Shavonne Wong On Art and Fostering Diversity in Web3

Recently, we caught up with Singapore-based artist Shavonne Wong, known for her expertise in 3D virtual modeling and surreal environments, that stem from her years of experience in fashion photography.

In this conversation, Wong shares with us a glimpse into her journey so far in Web3, as well as how she ended up becoming a co-founder of the nonprofit community builder, NFT Asia, that is empowering Asian and Asia-based NFT artists.

Additionally, she touches on aspects of The Gateway Korea that she feels are exceptional and that align with her own personal objective of fostering diversity in Web3.

A Canvas of Challenges and Triumphs

Having first been introduced to NFTs via her husband, Wong shared that “Being someone who easily dives into passions, I went all in. The learning curve was steep but equally exciting.”

Despite her talent and success outside of Web3, Wong shared, that like anyone just starting out in a new space, maintaining visibility and “countering the social media algorithm” were two of her biggest challenges. Put quite humbly, she added, “On the brighter side, the ability to sell my art is an incredibly positive outcome.”

Fast forward just a few years later and Wong, at the time of writing, is currently hosting her first European solo exhibition, taking place at NFT Factory Paris and utilizing Foundation’s new Moments update that we recently covered.

Just a few days into the exhibition, which runs until September 9, Wong has already received a 5 ETH bid on one of three new works featured at the show in collaboration with Marie Claire Arabia.

Highlighting one of her favorite aspects about the show, Wong shared “I believe that during bear markets, physical exhibitions help promote my work beyond the confines of the Twitter circle.”

A Beacon for Asian Artists

Beyond finding her own success in Web3, Wong has also become a champion for other Asian or Asia-based artists, with an aim to assist them in their journey through NFT Asia.

Speaking on how she became a co-founder, Wong said “I found myself part of a small group during the early days, where we recognized a glaring need for support and a safe haven for Asian artists within the NFT space,” adding “We decided to initiate NFT Asia to address this gap.”

Wong admits that she and her co-founder never anticipated the current magnitude of the nonprofit but that she’s thankful for it. Pulling data from 2022, Wong shared that the group has showcased the works of over 93 artists from 21 countries through 8 different exhibitions.

She also explained that one of the simple, yet effective things NFT Asia does is RT and share artists’ works daily with its growing audience of 21,000 followers on the X app.

“The most rewarding aspect has been the exposure our artists have gained. They now have opportunities to exhibit their work globally and even have pieces auctioned on platforms like Sotheby’s,” she shared. While past its deadline now, a recent example of these opportunities can be seen in the NFT Paris open call featured by the page and supported by the Joyn platform.

Exiting the Echo Chamber

With NFT Asia and our Web3 arts and culture festival The Gateway: Korea drawing so many parallels, we asked Wong what she thinks of the event and what aspects of it excite her the most.

She shared that “The event seems extremely promising” and highlighted the fact that with Asia poised to see substantial growth in the next bull market cycle, an event in Korea could turn out to be an excellent strategic move, especially for introducing new artists artists, and collectors to Web3.

Of everything we have going on at The Gateway: Korea, Wong amplified that the artist open call is potentially one of the most significant aspects of the event, sharing that “Displaying artists’ works at such events expands their visibility beyond their immediate circles.”

“Considering that platforms like X can sometimes foster echo chambers, diversifying exposure is crucial.”

Shavonne

Beyond breaking out of the echo chamber, Wong highlighted that another “remarkable quality” of the event was the aim to not only highlight but embrace more diversity. Check out the list of participating artists in the post below.

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