UNLOCKED

In this episode of Unlocked, we speak with Chris Maestas (0009), a Los Angeles–based artist whose practice bridges  AI, digital systems, and visual culture. He reflects on his early days in street culture, his entry into crypto and NFTs, and how these worlds naturally converged in his work. We discuss authorship, anonymity, and the evolution from illustrative to photorealistic outputs, as well as his ongoing exploration of “urban fabric” as a visual language rooted in memory and identity. Chris also shares his thoughts on community in Web3, the importance of participation, and why the future of digital art still needs its own direction.

In this episode of Unlocked, we speak with Rob McCarty about augmented reality as a new layer of artistic expression. We explore how digital works anchored in place challenge traditional ideas of display, ownership, and permanence, and what this shift means for collectors today. www.100collectors.art

In this episode of Unlocked, we speak with Elena Carbajal from Onkaos (Solo Contemporary) in Madrid, a platform working at the intersection of digital art, AI, and research. With a background in philosophy and media theory, she shares how she entered the digital art ecosystem and what it means to support artists working with code and generative systems. We discuss why digital art cannot simply replicate traditional gallery models, the challenge of exhibiting code-based works in physical spaces, and the urgency of building new protocols for production, collecting, and conservation. Elena also introduces the Solo AI Award and Onkaos’ role in connecting art, research, and digital culture.

In this episode of Unlocked, we speak with Noriaki Nakata about the development of digital art across Japan and Asia, and the ways context, public space, and infrastructure shape how artworks are experienced.Drawing on his trajectory from early exhibitions to large-scale public digital installations, Noriaki reflects on why public space matters for digital art, how Asian artistic ecosystems differ from one another, and what it means to build long-term cultural visibility beyond traditional gallery formats.We also discuss digital citizenship projects using NFTs to support local communities, the role of collectors as stewards and ambassadors of artworks, and how collecting frameworks can help shift attention from short-term market dynamics toward intention, context, and continuity.

In this episode of Unlocked, we speak with Mexican photographer and artist Alejandro Cartagena about the evolution of photography, from analog to digital and now into the age of artificial intelligence. Drawing on over two decades of practice, he reflects on the city as a force shaping identity, the role of archives and reproduction, and why AI marks a critical moment of transformation rather than the death of the medium. We also discuss Fellowship, the platform he co-founded to rethink photography, digital art, and collecting.

In this episode of Unlocked, we sit down with the two founders of Gondi, a platform helping collectors access liquidity against digital art — and helping more people participate in the market, beyond the very top end. We talk about the tension between art and finance, why loans aren’t new in the art world (but access has been limited), and how “on-chain” systems can make the process faster and more transparent. A practical conversation for collectors: how it works, what happens if you can’t repay, and what this shift means for the future of collecting.

In this episode of Unlocked, we talk with digital art pioneer and sculptor Auriea Harvey to explore her extraordinary journey from early net art and video game design to immersive installations and hybrid sculptures. Auriea opens up about her creative process, the role of interaction in her work, her evolving relationship with AI, and the making of her recent exhibitions Prophecy (arebyte, London) and C0D3X (Gazelli Art House). A deep, insightful, and inspiring conversation for anyone curious about the future of art.

Ulrich Schrauth joins Unlocked to explore how digital art becomes a lived experience. From his theatre background to curating the UBS Digital Art Museum Hamburg and Art Dubai Digital, Ulrich shares how he bridges art, technology, and emotion. We talk about new audiences, hybrid works that connect physical and digital worlds, and how collecting is shifting from ownership to collaboration.

A deep dive into the evolution of generative art with curator and entrepreneur Sofia Garcia, founder of ArtXCode. From her unexpected path into creative coding to reshaping how artists are represented, Sofia reveals how digital art is challenging the traditional market. We explore the rise of agency-model support for artists, collector dynamics, and CodeArt - the initiative empowering young girls to create with technology. An inspiring look at the present and future of digital culture.

Co-founder of The Sandbox, Sébastien Borget shares his journey from gaming to collecting, and how digital worlds are reshaping art. From the origins of The Sandbox to the creation of Artverse in Paris, he explores what connects artists and collectors today — and why digital art is becoming the new cultural frontier.

