1.15.2021

Snapshot

Drops of the Week

• Klea McKenna

• Bruce Gilden

The Big News

• AP is bringing photojournalism to the blockchain

Who We’re Tracking

• KGPNFT prepares its first blockchain photobooks

• Fellowship Trust’s swift expansion

• Assembly announces new platform and upcoming drops

• RawDAO’s latest acquisitions

• Obscura initiative is booming on Foundation

• UntitledDAO preparing its debut

• Art3’s stunning virtual exhibition (and it’s for sale)

• On Looking is leading the dialogue on NFT photography

Photographer of the Week

• David Brandon Geeting

Collector’s Corner

• On Collecting, Pt. II - Provenance & Ownership

Drops of the Week

Klea McKenna

San Francisco-based photo artist Klea McKenna made her NFT debut on Quantum this week, selling out a 140-piece collection of photograms exploring feelings of loss in relation to the pandemic. The project, titled No Feeling is Final, features variations of handkerchiefs, the exchange of which was once a symbol of compassion toward the suffering of others.

The drop was conducted via Dutch auction starting at 1 ETH.

Bruce Gilden

Legendary street photographer Bruce Gilden has entered the NFT space on Foundation with a collection of signature work from the 80s and 90s. The series, titled New York, features Gilden’s well known captures of New Yorkers on the street in the photographer’s well-known “in-your-face” style of image making that often took his subjects by surprise. Given the photographer’s large archive of work made in this vein, we expect his presence in the space to become quite familiar.

Reserve Prices begin at 2 ETH

The Big News

Associated Press to Launch NFT Marketplace

The Associated Press announced this week it will be debuting an NFT marketplace to host its massive archive of photojournalistic work. The platform is scheduled to launch on January 31st and will feature a mix of different current and former AP photojournalists with a selection of “digitally enhanced depictions of their work.” 

Included with the NFTs will be the original metadata, providing collectors with information on the dates, times, locations of the images. The work will be minted on the Polygon network, an environmentally friendly choice that will likely go a long way toward placating NFT skeptics within the larger photography community. 

The announcement is the first major step for the entry of photojournalism into the NFT world, coming hot on the heels of a soaring market for documentary and fine-art based work. Given the massive archive of AP photojournalism, along with the prolific output of the AP’s enormous network of photographers around the globe, we’re keeping a close eye on how this platform unfolds. We’ll also be eager to see how NFT sales for photojournalism may correlate with the traditionally low rates in the photojournalism industry. 

For collectors interested in owning pieces of history, AP collections may be quite attractive. Of course on a theoretical level, some may feel squeamish about the commoditization of the kind of work that typically portrays the darker sides of humanity. Expect robust debates around the subject as we move forward. 

Who We’re Tracking

KGPNFT

KGPNFT is gearing up for its debut next month with the launch of its first two NFT photobooks by the platform’s founders, Kris Graves and Marshall Scheuttle. The platform aspires to create an entirely new format for photography presentation, blending blockchain-based solutions with the traditions of photobook sequencing. Its titles will feature multi-page experiences that include essays, along with rarity scales that will provide some editions of the NFT with extended content, 1/1 photographs, and more.

Fellowship Trust

Fellowship Trust is rapidly expanding its collection of photographers, and perhaps even giving RawDAO a run for its money in their shared goals in building the world’s preeminent collection of NFT photography.

Fellowship’s Contemporary Collection includes work from the artists they are onboarding, while its Futures Collection supports emerging artists within the NFT space.

Assembly

Assembly announced this week it will be debuting a new Web3 platform called Assembly Curated this Spring in partnership with high-profile photography collector, Freddie. The platform is promised to “prioritize artist and collector experience—from viewing images to curating your own collections” and will include an aim to introduce new mid-career and iconic photographic artists to the NFT space.

Assembly has also announced two new upcoming drops. The first by Indian documentary photographer Poulomi Basu, a nominee for the prestigious Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation Prize. The other by Alec Soth, who is among the most celebrated photographers in the IRL photo world, and one who has earned countless distinctions throughout his high-profile career.

RawDAO

RawDAO announced acquisitions this week of photographers Kris Graves, Michael Christopher Brown, and Luiz Braga. The work acquired is from their respective collections: A Southern Horror, A Free Country, and Amazon Facades. Previous to these purchases was an acquisition of DAO member Michelle Viljoen’s From the Other Side.

The group continues to collect at a strong pace, tallying 2-3 acquisitions per week. Expect to see the DAO’s collection grow exponentially over the coming months.

