Art & The Blockchain: A Conversation Between Elliott Ramsey And !Kona

In this discussion, The Polygon’s Curator Elliott Ramsey is in conversation with !Kona Katranya about new, boundary-pushing forays into digital art. Inspired by the themes of Ghosts of the Machine, their ranging conversation will consider how artists are appropriating the new blockchain technologies, the possibility for artistic intervention on these emergent and arguably neoliberal platforms, and whether NFTs will ever be any good.

About Elliott Ramsey
Elliott Ramsey is Curator of The Polygon Gallery, on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ First Nations. He holds a Masters of Arts degree in Comparative Media Arts (2015) from Simon Fraser University. Ramsey’s experiences as mixed-race and gender-nonbinary inform his ongoing research into identity performance and formation, representations of hybridity and multiplicity in the visual arts, queerness, and feminism. Ramsey is a member of the Black Curators Forum and an alumnus of the Professional Alliance for Curators of Color.

About !Kona
!Kona is a Vancouver-based artist, writer, and activist. Her creative and social justice-oriented work has spanned arts/ cultural, queer, feminist, Leather, and Black communities for over 20 years.

!Kona identifies as a Black, Femme, Leatherdyke, Artist and highly engaged citizen currently existing on the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ peoples. She considers herself part of a stolen people on stolen land. Historically masquerading as a lower mainland cultural bureaucrat by day, she has a history of compulsively organising and educating around the lives of Queers, BDSM practitioners, and Black folks. She is the co-creator of the interactive QueeriodicTable art project & experiential installation experienced in both Canada and the States. Currently she co-hosts BlackChat Vancouver.

Image: Elliott: Lauren Zbarsky / !Kona - Jen Sungshine

Unheld Ii

In partnership with LIVE Biennale, Unheld II brings together Iranian artists Saghi Ehteshamzadeh and Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi in an experimental…

Dreaming Worlds In Motion: Art Writing Workshop

Join Fiona Glen for a writing workshop in response to Anna Binta Diallo’s exhibition, Predictions. Inspired by Diallo’s approach, we will use creative…

Kids First

Come get creative on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month with a day of art-making and fun at The Polygon Gallery. The projects are geared towards…

Meet Me At The Gallery: Seniors Program

Meet Me at The Gallery is a daytime art program dedicated to enriching the lives of seniors and friends in our community with monthly get-togethers inspired…

Lee Miller: A Photographer At Work (1932—1945) Opening...

Join us on Thursday, November 6 for the Lee Miller: A Photographer At Work (1932—1945) Opening Celebration.
7:00 pm – Doors
7:30 pm –…

Present Revolutions: Stepping Workshop + Film Screening

Presented in collaboration with FORM (Festival of Recorded Movement), Present Revolutions is a collection of films that respond to social issues of our…