VAULTED Art Collector Profile #17 - Chris Coleman
Vaulted is a series where prominent collectors in the Tezos ecosystem are interviewed and highlighted.
Vaulted #17 with Chris Coleman (digitalcoleman)
Unknown Collector: Can you tell us how your Web3 collecting journey began?
Chris: I have always had a collecting habit - stamps, coins, CD's, mp3's, and was a heavy torrent user. As a digital artist, I always wanted to have copies of other digital artists works, and in the late 90's/early 2000's that meant swapping VHS dubs and burned CD Roms with other artists. I started to collect little things over the years until S|edition emerged in 2013 offering an accessible way to collect digital art. Later DAATA Editions added options, and artists started offering things on Kickstarter and on shops on their websites. Finally I followed artists to Foundation, but it was invite only and then a couple friends started tweeting about H=N and I was hooked!
Can you share a story about acquiring one of your favorite pieces or any interesting moment in your collecting journey?
Chris: I remember watching the early 2021 Caesuras works get minted and listed and I had no idea who was making them but I knew I wanted to get one. I missed so many by milliseconds, staying up late and getting up early to try over and over. But finally I got one! Of course the collector in me wants a full set, and perhaps one day I can manage it.
CSRSNT-CAAI-050-of-128.png by Caesuras (Casey Reas)
What sets Art on Tezos apart in your eyes compared to other NFT ecosystems?
Chris: The international accessibility made me an instant fan. Getting affordable works from artists I know in the US and Europe was great, but I discovered so many others from around the world and feel like my collection benefits massively because of that.
Who are your three favorite artists on Tezos from your collection, and what makes their work stand out to you?
Chris:
Frederik Vanhoutte aka wblut is one of the artists who first pointed me to H=N and so I owe him a debt of gratitude. I deeply appreciate the architectural exploration of his work as well as the many directions he has pushed his practice in the last 5-6 years I have been following it.
Iso planet 230106 VI by Frederik Vanhoutte
Auriea Harvey is an artist I have followed for a couple decades now and it was so exciting to be able to collect her work on H=N. Her digital sculptural work is something I deeply resonate with and of course the mythologies she builds around the works is complex and reflects so many contested spaces in our collective history.
Thou Askest Me Of My Glorious Name (Still of GLB) by Auriea Harvey
I can't pick just one more so I will mention a bunch and forget others, but these are great artists I did not know about until H=N: antiquefuture, AluanWang , Claudia Brăileanu , DianeDrubay , acrwrs | alexandra crouwers , huwmessie , Lucy Benson , Kelly Richardson , Luiz André Gama , mimizu , Franz Rosati, Helio Santos , celadoor , Dina Chang , Spøgelsesmaskinen , ge1doot , Sasha Katz , Anna Malina , Ceren Su , Danielle King , time , martinamenegon and so many more
Which three emerging artists on Tezos do you think are worth keeping an eye on, and why?
Chris:
Micah Alhadeff - their work has a unique approach to bodies and fashion, playing with form and concept in beautiful ways. Every work is a surprise and I love how almost all of them exist as digital sculptures via GLBs.
𝓓𝓸𝓅𝒶𝓶𝒾𝓷𝓮. by Mica Alhadeff
Connie Bakshi - their work is ethereal and organic, nearly every work emerging from an endless space. Many people draw strange things from digital tools but Connie has created a distinct universe all their own.
Gray by Connie Bakshi
Rodell Warner - Rodell is creating new mythologies from the complex histories, using AI, illustrations, and even plants to help us understand the islands just south of the US and the cultures emerging from there. He also has multiple accounts where he explores different concepts including libraryonfire and rodellwarner .
Human-Era Flora In by Rodell Warner
