Meet Misan Harriman, Curator of the Tezos Art Collection

Earlier this year saw the launch of the Tezos Permanent Art Collection, featuring artworks curated from up-and-coming talents from Africa and Asia, regions that are often underrepresented in the NFT community. And who better to curate this than the globally acclaimed photographer and activist Misan Harriman. “As the first curator of this collection, I want to make sure the world sees the diverse voices that are making truly extraordinary work with crypto art. We’ll be the custodian for this new community” he explains. 

How did you get involved with Tezos?

I met the Breitman and the good good people at the [Tezos] foundation and it was just a different universe - there was a genuine interest in artists ..and..a proper long term view in what this space could become” “that made me feel really excited ‘cause I thought there was a chance to help artists. The sincerity of response from the people of the foundation and the co-creators of Tezos itself made me feel like this is the home - I use this term a lot - the duty of care for artists. I’d already been collecting possibly for a year by then on Tezos so I had a not too bad understanding of the culture of Tezos and the quality of art just speaks for itself. 

Tell us more about the artist community on Tezos

I love the diverse amount of talent that was already on Tezos. When I saw so many of my favourite artists on Ethereum struggle, I kept thinking, you know I think this is a better - just a safer space for you to be an artist on Tezos. [There is] really great talent from all four corners of the globe…There’s a space to be seen and supported by a community not just of collectors, but of artists . There is a camaraderie, a genuine sense of wanting to support people that have decided to go on this journey, that I have never seen anywhere else.

What’s your consultation process when you’re creating? How do you discover new pieces in a methodical way that best suits the collection?

What best suits the collection is engaging with the community, speaking daily with people…doing a lot of listening. I love stalking wallets myself. And then I’m being bold. I’m collecting something that makes me feel something. I trust my gut and really want to make sure that we don’t just do what a traditional creator with a strong art history background would do. 

Featuring content from from Misan’s recent Twitter Spaces on the Tezos Permanent Art Collection.