Internet as a place for potential disruption

Artist and curator Eileen Isagon Skyers on the importance of supporting artists and creatives through digital and experimental practices.

Photo: Courtesy of Eileen Isagon Skyers.

Way before the Internet became the leading powerful tool that we know today, Eileen Isagon Skyers had already forecasted the possibility of an hybrid future within the art market. With expertise in curatorial practice, research and internet-based communities, the young artist and digital enthusiast has always found in the cyberspace “a site for potential disruption”, driving her professional path into the support for artists and creatives through digital and experimental practices as well as anti-institutional ideologies. 

We took a few minutes to talk with Eileen about her career, her vision on NFTs and involvement with Foundation, a creative playground for artists, curators and collectors where she currently performs as the Director of Communications. 

Georgina: Can you tell us more about your background and your beginnings in the art industry?

Eileen Isagon Skyers: I studied art for much of my young life before getting a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and Philosophy, and a Master’s in Critical Theory. A lot of my studies have informed my career trajectory, but I’ve definitely had an atypical journey. When you work in the creative sector, the evolution of your career can be a bit undefined, or nonlinear. I was actually originally working in communications for Ace Hotel, moonlighting as an artist and curator. And while I’m no longer involved with the gallery, I co-founded HOUSING back in 2017. I worked in the digital space at The Whitney, managing their social media presence before finding my way into the world of Online Sales at David Zwirner. I had always been invested in the experimental and often anti-institutional ideology of online exhibition making, but at Zwirner, I really began to anticipate a hybrid future for the art market: the internet had grown into a potentially powerful medium for dealers to find new buyers. In the midst of the pandemic lockdown, I was in a position where I was working on about three online project launches per week—many of which had total values in the millions. I’m now the Director of Communications at Foundation, where I’ve been challenged to delve into the rapidly evolving world of web.

G: How was your first approach to crypto art? When did you become involved?

EIS: I’ve been involved in various internet-based communities in different corners of the world since I was an adolescent. In my curatorial practice and research, I’ve always found myself drawn to the work of media artists who use the internet as a site for potential disruption. I watched as many of the net artists and digital artists whose work I’ve long admired started to experiment with NFTs as a new mode, or mechanism, for attributing value to their work. Naturally, I was curious about the possibilities that seemed inherent to this nascent technology.

“Across the board, pre-existing systems have been inequitable for creatives whose offerings haven’t traditionally fit within capitalism’s formula for productivity and pricing, so it was interesting to see this radical new ambition for a creative economy gain traction. For once where artists could earn royalties in perpetuity, and be paid out instantly, for their digital creations.”

I am often very cautious about any kind of utopian thinking when it comes to a new approach to technology. More broadly, I’ve found myself invested in the idea that we need to enter this intersectional space of creative work and digital practice in a way that allows for a different kind of narrative to come to the fore. Using this technology as an archive, for instance—allowing for the preservation and circulation of cultural histories that are urgent and open source—is also very necessary. I’m interested in the decentralized expertise that can stem from these spaces and extend itself to challenge existing hierarchies.

“Powerful” by Nicole Ruggiero @nicoleruggiero. Courtesy of Foundation.App

G: From traditional collectors to upcoming ones, why would you recommend to start investing in NFTs?

EIS: One of the most revolutionary aspects of NFTs is the ability for creators to earn royalties in perpetuity, so in collecting, not only are you making an investment, but you are actively contributing to the ongoing and sustained practice of an individual’s practice. Operating within this market has long-term potential for supporting creatives who have historically been underrepresented, or taken advantage of—at least that’s how I like to think about it.

“When you consider collecting a work, beyond whether or not you find it amusing or aesthetically interesting or satisfying, you can also consider your personal connection to the artist and their history, and their place in the world.”

G: How does Foundation work?

EIS: Foundation is a platform where artists connect with one another, and with their collectors, to bridge mutual support networks. It works with a MetaMask wallet, which is used to interact with the Ethereum blockchain. Everything is logged on-chain. By centering crypto, the platform is ushering in a new era of the internet that’s decentralized, transparent, and community-owned. At present, there is an invitation system in place for creators which enables community-driven curation, and encourages peer-to-peer networks to take shape. We’ve seen really interesting genres or sub-communities form organically through the invitation system—from meme creators inviting other meme creators, to networks of artists in Tokyo, Brazil, and Ethiopia sharing invites with their friends. The work itself is set to a specific reserve price, which, once met, kicks off a 24-hour auction period for the work’s sale. Bids placed within the last 15 minutes of an auction extends the countdown back to 15 minutes, giving other bidders a final chance to place a bid. Works can also be re-listed on the secondary market, in which case the original creator earns a 10% royalty deposited directly into their wallet each time the work is resold. 

“High Priestess” by David Alabo @davidalabo. Courtesy of Foundation.App

G: How can an artist that has never worked with NFTs get involved in Foundation?

EIS: Once you've received an invitation to become a creator on Foundation, you set up a MetaMask wallet and purchase ETH to access the site and start minting. You can download and install a MetaMask browser extension, populate it with ETH from Coinbase (a secure platform for buying, selling, and storing cryptocurrency), and mint your first NFTs. The NFTs you mint are directly tied to your wallet, and the files you mint are automatically sent to IPFS (InterPlanetary File System).  When you upload an artwork, a canonical version is mapped to the token that lives on the blockchain, which cannot be altered. The file itself is hosted on IPFS to ensure its permanence. Foundation itself could theoretically disappear, and all of your NFTs, interactions, and earnings would remain with you—they can travel with you, or be ported to other locations on the internet. This is an important part of the conceptual leap between web2 and web3.

G: And how about the collectors?

EIS: There are so many paths that a collector might take to peruse Foundation: you can navigate to the explore page, or delve into curated collections known as “Worlds,” or begin following different creators whose work you’re inspired by to gather a personalized feed of works. 

G: How much has the NFT art space changed since it started?

EIS: This is truly such a rapidly evolving space—the internet itself is not fixed, or static. I find myself inspired by artists who are constantly pushing boundaries, reorienting the way we approach and think about their work with this technology. There are already new emergent patterns and behaviors being adopted, like fractionalization, which opens possibilities for many individuals to partake in partial, or fractional, ownership of NFTs, enabling new communities to form, and lowering the barrier to entry. Foundation has also recently introduced Collections, which are minted directly through an artist’s own smart contract, introducing infinitely more possibilities for artists the likes of which we are only just starting to see.

“I find myself inspired by artists who are constantly pushing boundaries, reorienting the way we approach and think about their work with this technology.”

G: In your opinion, how are NFT’s revolutionizing the art world? Do you think we are talking about an ephemeral trend that might fade over the years or is it just the beginning of something huge?

EIS: While contending with the definition, or subject, of NFTs themselves might be an ephemeral trend, the experiences, economic freedom, and global connection that they afford artists will continue to have lasting effects on the art world—and on culture at large. NFTs are just a starting point—we don’t conceptualize how a JPEG’s image data is compressed, or how an MP3 is formatted, but we know just how much sharing images and music has revolutionized the human experience. Looking at NFTs alone feels like a limited scope of something much broader. As with any new technology, there’s a learning curve, and there are early adopters, failed and successful use cases—but we really are just at the early stages. 

G: Who are the NFT artists we should be keeping an eye on?

EIS: Yatreda, Itzel Yard, Serwah Attafuah, Holly Herndon, Anna Condo, Sofja, Katherine Frazer.

“peak chroma” by Ellie Pritts @elliepritts. Courtesy of Foundation.App

Follow Eileen on IG: @greedygraces