Education

VESA at Cypher Capital

Published on November 25, 2023

Hi fam,

Today we’re celebrating a union that took place recently when VESA travelled to Dubai for a month of meetings, partnership calls, keynotes, and conferences.

A juicy sized catalogue of VESA works moved into 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 drive the digital economy in the future. The Cypher Capital Hub in Marina is shaping up to be one of the sleekest and most functional spots to work, meet and network.

The Hub has always been a place for art, most notably two works by Banksy in the main conference room – now featuring a VESA as well.

Let’s dive into the stories behind the pieces you can see on the walls of the Hub!

Next time you stop by the Hub, please snap a picture of yourself and your favourite VESA work and tag:

Cypher Capital Group / Vesa Kivinen // LinkedIn

Cypher.capital / artbyvesa // Instagram

Refresh has an honorary place at the VIP room alongside two Banksy pieces.

Integration

First VESA piece you see on the wall as you walk into the space is Integration. The piece represents the dichotomy of worldviews present in our society in relationships between men and women. On the one hand women occupy positions of power like never before and work incredibly hard to pursue and execute those positions. On the other hand, there is a view that supports tearing down all structures of hierarchy in capitalism and science, as they are seen as an oppressive force, rather than a liberating one.

Integration was exhibited at Art Dubai 2022 via the Morrow Collective.

Million Dirham Hotel

Residing in the sleek meeting room, is the Million Dirham Hotel. The work is a part of the larger Mirrors- series, which explores value, experiences, and identity. Million Dirham Hotel evokes images of what a hotel with such a high-ticket price would look like. It is an invitation to a world that challenges the ownership vs access paradigm.

The Million Dirham Hotel, like all works in the Mirrors- series entices the viewer with its offering of leveraging IP unseen in the traditional art market. Download the Artivive app and experience the AR version, when you stop by.

Truth or Dare- the Currency of Ganesha

Next to The Million Dirham Hotel is Truth or Dare- The Currency of Ganesh, or Ganesh for short. 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 hold a historical place in our minds as keepers of value, but as an example the smart contracts layered on top of Ethereum are building the wealth of today and tomorrow.

Ganesh is probably THE most complicated work VESA has ever made. It took over 2000 layers of photography of individual paintings and other images before Ganesh started taking shape.

Red Eye

Red Eye shows the reality of someone falling into the rabbit hole of crypto. The whirlwind seems endless, and the new information pouring into your consciousness sometimes claims your ability to sleep.

This piece is another one with stunning merits, as it was featured in Forbes in their first ever article on this new movement of art and money in January 2019.

Red Eye was also exhibited at the opening of the immersive Dubai gallery Art In Space. It launces into its AR version via the Artivive app to showcase motion and sound.

Compound Defiance

On the way to the VIP room, you can see Compound Defiance on the wall. This work is steeped in legendary moments and is a part of crypto art history. The fluid motion forming a solid symbolizes the decentralized financial system that has no point of central control and 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 jarring pattern blending endlessly might seem chaotic at first, before the beautiful pattern presents its holistic face.

Compound Defiance was the first artwork used on a street legal NFT VESA Art Car in Dubai and it has a VR version made by Zoan.

Refresh

Residing in the elegant VIP room, is a piece made in honour of the UAE, called Refresh. It was made in 2020 and it represents the forward-thinking, technologically competent, and culturally mesmerizing country in an artistic way.

The round planet in the centre of the piece is Mars, referencing the Emirati space program. Galloping alongside is a tokenized royal horse, modelled after a real-life specimen.

The two people featured 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 Bitcoin genesis code, as they witness the evolution of their country.

Refresh comes alive with the Artivive app. It has an original soundtrack, and it has been exhibited on large stages in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as extensively in crypto media.