Editorials
VCA Annual Wrap Up 2022
Saturday, December 31st 2022
It’s been a busy and exciting year for VerticalCrypto Art (VCA), the curatorial house for art and culture on the blockchain.
January 2022
The year kicked off with VCA curating an exhibition at the NFT Paris Conference. This included founder Micol participating in discussing the democratization of art with @fanny.lakoubay , @katevassgalerie , @arago.studio and @dianedrubay.
In January, VCA launched the series of Twitter Spaces “Discussing Art NFTs” co hosted with Anika Meier and Jesse Damiani which over the course of the year touched on all major topics of the Web3 art ecosystem.
February 2022
VCA teamed up with Rarible (@rarible) and Whitewall (@whitewall.art) for the The Digital Roots LA exhibition, powered by Tezos.
This was our first IRL exhibition of ART & NFTs with a 2-day pop-up exhibition at @neuehouse Los Angeles during Frieze (@friezeofficial) week.
Featuring artists: @brendandawes , @quasimondo , @jessedraxler , @neurocolor , @sofiacrespo , @samjstudios x @kate_the_cursed_art , @marjan_moghaddam_artist , @lvcas.aguirre , @joellesnaith
March 2022
VCA’s Micol spoke at SXSW Austin about art and NFTs for the #tezos talks on bringing digital art to life along with @nancybakercahill , @superchiefgallerynft , @nft__collective , @whitewall.art and marissa jane.
VCA also participated in Into the Metaverse London at The Standard Hotel (@thestandardlondon) for an evening of #art and #fashion talks through the #metaverse lens. An event that brought together industry experts on the impact of the metaverse and NFTs on art & fashion.
VCA spoke about the art of PFPs along with @kideight @camillionaire_m @mgxs_co @amarsinghgallery hosted by @thefuturistguy from @cybrmagazine. This was followed by a talk on fashion and the metaverse with some incredible pioneers and thought leaders: @institute_digital_fashion @matthewdrinkwater @lcflondon_ @the_fab_ric_ant @thefuturistguy (@cybrmagazine ) in partnership with @whitewall.art @cybrmagazine @verticalcryptoart, @lebookconnect, TMINT and POAP.
April 2022
VCA curated an exhibition at the NON FUNGIBLE CONFERENCE in Lisbon, dedicated to VCA Residency (@vcaresidency) artists.
This included hosting a fireside chat talk with Quasimondo, @matilde.cirulli giving tours of our curated exhibition featuring works from @zeroalpha_nz , @inessrychlik , @pgervois, and @mrrichi.eth.
May 2022
In May, VCA held the The Digital Roots NYC exhibition during Frieze NYC. A pop up exhibition in the heart of Soho, NY, bridging digital art and NFTs. Highlights of the event were captured in a beautiful article by Erica Silverman for Whitewalls.
June 2022
VCA featured at ART BASEL participating in a panel discussion hosted by #Tezos with Sabine Himmelsbach, Linda Dounia @sandwyrmdance, Robert Kruschbersky, and Micol on Curating Art for Web3.
VCA gratefully had a presence at NFT NYC spending a productive week with an incredible group of people, friends, builders and thought leaders.
July 2022
July saw the launch of PROOF OF PEOPLE: London’s first immersive 3-day festival showcasing art, fashion and music through the lens of NFT-backed technology. A celebration of artists and creators using the blockchain.
The NFT festival ‘Proof of People’ will showcase over 50 artists from around the globe, multi sensory experiences built on the energy-efficient Tezos blockchain, live music performances, and a digital fashion showroom. VerticalCrypto Art will also present a curated programme of panel talks with leading voices in art, fashion and technology and workshops running throughout the event. NFT Culture
September 2022
VCA held an exhibition for two-weeks at a pop-up gallery in Berlin, titled IN TOUCH - Art in the Age of Post NFTism. The international group exhibition hosted during Berlin Art Week, empowered by @despace_berlin and @tezos. Featuring 35 works by 20 artists at the fore-front the generative art movement on Tezos, curated by @thisaintanika and @micolmicolmicol.
