The Interview I Art Collector TaCyTurn

Collecting art isn't just about acquiring objects; it's about curating stories that enrich our cultural tapestry. Collectors are the custodians of creativity, preserving and promoting the voices of artists who shape our understanding of the world. Their passion fuels a dynamic exchange where art transcends mere decoration to become a reflection of our shared human experience.

Through a series of interviews, Kate Vass seeks to understand the perspectives of a new generation of collectors, the relationships they build with artists, and what drives the formation of their collections.

In this conversation, Kate Vass had the pleasure of speaking with the art collector, aka, TaCyTurn, the degenerative Maths Lover, creator, and member of @fingerprintsDAO.

payaso, 2021 by Manoloide on hicetnunc

KV: What initially sparked your interest in art collecting?

TT: As a young kid in the 80’s, I’ve been fascinated by computers, programming, and graphics.

I started to play around with BASIC language and was triggered by graphics and animation created by demo scene creators, especially on Amiga or Atari…

But for 30 years I built my career and family and although I grew up with the internet, I didn’t pursue that much this path.

Then in 2017, I discovered Bitcoin and blockchains and honestly, I took a slap in my face!

How was it possible I didn’t find out about this earlier!!!

I spent some time in this rabbit hole, fascinated both by the technology but also the opportunity of making big money. sometimes I came across digital Art during this period: Money Alotta, Rare Pepes, Cryptopunks … but didn’t pay attention.

Then in early 2021, Beeple’s infamous sales ignited the NFT mania and then I discovered generative Art ...and took a second slap! I got back the tech, maths, and computer graphics vibes I loved 30 years ago and I happily dived into the so-called “NFT space”, on Ethereum and on Tezos with HicetNunc ( fun fact, I minted myself an artwork before collecting my first … hen #365 ).

KV: How do you decide which pieces to add to your collection?

TT: As a mathematics lover, I’m very attracted by pieces that play, and highlight the beauty of maths, whether the form: geometric, conceptual, or algorithmic, …

But my main interests are experimentation, technology, roughness, and weirdness … and of course my guts!

 CSRSNT-CAAI-066-of-128, 2021 by Caesuras

KV: What role does personal taste play versus investment potential when acquiring art?

TT: Way too much, lol !!!

I mean I collected a lot of pieces only because they are appealing to me, without overthinking.

I rarely buy pieces just for investment potential, although I’m convinced a lot of pieces and artists will become valuable in the long term.

Digital Zone of Immaterial Pictorial Sensibility, Series 3, Edition 54 by Mitchell F Chan

KV: Can you share a story behind one of your most cherished pieces?

TT: In March 2021, I discovered DEAFBEEF’s art @_deafbeef. He was just beginning at the time and not much was known.

I jumped into his discord, and then he organized a giveaway for a SYNTHPOEM. I will always remember that morning when I woke up and saw a discord notification and a new Direct message from Tyler: «  Hey you won, pls send me your ETH add » !!! This SYNTHPOEM allowed me a few times later to collect a GLITCHBOX, which is one of my favorite artworks and I became very involved in DEAFBEEF’s community, using his artworks to make experiments like “the Glitchbox Orchestra”. The story could end there but …

In 2021, I also discovered Mitchell F Chan's Digital Zone of pictorial. Reading the blue essay was a blast and triggered me so much that I translated it into French.  

In November 2022, Mitch announced the release of a gorgeous physical Blue Book for each token holder … Then my goal of acquiring a Digital Zone became an obsession. For 2 years, I asked several owners if they would agree to swap their Digital Zone for my Deafbeef SYNTHPOEM. I was surprised a handful were interested but according to the price gap were asking me to add some ETH …

Finally, in May 2024, another collector agreed to swap 1 vs 1 and with the help of Mitchell himself we processed the deal, and I am finally the proud owner of IKB 54.

I find it very telling and ironic that 2 of my most valuable pieces were gifted to me for free.

Glitchbox 205, 2021 by Deafbeef

KV: How has your collection evolved?