Obscura 

Obscura’s recently released WHO WE ARE portrait project has achieved very strong sales since its drop on January 3rd and is currently around 75% sold out. The project came about via a grant the platform offered to 100 photographers to make portraits of others in the NFT photo community. It was recently announced that London-based publisher, Setanta Books, is going to be producing a book of the project in what will be an interesting crossover from NFTs to the printed page.

Untitled DAO 

Untitled DAO is expected to make its first public announcement soon, following several weeks of under-the-radar collecting activity. The DAO, made up of a relatively small group of photographers, curators, and collectors, will be the 2nd major photography DAO dedicated to building a curated photo collection.

Art3

Art3 is an initiative spawned by the parent company of British Journal of Photography, is in the midst of it’s latest drop titled Edition 365, an NFT collection derived from an open call the magazine held last year. The project includes the work of 365 photographers, representing the first year of the pandemic and featuring a wide array of work that functions as a shared, global narrative. 

The project is complemented by a beautifully designed virtual exhibition on New Art City, which features multiple rooms where visitors can explore the 365 pieces in the collection. And as a unique offering, Art3 is actually auctioning the “keys” to the entire virtual exhibition, giving collectors an opportunity to actually acquire the experience to “host, personalize, and preserve” however the owner sees fit.

On Looking

On Looking is a rousing Twitter Spaces series organized by three NFT photographers, Ava Silvery, Matthew Morrocco, and Laurent Chevalier. The trio has been hosting engaging and in-depth discussions on NFT photography that have begun to attract sizable audiences who tune in for insights on a range of topics. Recent discussions have delved into artist/collector relationships with guest collectors, inclusionary practices in the community, and predictions on what 2022 will look like for the photography market. 

3 Questions with David Brandon Geeting

Brooklyn-based photographic artist David Brandon Geeting has brought his wild and innovative work to the Metaverse with his genesis collection, CHAINLINK.  The photographer is well known for both his photobooks and his editorial work that has seen him photograph for high-profile clients like Adidas, The New Yorker, TIME, Vogue, and Levi’s, among many others.

PhotoVerso: Can you tell us about your background as a photographer?

DBG: I’m a New York-based photographer who bridges genres, and compose a colorful world which balances skillful chaos with wide-eyed curiosity. Over the past decade, I’ve made a career shooting creative work both commercially and personally. I’ve published 4 books, and my work has been exhibited internationally.

PV: What inspires you as a photographer and what do you hope audiences take away from your work?

DBG: I am inspired by turning old conventions on their heads, and by the idea of new combination as a means of innovation. I am inspired by finding a seemingly impossible "extraordinary" within the ordinary. I hope audiences who view my work gain a new perspective on the hidden potential in all things, both animate and inanimate.

PV: What's the scoop with your latest NFT drop?

DBG: CHAINLINK explores the sculptural and gestural properties of readymade fences around Brooklyn. The fence is usually the eyesore of the photo; a sign that "full access" wasn't granted. I often find myself shooting around the fence, because it stands out as an obvious barrier between the subject and I. But what if the barrier IS the subject? And what if its enticing properties were zoomed in on? I love when chain-link has gone awry, when it's begun to disobey, when it's started to unravel -- its movements are poetic. How beautiful, when something purely utilitarian begins to sing its own song.

View CHAINLINK on Foundation

Collector’s Corner

On Collecting Photography NFTs

This is the second of a multi-part series exploring what it means to collect NFT photography. In week 1, we covered the topic of rarity. This week, we look at Provenance & Ownership.

Pt. 2: Provenance & Ownership

Among the most challenging facets of collecting traditional photography is ensuring the authenticity of the work, which means access to a documented record of historical ownership spanning back to artists themselves. Provenance of artwork is vital to record-keeping as means to preserve value, and faulty or missing documentation opens doors to forgeries, sales of stolen artwork, and legal disputes over true ownership. Without clear provenance, the value of collected works can become hampered by concerns of authenticity.

Among the most underrated benefits of collecting NFTs is immutable provenance, which is documented automatically on the blockchain as a log of past owners and transaction dates. With a trustless record of authentic documentation, ownership is legitimized, minimizing potential disputes over collected work.

Of course, originally minted work could be stolen and/or pirated from artists, so it’s important for collectors to remain attentive toward verifying the origins of the work they collect. Strategies for doing so include contacting the artist for verification ahead of the purchase, doing diligence on the list price compared to the artists previous sales records, and using caution when buying from anonymous sellers.

Next week: Condition