This is Tomorrow: Part III
Diango Hernández, Ophelia 8, 2022
Verse is proud to welcome you to Part III of its inaugural exhibition 'This is Tomorrow'. In this presentation, as per Parts I and II, we asked four leading curators to each select an NFT artwork that they believe speaks to where contemporary art might be heading.
We don’t believe we have final answers on how to curate in the digital realm, but rather see our platform as an open curatorial laboratory where we encourage the exchange of thoughts and exploration of ideas. Notably, three of the curators presenting artworks for this part of the exhibition were keen to explore the extent to which artists working in traditional media can participate in web3 in an authentic and meaningful way, without compromising their core practice.
Leyla Fakhr, Verse’s Head of Programming, presents a work by David Batchelor - one of Britain’s most respected artists. Batchelor’s work, 'Inter-Con' is an animated flick book showcasing images of the artist’s sculptures. In using install photographs of his physical works, Batchelor creates something completely removed from the original sculptures. It’s almost as though the NFT piece is an exercise in curation, and an exploration in how images of existing artworks can be used to create something entirely new.
Andrew Renton, a curator, writer and Professor of Curating at Goldsmiths University has selected a work by Diango Hernandez that similarly examines the relationship between the physical and digital worlds. 'Ophelia 8' depicts an abstracted portrait of a woman that speaks to how we are constantly moving between the two worlds without even noticing. Hernandez’ process echoes his subject matter; the artist sources images from the internet and translates them to elaborate oil paintings, before digitizing them once again.
Carmen Juliá, with over two decades’ experience curating with institutions such as Tate and Spike Island, has chosen a work by Mark Titchner. Titchner’s work focuses on words and language in particular in the public space. In 'All Decisions are Final' he explores the role of text within the digital realm. The work is part of a series in which the text emerges slowly out of a psychedelic composition, making it difficult to decipher the words. This is in contrast to most of Titchner’s works where the text is dominant and confrontational.
Unlike the three curators already mentioned, Noah Davis is well-versed with curation in the digital space, having played a significant role in helping shape the NFT market over the past few years. Davis is currently Head of Digital Sales at Christie’s where he brought Beeple’s $69m 'Everydays: The First 5000 Days' to market, and will soon be moving on to manage the Cryptopunks brand with Yuga Labs. Davis has selected Jake Fried’s seminal piece 'Night Visions'. Using ink and white-out to create hallucinatory compositions, Fried continuously reworks his compositions over a 10-month period to create powerful and absorbing animations.
Jake Fried
Jake used to be primarily a painter, but later evolved his technique by using ink and white-out to generate hallucinatory vistas. Fried repeatedly modifies and records his images to create mind-bending animations. The artist's films have been exhibited at the Tate Modern and Sundance Film Festival, and his work has been commissioned by Adult Swim, Netflix, and numerous art galleries around the...
Noah Davis
Noah Davis is the first Brand Lead for the Cryptopunks at Yuga Labs. Previously he was an Associate Vice President in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie’s in New York, where he specialized in NFT-based art.
In March 2021, Noah led the $69m sale of Beeple’s historic ‘Everydays: The First 5000 Days’, and has since organized auctions of new works by leading Web3 artists such as...
David Batchelor
David Batchelor is a Scottish artist and writer. His work has been exhibited widely in the UK, continental Europe, the Americas, and, more recently, the Middle East and Asia. Batchelor has also written a number of books and essays on color theory, including Chromophobia (2000).
Recent exhibitions include My Own Private Bauhaus, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh (2019); Chromatology, Ab-Anbar Gallery...
Leyla Fakhr
Leyla Fakhr is Artistic Director at Verse. After working at the Tate for 8 years, she worked as an independent curator and producer across various projects internationally. During her time at Tate she was part of the acquisition team and worked on a number of collection displays including John Akomfrah, ‘The Unfinished Conversation’ and ‘Migrations, Journeys into British Art’.
She is the editor...
Diango Hernández
Diango Hernández is a Cuban artist living in Düsseldorf, Germany. He began his artistic practice in Cuba in 1994 as a co-founder of Ordo Amoris Cabinet, a group of artists and designers who focused on invented solutions for home design objects to compensate for a permanent shortage of materials and goods.
His work has been exhibited extensively internationally. Selected solo exhibitions include...
Andrew Renton
Andrew Renton is a writer and curator and is Professor of Curating at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has curated many shows internationally, including the first Manifesta in Rotterdam in 1996. He was the founding Director of Marlborough Contemporary Gallery in London until 2017.
He wrote a weekly column for the Evening Standard on art issues, and is the author and editor of numerous...
Mark Titchner
Mark Titchner (b. 1973, Luton, UK) was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2006, participated in the Venice Biennale in 2007 and was Artist in Residence at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto in 2012. In 2018, he completed a major new permanent public work, Me, Here Now, which is installed at London Bridge Station. In addition, his work is held in numerous public collections including Arts Council...
Carmen Juliá
Carmen Juliá is curator at Spike Island Art Centre (Bristol) where she is responsible for the artistic programme including exhibitions, commissions, public programme, artist development and engagement activities.
She has recently curated Veronica Ryan’s major solo exhibition ‘Along a Spectrum’ (2021) which was awarded the Turner Prize (2022). Previously, she worked at Tate Britain (2008-16) where...