Verse Talks
Discussing the latest news in digital art with Leyla Fakhr and Jamie Gourlay.
Verse Talks
Tabor Robak and Harvey Rayner: from Human Resources to Art Basel Hong Kong
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00:23 - Welcome Harvey Rayner and Tabor Robak
01:40 - Human Resources launch and mint-out
04:44 - Tabor's thoughts post-mint
07:00 - Organic growth, communication and momentum building
09:00 - First reactions: risk, confusion and conceptual clarity
11:00 - Roleplay, identity and embodying PFPs
13:00 - Timing, AI and why the project works now
15:00 - The state of PFP culture and shifting expectations
17:00 - Market dynamics and collecting behaviour
19:00 - Collecting as belief in the artist, not just the asset
21:00 - Risk, politics and performing identity online
23:00 - Narrative construction and PFPs as creative tools
28:00 - Clowns, anti-status and rejecting “cool” aesthetics
33:00 - Mr Happy and corporate ideology
34:30 - What's next for Human Resources?
35:00 - Tabcorp as an art company and long-term vision
37:00 - Expansion, tools and the limits of the ecosystem
39:00 - Gender, identity and ethical boundaries
42:00 - Harvey on ChatFUKR, PFP fatigue and lessons learned
45:00 - Community management, responsibility and burnout
47:00 - New collectors and shifting audience dynamics
49:00 - Phase two and sustaining long-term value
51:00 - Glitches, clones and technical refinement
53:00 - Subjective rarity, provenance and long-term meaning
56:00 - Maintaining momentum
58:00 - Balancing engagement with artistic practice
01:00:00 - Institutional context and gallery reception
01:01:50 - Harvey on Art Basel Hong Kong and physical work
01:04:30 - Translating digital practice into physical space
01:07:00 - Presentation, scale and audience perception
01:09:30 - Series mechanics and live minting
01:10:55 - Focusing on accessible art for a more traditional collector base
01:15:40 - The power of the modern print process
01:19:15 - Finding positivity amid market swings
01:22:55 - Social media and the politics of art