Curator Marlene Wenger shares her journey from traditional art spaces to leading the House of Electronic Arts (HEK) in Basel. In this conversation, she unpacks the challenges and possibilities of digital art, the importance of media literacy, and how institutions can embrace emerging technologies like AI. A deep dive into curating with curiosity, relevance, and imagination in a fast-evolving world.

In this episode of Unlocked, artist Cezar Mocan explores how digital art can dissect systems of control. Speaking with Delfina Sena, he unpacks the politics of game engines, the aesthetics of AI, and how emotional resonance and poetic slowness can interrupt dominant technological narratives.

From financial analyst to crypto artist and worldbuilder, Josie Bellini has helped shape the NFT space from its earliest days. In this episode, she shares how her background in finance and deep dive into the crypto world led her to create iconic projects such as CyberBrokers, one of the first fully on-chain avatar collections. Josie talks about the importance of digital permanence, building immersive lore with her community, and why ownership, accessibility, and collaboration are redefining how we experience art in the Web3 era.

At OFFICE IMPART, Anne Schwanz and Johanna Neuschäffer propose a new vision for what a gallery can be today: a flexible, hybrid model that prioritizes mediation over physical space. Drawing from deep experience in the traditional art world, they challenge outdated structures by embracing both digital and analog art on equal footing, cultivating trust across different generations of collectors. Their approach points to a future where collaboration, adaptability, and technology are essential to the art ecosystem.

Curator and advisor Marlene Corbun shares what it means to act as a true mediator in today’s art world - guiding artists in the creative process, educating collectors over time, and building bridges between traditional institutions and emerging Web3 practices. With over a decade of experience, from White Cube and Christie’s to her current role as Head Curator at laCollection, Marlene reflects on how digital and physical art are not in opposition, but in dialogue. Her practice is a rare mix of care, precision, and vision for what contemporary collecting can become.

Collector, entrepreneur, and maker Erin Saluti shares her unique journey across the worlds of historical preservation, crypto art, and contemporary design. In this episode, she talks about why living with art matters, how craftsmanship and technology can merge, and how collecting is also a way of shaping the future.

For Rudolfo Quintas, technology and emotions are inseparable. Working in his Lisbon-based studio with neuroscientists, psychologists, perfumers, choreographers, data scientists, and filmmakers, Quintas incorporated AI into his work as early as 2001 to investigate the impact of information and communication overload on mental health, and the implications of autonomous systems of power and control in democracy.

Curator of Art Dubai Digital 2025, Gonzalo Herrero Delicado joins us to discuss the fourth edition of the fair's sector, which explores how artists are using digital technologies to respond to today’s most pressing issues. Based in London, Gonzalo also works with Serpentine Galleries and teaches at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art. In this episode, he discusses how the fair will bridge digital and contemporary art through large-scale public commissions, and the role of artists in addressing the climate crisis. 

Artist, curator, and strategist Diane Drubay shares her journey through digital art, sustainability, and emotional scenography. From low-tech exhibitions to the power of stillness, this episode invites us to rethink how we experience art and technology — and how to slow down in a fast-paced world. 

Nina Roehrs, curator of the digital art sector at Paris Photo 2024, explores how digital art thrives in the attention economy—a world where constant streams of content compete for engagement. By addressing societal issues and leveraging technology, digital art invites interaction and creates new opportunities for connection. Learn how this art can be exhibited and experienced in innovative ways today.

Humans wanting to play God: The machine artist Botto produces 7,000 works a week, challenging traditional notions of authorship, creativity, and agency. But it doesn’t work alone—its evolution and output are guided by a global community that votes on which final pieces are worthy of becoming art. Simon Hudson, who oversees the strategic direction of the project, explains how Botto is a microcosm of the global debate on AI governance.

"You have got to keep a plastic mind," says artist Ry David Bradley in this thought-provoking episode about the future of art. Exploring AI’s mind-blowing potential and blockchain’s role in securing provenance, Bradley envisions a world where technology continually redefines creativity. With a deep connection to internet culture, he highlights the brilliance in AI-driven art and predicts a future where NFTs become the standard for buying and selling works, reshaping how we experience and value art.

