CURATOR Feature: DANIELA CIOCCA
In early 2019, Daniela left a fifteen-year career in finance to pursue crypto-trading full-time. She’s since become a prolific NFT trader and art collector. During the Summer 2021 NFT market boom, Daniela spotted the opportunity that NFTs provided to raise capital for the non-profit sector. This, in addition to a love of art and a desire to support and nurture artists in learning about the revolutionary model that blockchain technology offers them, is the genesis concept behind PLUTONIC.
Plutonic is presenting The Artist Died Poor at 515 W 23rd Street in the Chelsea Gallery District of Manhattan from February 25th to March 6th. The Artist Died Poor is a pop-up gallery installation. It’s an event. It’s a cultural critique experienced through mixed media that bridges the physical and metaverse art worlds. Daily live events are intended to bring people together to enhance the visceral experience as a contrast to sitting behind a computer while taking life in through a screen. Psychologists and neuroscientists have conducted studies that determined when we share in-person, collective experiences like live theater and performances, our heartbeats synchronize with other people in the audience, whether we know them or not. The whole experience is meant to reconnect us.
As the show is a critique of how our interpersonal connections will continue to change as we shift further into the private realm (web3/metaverse), each artist’s collection uniquely connects us to themes of an altered reality. Artists include Lucinda Schreiber (IG: @lucindaschreiber); Urumumi (IG: @urumumi); Gossip Goblin of The Divine Order of the Zodiac (IG: @gossipgoblin and @divineorderzodiac); Joel Fitzpatrick (@joelfitzpatrickdesign) and Javier Piñon (javierpinon.com).
Q: Tell us the story on how you started your company!
D: After last summer’s NFT craze, I observed the ability of NFTs to create unparalleled opportunities for individuals and communities to raise significant sums of money for causes they believe in all while smashing the barriers of the class system for artists and investors. That was enough for me! I decided to create a company focused on the intersection between art, entrepreneurship and philanthropy to seize the potential of this moment. We focus on creating synergistic relationships between artists, companies and non-profits to support efforts and causes we believe in.
Q: Can you share something you’ve learned from organizing this project/event that would resonate with our community?
D: One of the great things about crypto is that it’s built on this idea of sovereignty or independence from governments and banks. What you have are these peer-to-peer, community-led projects and companies where individuals have a much stronger voice and influence. One of the beautiful things I see emerging from this construct in the NFT space is a lot more philanthropy. Many art projects are donating significant portions of their proceeds to non-profits and it’s clearly a reflection of the values of those groups – a beautiful contrast to the hierarchical structure of corporations focused more on shareholders and their bottom line.
Q: What is your advice to young artists interested in getting into the NFT world?
D: You’re early. We are on the precipice of an enormous shift. NFTs create practical efficiencies and are a natural part of the evolution of all types of transactions as we know them. Commerce is actively building in the digital realm right now. Whether you are creating art, movies, comedy, collectibles – it doesn’t matter. Learn everything you can now and at the very least practice getting involved. You will be so ahead of the curve when mass adoption happens, it can only support your opportunities for success in the future.
Q: What does being a feminist mean to you?
A: I think about this question ALL OF THE TIME. For me, it’s all about choice. The choice to embody the identity I want and to accept everyone else’s choice to embody the identity that they want. That can mean someone else chooses a life for themself that I want nothing to do with, but I will support their decision as long as it is truly their own (even if it doesn’t meet my own definition of feminism).
For me personally, I aspire to transcend identity and be a voice that people want to hear. When I’m speaking, I don’t want to be seen as a “smart woman”, I want to be a person worth listening to, regardless of my identity. My personal mantra in life and one I want to share with everyone is – “Don’t expect to get anything you didn’t ask for.” Know your self-worth and understand what your audience needs to hear when you campaign for yourself. You will be so surprised at how much you get out of life once you start directly asking for what you want from it.
Q: Can you share the list of upcoming events for our community who are in New York?
A: The Artist Died Poor will be producing daily live events including harmonic sound baths, an all-female brass band, a comedy night, a storytelling & poetry event, DJ dance parties and more. We have incredible entertainment for our opening reception! All the details for the exhibition and events can be found here: https://www.plutonicpartnerships.com/the-artist-died-poor
Please come out and support our burgeoning artists as well as Middle Way House, the non-profit we are supporting. Each artist has donated a unique NFT to be auctioned. 100% of the proceeds will go to programs supporting survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault. We are celebrating the shelter’s 50th year anniversary as well as Women’s History Month. I’m hoping we can significantly support this incredible program that is designated as one of six model domestic violence shelters in the US by the Department of Justice.
Find out more info on the upcoming exhibition here: https://www.plutonicpartnerships.com/the-artist-died-poor
