a seasoned writer and editor with over 15 years of expertise in macroeconomics, technology, and the crypto and blockchain sectors.

She began her career in 2005 as a lifestyle writer for *Cosmopolitan* before transitioning to business and economic reporting for renowned outlets like *Forbes* and *Bloomberg*.

Inspired by thought leaders like Don and Alex Tapscott and Laura Shin, Teuta embraced blockchain’s potential, viewing cryptocurrency as one of humanity’s most transformative innovations.

Since 2014, she has specialized in fintech, focusing on crypto, blockchain, NFTs, and Web3. Known for her strong collaboration and communication skills, Teuta also holds dual MAs in Political Science and Law.

Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.





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Unyted + Vesa

Published

2 months ago

on

December 4, 2024

By


Unyted we (meta) stand

Many of the fancy metaverse projects take loooong to build and often require developers and budgets just to stay alive. In fact, one of my favorite ones had the whole company collapse around it in the build phase. I absolutely love what we’ve built with Superworld, for example, and what we’re about to release with Asvoria. Both of these require heavy machinery and rotation to come to life—and to be maintained.

Enter Unyted and my newest spatial Web3 space, which allows me to deliver fluent, up-to-date presentations on what’s happening now while also providing an overview of my entire career. I built it mostly by myself, with some guidance and glitch-fixing help from the team—special thanks to Tijana, Saskia, and Florian. I can update it in minutes to include a new project, presentation, or missing link. It’s freeing and necessary.

Unyted is at the forefront of spatial computing, offering innovative solutions that empower users to create, own, and monetize immersive 3D virtual environments. Their platform is designed to facilitate seamless transitions into the metaverse, providing tools for education, collaboration, and personalized digital experiences.

Link to join the metaverse
Link to join the X spaces.

Join us for a session with Ador, Bitcoin LIVE and others tomorrow 20.00 CET

Starting Thursday, we’ll kick things off with a joint presentation with Ador, and from there, we’ll host regular spaces that people can join visually. X is great for connecting with people, but for an artist, a lot is still missing from the full experience. Let’s see if we can bring these two innovations together in a sensible way.

 

Watch the Tijana introduction to Unyted as well as my keynote held some time ago regarding web3, metaverse and creativity.

Delivering the Metaverse

They’re just starting out, and sure, sure there are a few glitches, but I’ve already given a couple of presentations that feel like a real departure from the world of Zoom. Nothing is ever perfect and getting going and constantly working on it is what keeps the thing alive.

It’s a step closer to delivering something of real value in the metaverse. People showed up to my first keynote in the space done together, they asked questions and then some were left to wonder around the space to explore it on their own. Promises kept. Those matter, after the last run.

I’ve been friends with Florian Krueger since the early blockchain days in London back in 2018, and we’ve collaborated on several projects. He remains one of my favorite people in the crypto space—always looking out for his people and tirelessly fighting for the ethical side of it. I was happy to hear he was starting a new venture and that I could also be a part of.

If you prefer the (virtual) city life?

Key Features of Unyted:

  • Modular Environments: Unyted enables users to design and customize digital spaces, such as virtual homes, offices, or campuses, reflecting their unique vision. These environments can be monetized, allowing creators to generate revenue through their virtual properties.
  • EdTech Solutions: The platform offers immersive educational experiences with features like AI-driven personalized learning paths, customizable avatars, and virtual classrooms. These tools aim to enhance student engagement and retention, providing scalable and cost-effective solutions for educational institutions.
  • Data Protection and Security: Operating under EU regulations and compliant with GDPR, Unyted ensures top-tier data protection. Users maintain complete control over their personal and institutional data, upholding responsible practices in the metaverse.
  • Sustainability Commitment: Unyted is dedicated to sustainability, calculating energy consumption and offsetting carbon emissions for each project. Through Unyted.World, users can stake tokens specifically for carbon offsetting, promoting environmental responsibility within the digital landscape.

In many ways what is important about the metaverse is our ability to pre-visualise the world we would like to live in, and then walk toward that direction.

 

Founded in 2022 by Gaby K. Slezák and Florian Krueger, Unyted envisions a decentralized, independent metaverse where users have equal access to a secure three-dimensional internet. Their mission is to empower individuals to shape their digital futures, fostering a community where creativity and collaboration thrive.

For those seeking to explore the metaverse, Unyted offers consulting services to guide organizations through VR, AR, blockchain, Web3, and Web4 technologies. Their seasoned team provides strategy insights and design expertise to craft unique digital experiences aligned with organizational visions.

Unyted stands as a visionary force in the evolving digital landscape, pioneering innovation while prioritizing user ownership, open collaboration, data protection, and sustainability.

Ador aka BitSavage will join us for the Monday talk in which we also dwell deeper into DAF – the Department of Artistic Freedom

Asvoria coming up soon!

I’ll soon travel to Bulgaria to film some content in the Asvoria linked Hotel Satoshi Nakamoto, as well as guide the team on advances in our shiny updated metaverse space.

The art cars are also gearing up for their auction in Dubai in January, but more on that later.

See you Dec 5th 20.00 CET:

Link to join the metaverse
Link to join the X spaces.

Much to build,

VESA
Crypto Artist, Speaker, Consultant, Writer
All links to physical, NFTs, and more below

http://linktr.ee/ArtByVesa



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BitBasel + VESA

Published

2 months ago

on

November 28, 2024

By


South Beach Bound

This year BitBasel will takeover the entire Sagamore Hotel in Miami South Beach for the entire week. The last show I was a part of with BitBasel was still held in the Miami Bitcoin Center in 2019, so returning to exhibit with these pioneers is precious. I had also no idea just how predictive my keynote back then was going to be about what is going to be shown now. It’s groundhog day with bananas and a repetition of Dante’s circles of hell, while trying to help humanity out of inverse mode. A worthy fight. Legends only 🚀

As crazy as this journey has been since the early days, needing to repeat some fundamentals time and time again, while the ETH scene erodes further, luckily there are people who see what I do and support the perspective to be a part of it all. Much gratitude for Lecks and Scarlett for including me in the 2024 show.

Back to the Future

Notice what is on screen during my lecture about all things decentralised in 2019 at BitBasel

Back then, I was commenting a lot on how the world is on fire, how we need to fix the monetary system, the origin story of creativity, how AI will replace most low-end lawyers, accountants, etc., within five years, and how the banana fuckery of the art world couldn’t possibly sink any lower. Man, was I wrong—again—on that one. It seems the art world has found new ways to hit rock bottom in the Web3 space. At least then, SuperRare was still just taking off with hope. My naive self still believed back then that blockchain was going to bring more transparency to the art world. LOL.

Anyhoo, both the divine touch and the banana were featured in my slides during the presentation, and now they will be part of the 2024 BitBasel as a combined artwork. The piece comments on how the West has lost its way and explores what we can do to revitalize it. The reverse of the great inverse is the avant-garde, and I keep being here for it. Eventually, this will be seen by everyone and recognized as self-evident. In the meanwhile, I gotta double up as an artist as well as a culture critic. It’s a weird position but someone’s gotta do it.

I’m Potency

I’m Potency will be on show, infamous now from the precious SuperRare debacle.
The NFT comes with a physical canvas print, painted over with acrylics, which launches an AR animation.

I wrote an article here called “Proof of censorship” recently on the substance.
Here is the longer original tweet as my “submission” for the competition.

Price 6 ETH

BitRam!

See if the scanning works via the Artivive app!

The second piece on show is the live version NFT of the BitRam artwork re-imagining the animal lore of Bitcoin a bit. BTC keeps trucking along, breaking new number heights, but most importantly fighting to have an alternate space marked safe from the fiat inflation machine.

The animation original piece comes with a 2/3 physical, hand finished canvas art piece that launches into an AR version via the Artivive app.
Price: 9 ETH

BitRam physical re-paint (sold 1/3) on show in Switzerland at the Swiss Web3 Conf earlier in 2024 during Art Basel. 2/3 is now available and married together with the 1/1 animation NFT on sale at BitBasel.

Renaissance 360

Lecks also asked me to get some metaverse material on a screen, which I was happy about. The compilation video of some of the best made thus far through Asvoria (launching soon), Superworld and Cornerstone Land will be presented as part of a larger metaverse reel.

Why are we not allowed to ask, in art, the most basic of questions. Why can’t we be inspired by excellence, beauty, harmony and the spirit? Time after time, we just revel in this mud like pigs with no future. At least the pigs derive some nutrients and skin care from their play, whilst we just reduce ourselves to animals with no instincts.

Program schedule and links:

BitBasel Miami Art Week 2024, scheduled from December 3 to December 8 at the Sagamore Hotel South Beach, offers a dynamic fusion of art and technology. This week-long event features a diverse lineup of activities, including exhibitions, panel discussions, and immersive experiences.

Event Highlights:

  • December 2: The week commences with the ActNowXR Summit, focusing on art’s role in sustainability and impact, followed by the BitBasel VIP Vernissage showcasing fine art masterworks.
  • December 3: “Beyond A.I.” explores the future of creativity, delving into artificial intelligence’s influence on art and technology.
  • December 4: The Creative Tech Investor Summit brings together leading minds in finance to discuss investment trends at the intersection of art and technology.
  • December 5: A day dedicated to special events, offering opportunities for brands and partners to host their own activations within the BitBasel framework.
  • December 6: “Mooon.Party Vol.2” celebrates art and technology with an unforgettable night featuring top DJs and live performances.
  • December 7: The 23rd Iconic Sagamore Brunch presents “The Future of the Arts,” featuring immersive live art, panel discussions, and performances by the South Florida Symphony. Later, the Jayne Pierson Runway Show blends high fashion with artistic innovation.
  • December 8: The event concludes with the 305 Pool Party, a vibrant gathering celebrating local impact and community, featuring music and poolside fun.

    Ready to be touched by God?

Throughout the week, attendees can explore “The Gallery,” a curated space showcasing cutting-edge creative expressions in fine art, digital masterpieces, and space-bound art.

For more details and ticket information, visit the official BitBasel website.

Proof of Effort

T(r)opical from 2017 was the first Miami specific work I ever made. The 2/3 re-paint is still available now priced at 1 BTC. I kept the idea I had that some of the early works will keep the thread to the 1 BTC price, when bought from me. Of course, I needed start making others without it, as about 10k remains the constant “fuck you money” that people in the scene use for art. These piece are historic though, so if you want in on that action, I solute you! I saved it here as the last thing, so it’s only through proof of collector effort, that you even get to them.

Also, forever respect for Moe Levin, the founder of the North American Bitcoin Conference, for giving me my first ever spot to showcase my art in January 2018. Cool to have a fren also in Joel from the Bad Crypto Podcast, who is lurking there in the background 😂 The 1/50 signed print was given to Moe as a gift.

At 100k, the 6×3 foot re-paints are still cheap to what some of the earliest holistic works will eventually cost, once the dust settles a bit.

VESA
Crypto Artist, Speaker, Consultant, Writer
All links to physical, NFTs, and more below

http://linktr.ee/ArtByVesa

 



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