Drawing on a lifelong fascination with science and creativity, Sasha Stiles sees both poetry and technology as powerful tools for exploring feelings that can’t always be expressed. In this episode, Sasha shares her thoughts on using small texts to evoke big ideas, how technology helps us understand ourselves, and the evolving role of social media in reshaping how we connect through words.

For Daniel Canogar, generative art is the medium most in sync with the times we live in—it captures the endless rhythm of information we consume daily. The Spanish artist admits to his own addiction to news while reflecting on his early fascination with the photographic development process in the darkroom of his childhood home. Now, through his morning ritual of journaling creative ideas, Canogar and his 11-person team transform seemingly simple concepts into some of the most innovative live-generated data artworks today.

Curator, art collector, and co-founder of MONO—a Tunis-based micro-gallery championing digital art—Kenza Zouari discusses AI's transformative power, its biases, and its potential to reshape creative expression. She shares her work in elevating underrepresented voices and her latest curatorial project for Janou Tunis, featuring Rima Hassan's photographs of Palestinian refugees. In “Fragments of Home,” Kenza explores various AI narratives to question how we consume, process, and share stories of displacement in our digital age.

For Eli Scheinman, building communities is not just about fostering conversations around art—it’s about creating meaningful connections that resonate with life itself. As Head of Art at Proof and Director of Art at Yuga Labs, Scheinman discusses the importance of authentic relationships in the art world and how they enrich the experience of collecting.

The friction humans create on Earth: that’s one of the obsessions explored by Spanish artist Solimán López, whose groundbreaking projects connect diverse disciplines like physics, astronomy, biotechnology, and digital art. He is also the founder of the Harddiskmuseum, a repository for contemporary thinking. For him, collecting and analyzing data is the only way humankind can look back and learn from its mistakes—so that we do not repeat them in the future.

Artists Liaison at Unit London, Alice Fry builds bridges between artists and collectors and helps to transform great ideas of the digital realm into palpable exhibitions of the physical world. 

Seeking innovation in all its forms, artist and founder Jorge Welsh uses his findings to invest, collect and create in the art and technology worlds. With a background rooted in the art world and involved in crypto since 2016, this marriage of two domains has informed a unique perspective that informs his decision making as he takes the best from the old and the new. 

Founder of Nuqtah, the first NFT marketplace in Saudi Arabia, Salwa Radwi is driving the transformation of the country’s new creators’ economy by bridging gaps between the culture, arts, and technology spheres. Unstoppable entrepreneur and an artist herself, she is a key figure working with blockchain technologies with the Ministry of Culture and of Tourism. "Why does someone who loves art still have to do a boring 9-to-5 job? That makes no sense at all!” 

He spent his childhood in Paraguay and Europe and his teenage years in Norway and the Emirates. It's not surprising that the themes of "in-betweenness" and migration influence Daniel H. Rey's perspective on the art world. Currently living in Dubai, this curator organizes original projects and exhibitions that blend the Arab world and Latin America. He sees himself as a storyteller - and what a great one indeed!

A person-to-person connection is what appealed to Bharat Krymo’s decision to become involved in crypto in 2013. More than ten years later, the immediate bond between artists and collectors still takes this angel investor, with a diverse investment portfolio including 6529 Holdings, down the rabbit hole of digital art and NFTs.

She is among the Top 20 inspiring women who manages extensive exhibitions, cultural projects, and art fairs between the UK and the Middle East. He directs The Media Majlis museum in Doha and manages some of the most celebrated international cultural projects, strategic alliances, audience development and stakeholder initiatives. Auronda Scalera and Alfredo Cramerotti make a nearly perfect curatorial duo, covering 20 hours of work per day and omnipresent in the physical and digital worlds. 

With her, you are always at the right address! Aleksandra Artamonovskaja has a keen eye for identifying, curating, and discussing the role of art in the digital age as if she is observing ahead of our present. Head of Arts at Trilitech, where she leads art projects across the Tezos ecosystem, Aleksandra Art was part of the core team that launched .ART, the digital address for the arts community. Note: This podcast was recorded in February 2024, since then, Aleksandra Art took the position of Head of Arts at Trilitech.

Think about an oasis for showcasing digital art: Clemence Cazeau and her team transformed such a dream into reality! The gallery 37xDubai just showcased its debut exhibition dedicated to light, with stunning digital and physical works. And what a beautiful view of Dubai's cityscape!  

