The Gateway Korea Live Blog: Day One
In the heart of Seoul’s art scene, the doors to The Gateway: Korea have opened. Attendees, speakers, art enthusiasts, critics, and creators gather with a shared enthusiasm for art and innovation. Whether you are unable to attend the event or are seeking a comprehensive overview, check back to this live blog for up-to-date summaries, panel recaps, and behind-the-scenes insights from Day One.
Here’s our speaker programming schedule for the day:
11:39 a.m.: After months of planning, seeing this event come to life in person is still surreal. Yesterday (Sept. 5), over 1,500 people came to S-Factory for The Gateway’s Opening Night Party, where we all got to enjoy immersive art installations, food, drinks, and live music. Today, we’re officially kicking off our programming. There will be stimulating panel discussions on fashion, community, technology, and more. Doors will open in about 20 minutes— I’m so excited to see everyone and learn new things from all the talks.
12:48 p.m.: Matt Medved and Beeple are kicking off their fireside chat. He’s giving details about the exclusive piece he did for The Gateway: Korea and discussing his recently opened Beeple Studios in South Carolina.
12:52 p.m.: Beeple talks about the digital tools he uses in Beeple Studios and how art will evolve. In his pieces, he says the audience will be able to view the process and be able to see the piece evolving. “With the digital tools I use, the piece can change very rapidly in terms of the composition or the light.”
12:55 p.m.: “We’re going to see more people performing digital art, and then something will come from it. You will continue to see people building more interactive experiences, a more visceral experience rather than a quick mint.” — Beeple
1:07 p.m.: Medved asks Beeple what is inspiring him and what is giving him hope. Beeple laughs and says it’s tough to answer. He thinks there are artists doing amazing things like Sam Spratt, who help people truly connect with storytelling. On the infrastructure side, he says not much.
1:12 p.m.: The speakers discuss artist royalties. Beeple says that most people don’t have realistic expectations of artist royalties. “I would personally love to see royalties showering down on everybody, but there needs to be an adjustment of expectations. I think there will be something through a social contract, not a smart contract, that will honor that. If people don’t want to pay it, they don’t want to pay it.”
1:16 p.m.: Beeple discusses his upcoming projects. He says he’s excited to bring communities together through Beeple Studios. He also talks about Human One, a piece that he continually updates. “I will be changing it for the rest of his life,” he said.
1:30 p.m.: The Digital Resonance panel presented by Beatport and Polkadot begins.
1:54 p.m.: Finn Martin, CEO of Define Creative, says he wants to use Beatport to make the music industry more equitable and accessible. He wants to give fans a deeper experience, a better way to connect with their favorite artists.
1:57 p.m.: Latasha asks about the future of photography and technology. She says photographers like Mischa Fanghaenel, Justin Aversano, and Diana Sinclair are innovating the space.
1:59 p.m.: Martin teases that Beatport will be having a partnership with one of the biggest electronic dance artists in the world.
2:03 p.m.: Medved talks about 3LAU and how 3LAU shared an idea on how artists can use NFT technology to know where all his core fans are and invite them to shows. This is how artists can take away the gatekeepers and facilitate their own relationships with their supporters.
2:08 p.m.: CEO of Parity Technologies Björn Wagner, says he feels at home in a bear market. While he acknowledges it’s a high-risk time and not ideal in many ways, it’s also a wonderful time. He says some of the best companies have been built in economic downturns.
2:10 p.m.: Latasha asks the panelists for their thoughts on diversity. Mischa Fanghaenel says that’s the exact reason he started creating art. Medved says the Web3 space can be too white, too male, and too straight and that nft now, as a media company, has a responsibility to empower diverse creators and artists and make that a reality each and every day.
2:25 p.m.: Now Runway panel on digital fashion begins.
2:35 p.m.: Irene Kim expresses that digital fashion is changing the industry, leveling the playing field in the fashion industry, and creating additional avenues for a wider range of individuals.
“Sometimes, fashion brands, go off being very exclusive, but I think digital fashion has democratized the industry and given everybody an opportunity to express themselves in a different way. It’s really exciting to see how younger artists or designers who don’t really get an opportunity to show during Fashion Week or be able to go to shows, they can use this media to show who they are.” — Irene Kim on leveling the playing field in the fashion industry, and creating additional avenues for a wider range of individuals.
3:20 p.m.: During the adidas “Collaboration For The Community: What Brands and Artists Bring to the Table” panel, adidas shares how it brings its brand’s DNA in the most authentic and genuine way possible to Web3.
3:40 p.m.: When asked about community and what it means to her, Adra Kandil (Dear Nostalgia) speaks from the heart. “Everyone is always looking for a home. That’s what Web3 is for me.” She says she’s felt like an outsider all her life, but Web3 has given her a sense of belonging and a freedom to be herself.
3:45 p.m.: “Art comes in so many different forms. Fashion, movies, music. Self-expression is part of adidas’s DNA. Whether it’s brand partnerships and collaboration or co-creation, self-expression is what it’s all about.” – Stace King
4:25 p.m.: Medved announces that nft now will be tokenizing its latest podcast episode with Krista Kim and will be airdropping it to Now Pass holders.
4:43 p.m.: Last (but not least) panel of the day! ThankYouX and Emi Kusano join Medved for a conversation on empowering artistry and creating in uncertain times.
4:44 p.m.: Kusano talks about her son’s art and how bustling the Japanese fine art culture is.
4:45 p.m.: ThankYouX shares the story of how he got to send his art to space. “It was a beautiful moment for me, huge in my career.” He says he has a video of his two-year-old son watching his art come down from space.
4:52 p.m.: J.N. Silva arrives at the panel. He introduces himself, his decades of experience as an artist, and how he got into NFTs.
4:54 p.m.: “The bear market is the best time to create because you’re doing it organically and not for the dollar sign.” — ThankYouX. He says the people in the space right now are the truest people.
5:30 p.m.: J.N. Silva shares the trailer for his short film with the audience to end the programming.