The main actors in the NFT art market are artists and collectors. Artists create, while collectors buy. In (We Are³) we believe that every talented artist should find their collector. That’s why we are launching the project We Are Collectors.

Through this project, we aim to ask collectors questions that will help artists promote their artworks in the web3 field, connect with their target collectors and successfully promote themselves.

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The Commodore is not a very typical collector as he doesn’t just collect art. If you go to his Twitter page you may find a lot of interesting things: he curates meta exhibitions, the artists’ hubs and even creates his own AI-artworks… and so much more is planned.

We talked on Twitter and discussed what and how he collects, how establishes the connections with artists, what’s his vision of web3 and its’ future.

Introduction

When did you start collecting NFTs?

Probably some time around late 2020.

Has the understanding of NFTs changed since that moment?

Yes, quite significantly and it keeps evolving with the technology.

What changed in your understanding comparing to 2020?

I understand now that blockchain is a medium for information exchange. NFTs are nothing more than data wrappers.

If so, do you think that such physical arts as, let’s say, performance, could become an NFT too and find its’ audience in web3?

Absolutely, everything that is already digital today can be reproduced as an NFT which gives it additional capabilities. Physical-to-digital is a little more tricky as it requires trust in a 3rd-party for the physical custody of the tokenized asset.

Why did you decide to collect art in web3? Why did you get interested in it?

Because I witnessed the talent of the people immersed in it. That was something that jumped out of the ordinary which got my attention.

Who were the artists that impressed you the most at that time?

The artists I collect from ;)

Do you remember what was the first NFT you bought? Why did you decide to buy specifically this work of specifically this artist? Do you still have this artwork?

Don’t really remember which one it was… but I still hold almost all of my NFTs. I think there are many stories to be told and NFTs are the medium to prove you were there when everyone else was distracted.

Collecting As Process

Why do you collect NFTs today? Is it for investments, establishing the emotional connection with the artist or you just like it?

A little of everything, today I enjoy the process of collecting and curating digital art. I buy only what I like and never chase short-term price action. I can also explain why I bought every NFT I have.

Is your collection just for yourself or do you have plans on its’ promotion , for instance, at the exhibitions?

I've lots of plans for my collections. Curated VR galleries in OnCyber are one strategy that I’ve pursued this year. I’m looking forward to more formats to display the art and conduct exhibitions in the future.

I’ve seen your exhibitions on OnCyber and this is a great way of the collection promotion! Why do you prefer OnCyber now? What other platforms you tested before or are testing now?

I like OnCyber because I believe in their long-term vision of an Open Metaverse with a focus on artistic experiences. That being said, Ive also looked into other platforms like Substrata, Spatial, Decentraland, etc. as I believe there will be multiple winners in the metaverse race. Interoperability between blockchains will be key.

Any plans to promote your collection out of web3 and maybe collaborate with physical galleries and the museums?

If the opportunity arises, I’d love to showcase my collection(s) in physical galleries or museums. My hope is for these exhibitions to have a degree of interactiveness with the audience.

Do you collect something specific? Or is it very random and more like «I like it-I buy it»?

I collect and invest in people, not specific art per se. Now, you can get to know someone by buying their art.

What do you collect? Art NFTs, music NFTs, something else? What is the main movement, style, medium, topic?

My favorite NFTs are smart contract art and GIFs with narratives that support my vision of an Open Metaverse.

Could you please tell a bit more about your interest to Open Metaverses? Do you think that artists should consider to be more present there?

An Open Metaverse(s) is essential to a decentralized future of the Internet, as it will underpin most walled-garden gallery NFTs. Definitely artists should consider this option because of its freedom-to-create ethos and maximum reach.

How do you search for artists?

Twitter.

Sure, but do you find the artists in spaces or communities?

I think most of my findings today are the result of network effects. Twitter algorithm now seems to have enough depth to figure out what I like, so it’s easier today than say 1-2 years ago. I do have a standard selection criteria that I apply in my curation thought process, but I also like to bet on new/emerging talent.