What makes one artist an artist? Can AI create autonomous art? Such questions drive the Botto Project, an engine that creates over 4000 unique images every week, all untouched by human hands. As founder of Elevenyellow, Selo was part of the founding team of this artist/robot. The Spanish collector is also part of Colección Solo, a private contemporary art collection based in Madrid.

Poem is in the air! Literary artist Ana Maria Caballero brings classical literature to new audiences by incorporating technology to create digital interactive experiences. Set to publish her sixth book this May, the Colombian-American artist has also created the literary gallery theVERSEverse which promotes leading voices of poetry in the Web3 space. Listen until the end of her discussion as Ana María has a beautiful surprise in store for us!

Around him, no one gets bored. From Paris to Lisbon, John Karp has created some of the most innovative events in the digital art world. Entrepreneur and collector, he wakes up every morning talking passionately about NFTs in his podcast (he has recorded more than 600 episodes) and loves to teach people about the "pioneer spirit" of the digital space.

Does collecting digital art sound like a distant universe to you? Daniel Lenikus has bought over 500 NFTs in the last four years and will persuade you otherwise in this interview. To show everyone that collecting is a piece of cake, the Austrian CEO has launched the platform Tokapi - where buying art can be as easy as purchasing items on eBay.

Avatars don't have body limits or the physical constraints we face daily. If they could be anything, why do these virtual creatures still look a lot like us? Imagining virtual bodies can be liberating for humans; an exercise of freedom. Artist, curator, and educator Martina Menegon is so into this idea, she sometimes forgets to take care of her physical self!

Eleonora Brizi showed up in Ai Weiwei's studio in Beijing and stayed for over four years as his assistant. In New York, she heard about Crypto Art for the first time and immediately found Breezy Art, a laboratory for experimentation with Blockchain technologies. Eleonora Brizi has the best of both art worlds: the physical and the digital. Plus, she is the only one to have launched a phygital book during a flight! 

Posthumanism? Postgenderism? What do all these 'post' concepts actually mean? In her exhibitions, Alice Scope discusses the future of humans and how technology might help us build a more just society. For her, we can push our imagination to create better worlds and not recreate our mistakes. Learn with Ukrainian art curator and researcher Alice Scope, currently working with Vellum LA, and Serpentine Arts Technologies.

We need people like Fanny Lakoubay to demystify the digital space. The Crypto and NFT world has been turned into an almost inaccessible subject, and the digital art advisor and curator sets the record straight. For her, collecting is not just buying, documentation on digital art as a cultural movement is scarce, and women collectors are still underrepresented. A collector herself and founder of LAL Art Advisory, this French-born Buenos Aires-based guest opens minds and decentralises knowledge. 

His first art piece was a huge party - and his following creations were no less surprising! French artist Ben Elliot believes building an artistic career is the same as building a brand. He has created the Ben Elliot Shop, the Ben Elliot Water, and his own cryptocurrency, apart from the ambitious project Metaone. In this episode of Unlocked, Delfina Sena investigates his avant-garde working process. 

Tam Gryn is all about developing mind-blowing projects at the intersection between art and other industries. Over the past years, the Venezuelan curator has been finding solutions to the million-dollar question: how to find new financial models for artists to survive and culture to keep evolving? In this compelling conversation with Pauline Foessel, she also explains how and why she came to write the bible “How to Create and Sell NFTs, A Guide For All Artists”, published in 2022. 

Spanish digital creator, designer, and curator Diego Iglesias Gomez runs one-of-a-kind projects linking architecture to digital technologies. In the second episode of Unlocked, he discusses with Delfina Sena about his out-of-the-box Hyper Studio, as well as Madrid’s Urban Digital Arts Festival. His critical mind -"The majority of the NFT world is white, heteronormative and male," he says -, led him to create projects which question and propose new patterns of behaviour in the digital space. 

In the inaugural chapter of Unlocked, our host Pauline Foessel interviews the brilliant Fernando Magalhães aka MGXS, the Lisbon-based visual artist who, in his first drop, sold nothing less than 10.000 digital works in 4 minutes! "One person mad enough can achieve gigantic possibilities!", he says. Passionate about technology since his childhood, MGXS discusses generative art, AI and his most famous series of works, Genesis [GNSS].