part of me understands it.

nfts are not what they were in 2021. the market has cooled, attention has shifted, and platforms that once felt like permanent infrastructure now have to operate in a much tougher economic reality. foundation always functioned more like a digital gallery than a mass marketplace, which was culturally powerful ... but also likely difficult to sustain long-term. so i can see why this move makes sense from a business perspective.

and when i read lines like, “the platform will continue operating as it does today, with blackdove assuming responsibility for moderation, support, and future development,” and that “blackdove will continue pinning all foundation assets to ensure their ongoing availability,” i felt some reassurance. i want to believe that means the exhibitions i built there will be preserved. not just the artworks and onchain sales records, but the curated experiences themselves: the essays, the sequencing, and the way those shows were designed to be encountered.

before foundation, the traditional art world did not see me as a curator. i didn’t have a formal degree, institutional backing, or a conventional path. foundation gave me the tools (and, importantly, the permission) to step into that role anyway.

through ìtàn african artistry and aawh (all are welcome here), i curated over 100 digital exhibitions on foundation. that meant writing curator statements, interviewing artists, shaping narratives, thinking about flow and context, and treating each show with the same intention i would bring to a physical gallery space. it allowed me to support emerging and underrepresented artists while also channeling a creative instinct i’d always had.

those exhibitions had real impact. together, they generated over 13 ETH in primary sales paid directly to artists, which is something i’m genuinely proud of. it represents real artists, real support, and real momentum and i hope to make that number even bigger in the years to come.

the exhibitions didn’t just live online either, they gave me legitimacy. the body of work i built on foundation helped open doors for me to curate and manage installations in real life, from new york city to nigeria and beyond. what started as digital curation directly shaped my ability to work with artists, spaces, and institutions in the physical world.

doing that work also helped me realize something about myself: i’ve always been a curator ... of experiences, outfits, spaces, strategies, communities, and ideas. foundation simply gave me a new medium through which to express that part of my creative self.

i’ve often told people that foundation set the bar for digital exhibition experiences. their system was genuinely well-designed for both curators and artists. it made it possible for curators to collect a fee and manage the full experience (from written content to visual presentation) while still giving artists control over how their work was listed, priced, and presented within a curation. that balance was rare, and it’s something i hope future platforms take seriously.

i’m proud of what i built there, even as i’m realistic about the fact that sales on foundation have declined significantly over the past year. the broader nft market has shifted, and foundation has had to navigate that like everyone else. but for me, the value of that work was never only about sales... it was about creating a meaningful cultural record for digital art and for the artists i worked with.

i also have a lot of respect for the foundation team. i’ve met nearly all of them in person on multiple occasions, and even collaborated with them on a special nyc event during my time managing socials at TITLES. they consistently showed up with thoughtfulness, care, and a real commitment to artists and culture.

so while i’m a bit sad to see foundation move into a new chapter, i understand why this transition is happening. i respect blackdove’s focus on bringing digital art into physical spaces, and i hope they honor the curatorial legacy that foundation enabled.

for now, i’m choosing cautious optimism and gratitude for what foundation made possible.

and if you’ve ever been curious about the exhibitions i curated on foundation, it might be a good time to explore them. not out of fear, but out of appreciation for what was built during this era of digital art.

because regardless of what comes next, that work still matters.

part of me understands it.

nfts are not what they were in 2021. the market has cooled, attention has shifted, and platforms that once felt like permanent infrastructure now have to operate in a much tougher economic reality. foundation always functioned more like a digital gallery than a mass marketplace, which was culturally powerful ... but also likely difficult to sustain long-term. so i can see why this move makes sense from a business perspective.

and when i read lines like, “the platform will continue operating as it does today, with blackdove assuming responsibility for moderation, support, and future development,” and that “blackdove will continue pinning all foundation assets to ensure their ongoing availability,” i felt some reassurance. i want to believe that means the exhibitions i built there will be preserved. not just the artworks and onchain sales records, but the curated experiences themselves: the essays, the sequencing, and the way those shows were designed to be encountered.

before foundation, the traditional art world did not see me as a curator. i didn’t have a formal degree, institutional backing, or a conventional path. foundation gave me the tools (and, importantly, the permission) to step into that role anyway.

through ìtàn african artistry and aawh (all are welcome here), i curated over 100 digital exhibitions on foundation. that meant writing curator statements, interviewing artists, shaping narratives, thinking about flow and context, and treating each show with the same intention i would bring to a physical gallery space. it allowed me to support emerging and underrepresented artists while also channeling a creative instinct i’d always had.

those exhibitions had real impact. together, they generated over 13 ETH in primary sales paid directly to artists, which is something i’m genuinely proud of. it represents real artists, real support, and real momentum and i hope to make that number even bigger in the years to come.

the exhibitions didn’t just live online either, they gave me legitimacy. the body of work i built on foundation helped open doors for me to curate and manage installations in real life, from new york city to nigeria and beyond. what started as digital curation directly shaped my ability to work with artists, spaces, and institutions in the physical world.

doing that work also helped me realize something about myself: i’ve always been a curator ... of experiences, outfits, spaces, strategies, communities, and ideas. foundation simply gave me a new medium through which to express that part of my creative self.

i’ve often told people that foundation set the bar for digital exhibition experiences. their system was genuinely well-designed for both curators and artists. it made it possible for curators to collect a fee and manage the full experience (from written content to visual presentation) while still giving artists control over how their work was listed, priced, and presented within a curation. that balance was rare, and it’s something i hope future platforms take seriously.

i’m proud of what i built there, even as i’m realistic about the fact that sales on foundation have declined significantly over the past year. the broader nft market has shifted, and foundation has had to navigate that like everyone else. but for me, the value of that work was never only about sales... it was about creating a meaningful cultural record for digital art and for the artists i worked with.

i also have a lot of respect for the foundation team. i’ve met nearly all of them in person on multiple occasions, and even collaborated with them on a special nyc event during my time managing socials at TITLES. they consistently showed up with thoughtfulness, care, and a real commitment to artists and culture.

so while i’m a bit sad to see foundation move into a new chapter, i understand why this transition is happening. i respect blackdove’s focus on bringing digital art into physical spaces, and i hope they honor the curatorial legacy that foundation enabled.

for now, i’m choosing cautious optimism and gratitude for what foundation made possible.

and if you’ve ever been curious about the exhibitions i curated on foundation, it might be a good time to explore them. not out of fear, but out of appreciation for what was built during this era of digital art.

because regardless of what comes next, that work still matters.