Hello family,
Today we celebrate a union that took place recently when VESA traveled to Dubai for a month of meetings, partnership conversations, keynotes and conferences.
A catalog of juicy VESA works moved to the Cypher Capital Hub in October and this time we want to celebrate this incredible handshake and share the stories behind the artworks you can see on the walls.
In their own words, Cypher Capital is focused on investing in Web3 infrastructure and applications that will power the digital economy in the future. The Cypher Capital Hub in Marina is evolving into one of the sleekest and most functional places to work, meet and network.
The Hub has always been a place for art, especially two works by Banksy in the large meeting room – now also equipped with a VESA.
Let’s dive into the stories behind the pieces you can see on the walls of the Hub!
The next time you stop by the Hub, take a photo of yourself and your favorite VESA work and tag:
Cypher Capital Group / Vesa Kivinen // LinkedIn
Cypher.capital / artbyvesa // Instagram
Refresh has a place of honor in the VIP area next to two Banksy pieces.
Integration
The first VESA piece you see on the wall when you walk into the room is Integration. The play represents the dichotomy of worldviews present in our society in the relationships between men and women. On the one hand, women are in positions of power like never before and are working incredibly hard to pursue and execute those positions. On the other hand, there is a view that supports breaking down all hierarchical structures in capitalism and science, because these are seen as an oppressive force, rather than a liberating force.
Integration was on display at Art Dubai 2022 through the Morrow Collective.
Million Dirham Hotel
The Million Dirham Hotel is located in the sleek meeting room. The work is part of the larger Mirrors series, which explores value, experiences and identity. Million Dirham Hotel conjures up images of what a hotel with such a high ticket price would look like. It is an invitation to a world that challenges the paradigm of ownership versus access.
The Million Dirham Hotel, like all works in the Mirrors series, seduces the viewer with its offer to exploit IP unseen in the traditional art market. Download the Artivive app and experience the AR version when you visit.
Truth or Dare – the currency of Ganesha
Next to The Million Dirham Hotel is Truth or Dare- The Currency of Ganesh, or simply Ganesh. This work belongs to the pantheon of VESA’s early crypto art, inspired by the thousands of years old Hindu tradition of faith and worldview.
Lord Ganesh is revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and a higher being of intellect and wisdom. In this piece, Lord Ganesh and his entourage have assimilated cryptocurrency symbols and blockchain code alongside traditional wealth displays. Gold, platinum and diamonds have a historic place in our minds as storehouses of value, but the smart contracts on top of Ethereum, for example, are building the wealth of today and tomorrow.
Ganesh is probably THE most complicated work VESA has ever created. It took more than 2,000 layers of photography of individual paintings and other images before Ganesh began to take shape.
Red eye
Red Eye shows the reality of someone falling down the rabbit hole of crypto. The whirlwind seems endless, and the new information flooding into your consciousness sometimes compromises your ability to sleep.
This piece is another one with stunning merits, as it appeared in Forbes in their very first article on this new movement of art and money in January 2019.
Red Eye was also on display at the opening of the immersive Art In Space gallery in Dubai. It is launching its AR version through the Artivive app to show movement and sound.
Composite challenge
On the way to the VIP room you will see Compound Defiance on the wall. This work is steeped in legendary moments and is part of crypto art history. The fluid movement that forms a solid symbolizes the decentralized financial system that has no central control and is therefore free to define its own rules. This freedom has its positives and negatives, but more options mean a more expansive, rather than repressive, experience. The shocking pattern that merges endlessly may seem chaotic at first, before the beautiful pattern shows its holistic face.
Compound Defiance was the first artwork used on a street-legal NFT VESA Art Car in Dubai and a VR version of it was created by Zoan.
Refresh
The elegant VIP room houses a piece created in honor of the UAE, called Refresh. It was created in 2020 and represents the progressive, technologically competent and culturally fascinating country in an artistic way.
The round planet in the center of the piece is Mars, referring to the Emirates’ space program. Next to it gallops a symbolic royal horse, modeled on a real one.
The two people mentioned are the CEO of the Dubai Blockchain Centre, Dr. Marwan Al Zarouni and his wife, Mariam Al Zarouni. In the artwork, the two are immersed in the origin code of Bitcoin, while witnessing the evolution of their country.
Innovation comes to life with the Artivive app. It has an original soundtrack and has been showcased on major stages in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as extensively in crypto media.
Team VESA would like to thank Cypher Capital for exhibiting these works!
Until next time,
VESA & Lotta
Crypto and NFT artist
Below you will find all the links to physicals, NFTs and more
http://linktr.ee/ArtByVesa