TT: My collecting volume has slowed down in 2023/2024, but I’m happy still to be able to acquire great artworks and opportunities when they appear.
fx(hash) and objkt.com are goldmines and allow me to discover and collect amazing pieces with a low budget. Verse is also a major platform for me.

I’m also more patient and can wait months, or years to collect a piece I’m eyeing. So in a word, I would say I'm more selective.

KV: What trends do you see currently shaping the art market?

TT: AI art, early or recent is a major trend right now, as it accompanies a ground-breaking emerging technology …

Generative Art hype is down from the @artblocks_io  2021 craze, and I feel a lot of collectors feel bored and worn, they believe everything has been made and there are no more surprises or innovations left… I’m convinced that artists will prove them wrong.

Last, I consider « net Art » ( Art that plays with the Internet )  and « blockchain Art » ( Art that plays with blockchains ) are for the moment very sharp niches with few artists and way few collectors but will gain traction and importance over the years.

Dining with Piranhas- All-They-Can-Eat Swimming Pool and Restaurant, 2021 by Helena Sarin

KV: How do you balance supporting emerging artists with acquiring established works?

TT: As a very early bird on Hicetnunc, supporting anonymous/emerging artists has always been part of my collecting habits.

Now, I’m still trying to balance my collection in volume, but the ratio in value is almost established by artists.

KV: How does the digital art world, including Crypto Art, influence your collecting habits?

TT: The main influence on my collecting behavior comes from friends, some artists I love, and a few institutions like LeRandomart, Verse.works, Feral File, Kate Vass Galerie …

In all that abundance of information and noise, they’re lighthouses that help me to keep track of what really cares for me and learn.

Anticyclone #470 by William Mapan (Seedphrase Collection)

KV: What challenges have you faced as an art collector?

TT: Funding is a major challenge as my pockets aren’t that deep and I rarely play the speculation game …

But for me, the main challenge now is to organize, curate, and build a beautiful and meaningful gallery where others could enjoy and appreciate the 20-30% pieces of my collection I want to display.

I know and have tried a lot of platforms: DECA gallery, oncyber, …

But it is really a hard and very time-consuming task to do …

A very good example of a perfectly displayed and organized gallery is @lemonde2d DECA gallery.

I hope I will soon find time and inspiration to pursue my own.

KV: What advice would you give to someone just starting their art collection? Can you recall your first encounter with art and describe what motivated you to start collecting?

TT: I think Artnome's infamous quote perfectly sums it all:

‘BUY ART YOU LOVE, from artists that you want to see succeed, for prices you can afford, with the assumption that you'll never be able to resell it again, and you will always be happy’ - Artnome

Also, I would add to find your thesis, your guiding line (whether it’s a theme, a technology, etc …) that will drive you and help you to grow your collection and stay focused in this ocean of digital art pieces …
For example, I would label mine as «an experimentation in technologies »

Lethologica #2 - There's No Going Back by Ryan Thompson

KV: What matters most to you as a collector? Is it a curated program or clear provenance? Or perhaps the work needs to be on-chain and on a specific blockchain like Ethereum or Tezos?

TT: I value a lot of experiments in the artwork or artist’s process, and for sure the fact that the artwork is on-chain is a major plus for me.

I’d say I'm chain agnostic in theory, but, in reality, it’s so hard and time-consuming to keep track of all platforms and wallets so I‘m mostly collecting only on Ethereum, Tezos, and Bitcoin/Ordinals …

Finally, I would like to mention that a side effect of collecting digital art is that I started to create myself with maths, code and lately code+AI.

I'm very happy and proud to be able to express myself with these artworks.

Also, to experience the joy of being collected by others.

And last, releasing a long-form generative series made me realize even more the difficulty and beauty of such collections: finding, and tweaking the good set of parameters to find the sweet spot where there are consistent outputs but diversity and variance are so too!

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*The responses provided in this interview have been preserved in their original form, with no alterations to the interviewee's stylistic choices or grammar. - Kate Vass

TaCyTurn on X: @TacyTurnh