Augmented Reality and Digital Permanence with Rob McCarty

In this episode of Unlocked, we speak with Chris Maestas (0009), a Los Angeles–based artist whose practice bridges  AI, digital systems, and visual culture. He reflects on his early days in street culture, his entry into crypto and NFTs, and how these worlds naturally converged in his work. We discuss authorship, anonymity, and the evolution from illustrative to photorealistic outputs, as well as his ongoing exploration of “urban fabric” as a visual language rooted in memory and identity. Chris also shares his thoughts on community in Web3, the importance of participation, and why the future of digital art still needs its own direction.

In this episode of Unlocked, we speak with Rob McCarty about augmented reality as a new layer of artistic expression. We explore how digital works anchored in place challenge traditional ideas of display, ownership, and permanence, and what this shift means for collectors today. www.100collectors.art

In this episode of Unlocked, we speak with Elena Carbajal from Onkaos (Solo Contemporary) in Madrid, a platform working at the intersection of digital art, AI, and research. With a background in philosophy and media theory, she shares how she entered the digital art ecosystem and what it means to support artists working with code and generative systems. We discuss why digital art cannot simply replicate traditional gallery models, the challenge of exhibiting code-based works in physical spaces, and the urgency of building new protocols for production, collecting, and conservation. Elena also introduces the Solo AI Award and Onkaos’ role in connecting art, research, and digital culture.

In this episode of Unlocked, we speak with Noriaki Nakata about the development of digital art across Japan and Asia, and the ways context, public space, and infrastructure shape how artworks are experienced.Drawing on his trajectory from early exhibitions to large-scale public digital installations, Noriaki reflects on why public space matters for digital art, how Asian artistic ecosystems differ from one another, and what it means to build long-term cultural visibility beyond traditional gallery formats.We also discuss digital citizenship projects using NFTs to support local communities, the role of collectors as stewards and ambassadors of artworks, and how collecting frameworks can help shift attention from short-term market dynamics toward intention, context, and continuity.

In this episode of Unlocked, we speak with Mexican photographer and artist Alejandro Cartagena about the evolution of photography, from analog to digital and now into the age of artificial intelligence. Drawing on over two decades of practice, he reflects on the city as a force shaping identity, the role of archives and reproduction, and why AI marks a critical moment of transformation rather than the death of the medium. We also discuss Fellowship, the platform he co-founded to rethink photography, digital art, and collecting.

In this episode of Unlocked, we sit down with the two founders of Gondi, a platform helping collectors access liquidity against digital art — and helping more people participate in the market, beyond the very top end. We talk about the tension between art and finance, why loans aren’t new in the art world (but access has been limited), and how “on-chain” systems can make the process faster and more transparent. A practical conversation for collectors: how it works, what happens if you can’t repay, and what this shift means for the future of collecting.

In this episode of Unlocked, we talk with digital art pioneer and sculptor Auriea Harvey to explore her extraordinary journey from early net art and video game design to immersive installations and hybrid sculptures. Auriea opens up about her creative process, the role of interaction in her work, her evolving relationship with AI, and the making of her recent exhibitions Prophecy (arebyte, London) and C0D3X (Gazelli Art House). A deep, insightful, and inspiring conversation for anyone curious about the future of art.

Ulrich Schrauth joins Unlocked to explore how digital art becomes a lived experience. From his theatre background to curating the UBS Digital Art Museum Hamburg and Art Dubai Digital, Ulrich shares how he bridges art, technology, and emotion. We talk about new audiences, hybrid works that connect physical and digital worlds, and how collecting is shifting from ownership to collaboration.

A deep dive into the evolution of generative art with curator and entrepreneur Sofia Garcia, founder of ArtXCode. From her unexpected path into creative coding to reshaping how artists are represented, Sofia reveals how digital art is challenging the traditional market. We explore the rise of agency-model support for artists, collector dynamics, and CodeArt - the initiative empowering young girls to create with technology. An inspiring look at the present and future of digital culture.

Co-founder of The Sandbox, Sébastien Borget shares his journey from gaming to collecting, and how digital worlds are reshaping art. From the origins of The Sandbox to the creation of Artverse in Paris, he explores what connects artists and collectors today — and why digital art is becoming the new cultural frontier.