Collector Talk : Gabriel Santos
We invited Gabriel Santos, a collector of many NFT artworks who has collected six of Mr.Misang’s Modern Life is Rubbish series. We heard from Gabriel the story of how he began to collect and when he has first met Mr.Misang’s works.
The Story begins as Gabriel was 15 years old when his mother was one of the largest art collectors in Mexico. Collecting Latin American and Contemporary artworks, Gabriel was exposed to amazing art and naturally developed a keen eye for good art. When he first saw three works of Jean-Michel Basquiat that his mother collected, he immediately fell in love with the power and energy the painting emanated. He started to collect physical artworks as well as he loved viewing and appreciating art he liked. As Gabriel worked in the technology industry, he was introduced to NFT and saw perfect marriage between art and technology. He started to collect NFT artworks he liked within 1 - 3 Ethereum and came to the realization to go more in depth with the NFT collecting. This is when he passed by Mr. Misang’s artwork which at first did not make a notable impression but when he revisited it the second time, he felt the same excitement and love as when he saw Jean-Michel Basquiat’s works. He decided to collect Mr.Misang’s works because the image was exploding with energy and he believed Mr. Misang and his works delivers a correct message of love that needs to be spread around the world.
Q. Pika Park - Want to hear more about social commentary and the message of love from Mr. Misang’s work.
A. Gabriel - Mr. Misang’s art has multiple layers of meaning and everyone will take different messages but they all contain a message of love.
A. Mr. Misang - More details are provided in the Superglue Collective Interview but I think the audience often makes more meaning out of the messages they get from my works. When it comes to priority, I place greater importance on objects, color, composition, and either sacrifice or revise the message if needed. In the end, the image needs to be more powerful and impactful.
Q. Sunjae Lee - Modern Life is Rubbish series contains somewhat dark social commentary on modern society. How do you receive this subject?
A. Gabriel - I find a message for myself. We go to a workplace that disregards and treats one as an easily replaceable part of a machine. However, we are not robots, we are creators. We need to wake up and shine our light. Highlighting the importance of individuality.
Q. Suzy - As NFT art market is fairly new for many artists, many do not have a portfolio to present to collectors and audiences. Is having a history of works more important than the potential of the emerging artist?
A. Gabriel - It is important to see a bigger body of works. However, it is more important who the artist is. I need to talk and be able to connect with the artist before I make a big purchase.
Q. An JongHyun - In the beginning, I questioned the value of NFT art and wondered how can this be a digital original. After seeing Mr. Misang’s works I wondered that this type of art form can be of a digital original. Through his works like McDonald’s and #9 Company Entrance, a fraction of daily life is pieced into the digital world. The question is if Mr. Misang is willing to exhibit in the offline physical setting and if Gabriel will be willing to visit an offline show for the NFTs.
A . Gabriel - Mr. Misang is a massive brand that is cross-platform. We cannot be sure of the future but Mr. Misang has a strong outlook as a brand and NFT will never be gone, instead, it will expand to bigger worlds.
A. Mr. Misang - No specific thoughts for offline physical exhibition and just focused on creating works at the moment. However, I have few base plans for branding for the future that will come soon.
* There will be an offline exhibition taking place in Korea with about 90 artists to show their NFT works. More details here.
Q. Kiwon UK - As mentioned, the NFT market is here to stay but how do you see it existing in the future? Will it be present as a more evolved version of the current physical art market?
A. Gabriel - NFT is not going anywhere and at the same time the physical art market will not go anywhere unless we don’t have walls to hang artworks. The NFT market exists with the new technology and billionaires who can buy a Basquiat Painting for $93.1 Million at Christie's Auction are not here in the NFT market yet.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988)
In This Case
Q. Dvnial - Wondering about the inspirations and influences that have caused Mr.Misang to be driven by these social commentaries. Have there any specific media like Brave New World, 1984, or other sci-fi movies that impact you particularly?
A. Gabriel - Read a lot of books and especially about soul and love. Once you are familiar with these messages, your eyes are more trained to spot those meanings in the world.
A. Mr. Misang - Not much of a personality to memorize significant parts of media that I consumed even though of course, I have read Brave New World, 1984, and many SF media. Fractions of memories stayed with me and it has in a way recreated as a collage in my work.
Q. Hyun Hur - Gabriel, you mentioned how you decide to make a purchase based on the artist and their message. What are your thoughts on artworks purely based on the work without the artist’s story and communication?
A. Gabriel - It is hard for artists currently as they must create and communicate as well. Hopefully, platforms or agencies like his own will develop more to help artists focus on creating and leave the communication part to others. However, as a collector, it is important for me to be able to meet and connect with the artist especially if the art has a high price.
Q. Kingbit - Current age of NFTs is in the days of the digital renaissance. Through big collectors like you, people get motivated and excited to continue to work. In this new world, it is a technology that makes the world a comfortable place to live in but it is the artists who make this world beautiful.
We also gave shared works by LayLay and Artthief who also connect with their community and collectors in a variety of ways through their NFT artworks. Important message to take away from this event was the message of love and being able to be awake and spark your individuality and creativity. This clubhouse event was organized by Sunjae Lee and Donglee Han.
Moderators: Donglee Han, Sunjae Lee, Grida
Collections:
GBLSTS
Mr. Misang
Posted In: Event
