STELLAR: Tezos Art in the Spotlight in NYC

Over 300 artists and enthusiasts braved the bad weather on April 2nd to take part in STELLAR: An immersive art experience by Victoria West, powered by Tezos. Hosted at LUME Studios in New York City in parallel with NFT NYC, the exhibition featured works from all corners of the Tezos community.

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

STELLAR was curated as a community event, encouraging connections and meaningful discussions among members of the Tezos community and beyond.

During the one-day event, guests enjoyed digital art, live minting sessions, an enlightening panel discussion, and live performances which added an immersive layer to the program.

Here’s a roundup of what went down.

New York state of mind #

LUME Studios buzzed with energy as the audience gathered. Artists engaged in lively conversations with attendees while their artwork was displayed through projections and large screens.

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

Community members from across the Tezos art ecosystem came to the event, including co-founders and curators from Objkt, the biggest NFT marketplace on Tezos, Ryan Tanaka from Teia, a community-powered marketplace, as well as team members from Trilitech and Tezos Commons.

Many curators, artists and collectors were also present, including conceptual artist Oona, poet and artist Sasha Stiles, illustrator and artist OMGiDRAWEDit, to name a few.

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

Highlights of the day #

In addition to the exhibition itself, STELLAR’s program was also designed to stimulate connections and spark conversation throughout the day.

The event started at 2 pm local time with a networking session, followed by a panel discussion, live performances, and closing with a DJ set and social gathering.

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

Panel talk #

A panel discussed blockchain technologies’ impact on creativity and collecting art. Aaron Vick’s energetic moderation drew out insights from panelists Leslie Spurlock, Sunny Sangwan, Empress Trash, Jennifer Panepinto, and Joanne Enders.

When discussing how NFTs and digital art contribute to the broader cultural landscape, artist Jennifer Panepinto drew parallels between the NFT space and the graffiti scene in New York, the importance of community, the acceptance of artists who did not have a formal art education or background, and making art for art’s sakes.

The panelists also shared a few words of advice for artists and collectors. Here are a few of them:

“Make art that feels good, don’t worry about everyone else” - Jennifer Panepinto, Artist (Quantum Spirit) and collector

“Be genuinely yourself the whole time” - Leslie Spurlock, Photojournalist and collector

“Remember artists create the future” - Joanne Enders, Multimedia artist

“Don’t chase the money, artists shouldn’t be ashamed of talking about money but they shouldn’t chase it” - Empress Trash, Multiversatile Artist

“Think AR & VR” - Sunny Sangwan, Collector

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

Digital art #

The exhibition included digital art by over 60 artists, many of them longstanding members of the Tezos art community.

Leslie Spurlock, Aaron Vick and Joanna Enders curated an impressive community selection which was exhibited alongside curations by ObscuraDAO, Graphite Method, and TheVERSEverse.

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

During a live demonstration of their ‘Tez vending machine’, Vendingnfts dispensed Tezos-powered art as well as their own curation.

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

While words can’t replace the real-life experience, you can explore some of the works displayed through Objkt’s curation threads on Twitter (X). Explore them here and here.

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

Live performances #

Multidisciplinary artist Andressa Furletti’s poetic ‘Washed Dreams’ explored themes of renewal and self-discovery through a blend of live performance, video and AI technology.

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

More cinematic poetry followed, this time courtesy of Graphite Method (actor and artist Laurence Fuller and actor and poet Vincent d’Onofrio). The duo recited poetry to a backdrop of projections that enveloped the studio.

Laurence Fuller described the energy as “a communal spiritual experience”, and one that left a lasting impression: “we transcended into an art realm like the rapture, some maybe lost forever,” he said.

You can read more about Graphite Method’s poetry performance in Artnet News.

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

Following a day of art and performances, the evening ended with party vibes courtesy of DJ Chris Devcich, aka Guido Corleone.

Credit: Lauren McDonagh-Pereira Photography

What’s next for the Tezos art community #

STELLAR proved to be a resounding success as a celebration of art, technology, and community. It showcased both the strength of the Tezos art community and the extraordinary creations powered by the Tezos blockchain.

Significant events on the horizon for the Tezos arts community include NFC Lisbon and the Digital Art Mile during Art Basel, with more in planning. We look forward to meeting the community there.

Stay up-to-date with upcoming events and announcements by following Tezos on Twitter.