I understand collecting NFTs can become overwhelming if you are new to web3, but over time it becomes easier as you learn more about the intricacies of the crypto-art world.

My advice for the new entrants is to collect only art you like and wouldn’t mind keeping for yourself. Stay safe and remember that if something seems too good to be true, it’s probably because it isn’t.

How do you identify that this is the right artist, if we talk about investments?

I look for technical excellence and social media skills (i.e. marketing). I try to understand their potential long term.

What would be the sign for you that an artist has the long term potential? Do you mean here collaborations with the other artists, participation in the exhibitions and so on?

Exhibition and/or any external recognition is highly desirable and always a positive sign. Collaboration makes sense only if the resulting art is somehow an interesting mix of styles and ideas or a project that drives innovation forward.

Artistic inspiration, network influence, artistic style and social media presence are also important factors to be considered.  IMPO, technical innovations will trump all of the above at the end (if successful). Few.

Do you buy more directly from the artist or also at the secondary market?

I prefer primary sales.

Do you believe in the sales on secondary market in general?

Generally speaking, yes. However, the incentive should be love for the art/collectible and not pure price speculation.

The Collection

So, you assemble your own collections of the artworks from different artists on OnCyber. What approach do you follow?

I look for narratives that I believe are meaningful or follow similar patterns & structures.

I really loved the Void Museum that you assembled. Could you please tell more about the concept? (I’m also a fan of Interstellar, so especially interested 🙂)

Void Museum explores the concept of experiencing nothingness and everything at the same time, by collapsing all possibilities into a single dot of existence (a singularity). It’s a statement about order out of chaos.

The other galleries - Commodore Plaza, Nightshade Underground, Zero Xway - are places in a map! There will me more info about those at a later time.

Drilling down to the artistic level, what would you name as the main art movement in your collection?

AI and Web3 History

New AI tools arise everyday and today we can also use AI for the video generation. Would you pay your attention to the AI video art?

Yes, however I'd encourage artists to try to stay ahead of AI capabilities, as I believe it’s in their best interest to exploit and nurture their own human creativity.

Do you prefer buying established artists or do you focus on the new talents?

I prefer to identify new talent. It’s more fun and rewarding.

Top latest artists and artworks you have bought recently?

This is the latest artist I bought an NFT from: @kevdwolf_

Network

On which network do you buy NFTs? Only ETH?

Mainly ETH and Tezos

Do you consider, for example, Optimism network? Young artists start looking at it because of the lower gas and the fact that it’s built on ETH architecture. They hope to find there the collectors that mostly collect on ETH.

I have collected some NFTs in Optimism and Base. These are novel promising blockchains, highly efficient and cheap to transact on. My issue with L2s is that at some point it becomes difficult to understand if there are duplicates in other chains, which goes against the value proposition of the scarcity argument. We need a standard, robust artist directory that can help address those concerns and provide clarity of the full x-chain artist portfolio. Like a Library Index or something…

Would you buy the art on another network if you really like the artwork and the artist?

Yes, but it would depend on the artist.

If the artist you like uses new networks and platforms would you be ready to explore them?

Yes, but I prefer if they use standard minting tools like Manifold.

Outro

How do you see the development of NFT space?

It’s a wild ride and it’s only getting started.

Maybe you see now some trends that you believe will evolve?

I believe there will be integration and interoperability with multiple 3D metaverses, proliferation of decentralized apps (ie dApps), AI-enabled tools with direct minting features, adoption in tradeable in-game NFTs, among other cool things. I expect lots of changes in the upcoming years, especially with regards to how we consume & interact with digital media.

To wrap up, do you think it’s necessary to find another term to call NFTs? Like digital collectibles? What is your suggestion?

No, but people need to stop assuming that because something is an NFT it must be valuable. NFTs are only wrappers of something else.

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