October 2022
VCA hosted the UNKNOWN SITTER AUCTION & DINNER at Frieze London. A Dining Experience Tracing Provenance In The Privacy Collection.
Photo Credit: VerticalCrypto Art & Lord Truffington
During this year’s @ADE_NL, leading art & technology platform VCA (@VerticalCrypto) partnered with NXT Museum (@nxtmuseum) to expand beyond the physical & into WEB3.0 and present #WhatsNxt — an exploration of the opportunity for music and art to thrive by bridging technology and education to support artists and onboard fans into new forms of immersion.
Across the three Day #ADE2022 programme VCA played the role of elevating guests’ experiences with NFT programming, enabling the transformation of physical moments into digital memories on the blockchain. In addition to this, Nxt Museum and @verticalcrypto launched a series of Limited Edition and Live Minted NFTs as well as bespoke talks, featuring works by leading musicians & visual artists the #ADE2022 programme.
The month also saw our signature metaparty take place celebrating the end of the 4th cohort of the VCA Residency (@vcaresidency) including an auction and exhibition. The @vcaresidency program launched over a year ago with the mission to democratize access to education for creators globally in web3, art, nfts, the metaverse and more. The auction event is a celebration of the end of the cohort where residents create unique pieces exhibited in a custom built #metaverse space in @ariumspaces. Congrats to residents completing the program. Future cohort applications open soon.
November 2022
November saw VCA hosting the VCA INVITES LONDON EVENT during NFT NFT (@nft_nyc) London, empowered by @tezos.info and produced with @mad.global.
This involved hosting a pop up exhibition & event at @thenftgallerylondon visited by over 500 people who spent the day attending the panels, live minting, admiring & collecting art.
Micol spoke at the NON NFT SUMMIT (@nonnftsummit) in CDMX alongside true OGs of the cryptoart community in the wonderful setting of Mexico.
December 2022
One of the highlights of the month was the FEMGEN exhibition, hosted by VCA alongside Right Click Save and Art Blocks, dedicated to artists identifying as females in the generative art and creative coding community. The event was a huge success, with a large turnout of art lovers and collectors.
This was part of ART BASEL MIAMI, with community members speaking on panels and participating in various events throughout the week. It was a great opportunity to connect with other members of the ecosystem and share their vision for the future of digital art.
Another major event was the launch of FRAGMENTS, a gamified generative art project by VerticalCrypto Art.
Fragments intends to challenge a new concept by creating dynamic NFTs which can be upgraded. Users can express their ability by combining Fragments to achieve a higher score. The score will then be reflected in the leaderboard. Through this, the most skilled player is identified at any given time. The generative artwork is created in relation to each Fragment's mathematical attributes; Fragments are partial cubes that can be combined to create a full cube. Fragments can be combined only if the mathematical attributes allow it, so not every Fragment can be combined with each other. Fragments are deflationary.
Finally, Vertical Crypto announced the upcoming PROOF OF PEOPLE NYC event, which will be held in partnership with REFRACTION. This event will bring together artists, collectors, and other members of the art community to explore the intersection of art and blockchain technology. We can’t wait to see what this event has in store, and we hope to see you there!
2023
It’s been a year full of exhibitions, talks, and collaborations, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for VCA and the world of art and culture on the blockchain. Connect with the community on discord, twitter, instagram, or via our website to learn more and join our mission to redefine contemporary culture by empowering the Web3 art and culture ecosystem.
VerticalCrypto Art serves artists, collectors, brands and institutions with the aim to:
- Help artists create and present art in meaningful and impactful ways globally.
- Assist brands and institutions to explore Web3 and blockchain technology through art and culture initiatives.
- Advise and consult artists, brands, institutions and collectors
- Build a community of like minded individuals who share a passion for the evolution of art & culture through blockchain and Web3.
- Build meaningful live events connecting and educating people globally.
Papa — linktr.ee/papajams