In the framework of her current residency exhibition May I Dream? at Photoforum Pasquart, the artist Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah will present her ongoing project Behold The Ocean and give an introduction into current NFT technology and their use in photography. Behold The Ocean is an interdisciplinary pioneer NFT project in web3, using photographic art to fund science and bridge the gap from representation to tangible impact.

The afternoon will start with a guided tour through the exhibition and continue with a dialogue between Danaé Panchaud, director at Centre de la photographie Genève, and the artist. Their conversation will give insights into the development of the long term-project Behold The Ocean, while focusing on artistic science communication, documentary photography and environmental research in Chilean Patagonia during the global pandemic.

Afterwards, Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah will give an introduction for cultural practitioners and visual artists about the groundbreaking culture shift of NFT technology and their use in photography. She will talk about web3 and blockchain applications. Important topics will be: provenance, culture & community, tooling & technology as well as applications & activism.

About the artist:

Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah (*1990) is an internationally exhibited and published German-Ghanaian visual artist and documentary photographer based in Zürich, Switzerland. Her work is frequently awarded for exploring new territories through image-making, research, and human connection. The artist and photographer’s work has been exhibited internationally since 2012 and has received numerous nominations and awards, including the Prix Photoforum 2020. Akosua Viktoria AduSanyah is co-hosting the regular NFT Photography Twitter Space On Looking together with Matthew Morrocco and Laurent Chevalier, with guests such as LIFE Magazine, The Associated Press, Alec Soth, and the most prolific photography collectors in the space. The show was recently defined as leading the dialogue about NFT photography by writer, artist, and Photoverso contributor Gregory Eddie Jones,and then acquired by Assembly. Her NFTs have been sold to Justin Aversano and other relevant collectors. She‘s part of the founding artists and the operations team of Cyberbaat DAO, the first decentralized autonomous organization for artists of African descent. Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah will be speaking about Behold The Ocean at the NFT event nonfungible-conference in Lisbon from April 4-5 and at NYC NFT in June 2022.

For further information please have a look at the following websites:

main: akosuaviktoria.com / project: beholdtheocean.com / twitter: @AvaSilvery

Further explanations:

Blockchain

A decentralized technology that allows transactions and applications without middlemen and centralized entities. Transactions on the blockchain are recorded on the blockchain and cannot be altered. Great hopes are pinned on this technology for a democratic and more effective financial system. But it is also under criticism: because of its possible energy consumption, currency volatility, and difficulty for governmental regulations. There are numerous blockchains with different applications and communities, Bitcoin (since 2009) and Ethereum blockchain (since 2015) being two of the most known ones.

NFT (Non Fungible Token)

A unique token on the blockchain that can serve as a certificate of ownership for both digital and analog assets. Millions of euros are sometimes paid for digital art, memes, pieces of music or sports trading cards provided with NFTs. Even the Uffizi Gallery and the Vienna Belvedere have sold photographs of works in their collections as NFTs. ENS addresses are also guaranteed by an NFT. The new technology allows for increased co-determination, greater innovation and artistic freedom, and puts an emphasis on tangible transactions rather than likes.

Web 3

When we create, share and comment on content in the so-called Web 2.0 as we know it today, it is usually via platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, which are centralized entities and companies. Censorship and personal data being sold to advertisers are known difficulties. Web 3 defines itself through decentralization, self-governance, and censorship-resistance.sers network directly on the blockchain, canbuild their own networks and platforms, and store their data on chain.

Crowded buoy © Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah