ARTIST IN RESIDENCE: LATASHÁ

We’re excited to welcome FWB member, FEST alum, and multidisciplinary artist LATASHÁ as our January Artist in Residence at the Palm Springs Ace Hotel & Swim Club a collaboration between Ace Hotel’s Global Artist in Residency (AiR) Program,  Superchief Gallery NFT, and Friends With Benefits.

LATASHÁ won our AiR Open Call last fall via community selection. Here’s what she has to say about her month-long residency:

“As an artist, I create immersive, mixed media and hyper realistic or super surrealist genre-blending experiences that collage music, film, performance art, writing and all things self-process. Currently I am in the first phase of an ongoing collection of works called Tash55. This project is a psychedelic multimedia collage of my consciousness shaped in a broadcast channel. Tash55 goes beyond traditional formats, where each song and visual becomes part of a larger, evolving narrative. My work explores themes of (r)evolution, power, control, identity, and perception, inviting audiences to join a journey that’s both introspective, interactive and isolating.

I believe in the power of art to transcend binary truths into understanding that all is in oneness, allowing the experience of  joy, fear, vulnerability, and authenticity to come alive all at once. Within this era, I am challenging traditional and bestowed expectations, aiming to empower both myself and the audience to go beyond the surface and realize what you thought was candy is actually a vitamin.”

How does your work align with or respond to the culture of Palm Springs and emerging technologies?

In a world that seems desolate and in drought, I am questioning what it would be like to create despite the perception of lack. During my residency, I will be deep diving into understanding more of Palm Springs’ history, specifically the Cahuilla Indians and how their complex society was able to build a livelihood through its understanding of natural science. This research will play a deep part in my work as I am coming to understand how tech plays a major part in the evolution of our overall livelihood, art and philosophy.  

Along with the study of history, I am deeply interested in understanding more about Palm Springs use and interest in tech specifically within architecture, design, wellness and art. I see alignment between the macro and micro and the question is how the past, present and future all work together within Palm Springs and how all my past, present and future parallels wherever I am. 

Describe a project or installation you envision creating during your residency: 

During the residency I will be working on a collection of works that will be within TASH55. Currently, the first phase of TASH55 is untitled but the working titles for the projects I’ll be creating during the residency are “who are you when no one is looking?” and “I am many things.”. During the residency, I’ll be gathering and editing self taped surveillance footage, film, photography, memoirs and music for a series of video art and photographic collage works accompanying music that I have created and new productions I create during the residency. Much of the residency is about being in the practice of being myself with all mediums of art from filming, djing, producing to getting dressed, in isolation without the obvious distraction. I am many things” is a curated theatrical work that comes out of “who am I when no one  is looking?” that introduces the audience to my personal connection with spirituality. 

Are there any specific themes or concepts you're currently exploring in your practice?

In my practice, my works dive into many themes but at the root evolution is a key question. 

I’m exploring themes of identity, spirituality, perception, isolation, and self-mastery, focusing on how these elements intersect with personal power, discipline, vulnerability, and resilience. Creative liberation and authenticity are core to my work. I find myself using art and tech alongside a quest for deeper meaning, often incorporating metaphysical ideas and self-reflection.

I’m also exploring what it means to be a “world-builder” as an artist. I want to invite audiences into immersive visions that push past convention. This connects to my interest in individual and collective evolution, in a hope to bring forward dimension in our digital world and medium. 

Original Works is expanding its team and seeking a Creative Community Lead with experience at the intersection of the music industry & onchain communities

Original Works is a decentralized, open-source protocol for music IP, designed to foster a fairer and more transparent music industry. We are seeking a dynamic and creative individual to lead and grow the community of artists, creators, and music industry professionals engaging with Original Works. This individual will serve as the bridge between our protocol and the creative communities we aim to empower. Their mission will be to build a vibrant, inclusive, and engaged community that understands and advocates for the value of decentralized technology in the music industry.

Our mission is to highlight the utility and benefits the protocol brings to creators and rights-holders. We aim to shift the focus from excitement about the technology or token to the opportunity to unlock the $45 billion in illiquid royalties and empower human creators. The value of $OWN should be driven by organic demand and future expectations, not by farming.

Collect Tahquitz by Erika Weitz

Tahquitz is part of the HOLY WATER series from artist Erika Weitz exploring the psychedelic analog liquid light shows from the 1960s, which are synonymous with the mystical counterculture spirit and acid culture. Water and oil repel each other on the surface but are contained within a greater whole, celebrating novel expressions of their differences to mimic the ebb and flow of the world around us.

During her residency at the ACE Hotel Palm Springs, Weitz spent significant time at the waterfall in Tahquitz Canyon. The desert serves as a constant reminder that water is not only necessary for life in the sweltering desert heat but also a sacred cleansing ritual. During this time, Weitz encountered multiple coiled snakes in the canyons. The symbolic representation of the coiled snake, or ouroboros, embodies the continuous life / death / life cycle, highlighting the regeneration that exists all around us and recalling the continual transformation of shedding the old to become anew.

Members, workshop & vote:

Q1 Budget discussion dropping soon! Keep an eye on Discord 👀

Member Content

Collect NFTs, display gallery-grade prints. 🌍

With the Beyond Digital drop, Artscape is introducing a global print-on-demand service that makes local printing possible. Collectors can order high-quality prints from NFTs in their wallet, with production and shipping happening closer to home. It’s greener, faster, and more affordable - while ensuring artists stay in control of the quality and terms of printing their work. Learn more at www.artscapedigital.com and collect Beyond Digital!

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TOKEN MIGRATION UPDATE

Crypto is a rapidly evolving industry, with tools advancing in efficiency and scalability everyday. It’s incredibly exciting, and it’s exactly why we proposed updating the FWB token ecosystem from ETH Mainnet to Base L2. As many of you know Uniswap is close to launching a more proven V4. After careful consideration, we are postponing opening the migration to align with the launch of Uniswap V4 in order to set the pair once. We’re targeting January 2025, exact date to come.