Shavonne Wong on art and promoting diversity in Web3

We recently spoke with Singapore-based artist Shavonne Wong, known for her expertise in 3D virtual modeling and surreal environments, which stems from her years of experience in fashion photography.

In this talk, Wong shares with us a look at her journey so far in Web3, as well as how she eventually became a co-founder of the non-profit community builder, NFT Asia, which supports Asian and Asia-based NFT artists.

She also discusses aspects of The Gateway Korea that she believes are exceptional and that align with her own personal goal of promoting diversity in Web3.

A canvas of challenges and triumphs

After first being introduced to NFTs through her husband, Wong shared, “Being someone who easily dives into passions, I went all in. The learning curve was steep but equally thrilling.”

Despite her talent and success outside of Web3, Wong said that like anyone just starting out in a new environment, maintaining visibility and “countering the social media algorithm” were two of her biggest challenges. Very humbly, she added, “On the plus side, the ability to sell my art is an incredibly positive outcome.”

Fast forward just a few years later and Wong is currently hosting her first European solo exhibition at the time of writing, taking place at NFT Factory Paris and utilizing the Foundation’s new Moments update that we recently reviewed.

Just a few days after the exhibition, which runs until September 9, Wong has already received a 5 ETH bid on one of three new works on display during the show in collaboration with Marie Claire Arabia.

Highlighting one of her favorite aspects of the show, Wong said, “I believe that during bear markets, physical exhibitions help promote my work beyond the confines of the Twitter circle.”

A beacon for Asian artists

In addition to finding her own success in Web3, Wong has also become a champion for other Asian or Asia-based artists, aiming to help them on their journey through NFT Asia.

Wong said of becoming a co-founder: “I found myself part of a small group in the early days, where we recognized a clear need for support and a safe haven for Asian artists within the NFT space,” adding added: “We decided to initiate NFT Asia to close this gap.”

Wong admits that she and her co-founder never envisioned the nonprofit’s current size, but she is grateful for it. Collecting data from 2022, Wong said the group has showcased the work of more than 93 artists from 21 countries through 8 different exhibitions.

She also explained that one of the simple, yet effective things NFT Asia does is RT and share artists’ daily work with the growing audience of 21,000 followers on the X app.

“The most rewarding aspect is the exposure our artists have gained. They now have the opportunity to exhibit their work worldwide and even have pieces auctioned on platforms like Sotheby’s,” she said. Although the deadline has now passed, a recent example of these opportunities can be seen in the NFT Paris open call, featured on the page and supported by the Joyn platform.

Leaving the Echo Chamber

Because NFT Asia and our Web3 arts and culture festival The Gateway: Korea draw so many parallels, we asked Wong what she thinks about the event and what aspects of it excites her the most.

She said that “the event looks extremely promising” and highlighted the fact that with Asia poised to see substantial growth in the next bull market cycle, an event in Korea could be an excellent strategic move, especially for introducing new artists . and collectors to Web3.

Of all we have to do at The Gateway: Korea, Wong emphasized that the open call for artists is possibly one of the most important aspects of the event, saying that “exhibiting artists’ work at such events increases their visibility beyond their immediate environment. increases.”

In addition to coming out of the echo chamber, Wong stressed that another “remarkable quality” of the event was its goal to not only highlight, but embrace more diversity. Check out the list of participating artists in the post below.