Tezos Commons :: Riding The New Wave: Getting To Know Hugo Santana aka ‘Kaloh’
March 14, 2024Hugo Santana, aka Kaloh: newsletter creator, podcaster, and Blind Gallery founder on his journey into the Tezos art ecosystem
There are very cool things happening in the Tezos ecosystem these days. From bleeding-edge protocol upgrades to groundbreaking blockchain gaming initiatives (and a whole lot more in between), this ecosystem’s progress in its short time on the global scene has truly been a sight to behold. But what does that progress amount to if nobody is talking about it?
Thankfully, many are talking about it these days, and to that growing list, we can add Hugo Santana, aka “Kaloh”.
Founder of Kaloh’s Newsletter and Kaloh’s Podcast, and founder of The Blind Gallery — a next-generation art-collecting experience powered by digital objects and blockchain technology, Hugo Santana has become an important public-facing voice in the Tezos art ecosystem.
With a foundation steeped in a deep understanding of digital technology writ large, Hugo’s journey into the blockchain space and his rise to crypto art prominence is one rooted in a profound curiosity for all things digital…
“I’m a computer scientist and data scientist. I’ve worked for around 8 years in the tech industry. During my time working as a software developer and data scientist, I was always interested in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. I was always following the news and reading about the technology. Then, in 2020, I discovered smart contracts and NFTs. That’s when I got this idea to actually start to do something practical and experiment in the space.It felt like a good idea to start my own publication and share what I was learning. In the beginning, I was writing a little bit about everything; crypto, NFTs, smart contracts, etc, but there wasn’t like a clear direction. When I found Tezos and Hic et Nunc, and started to write about crypto art, I found a solid audience of collectors and artists who were very interested in this topic. Eventually, this led me to generative art — which is art made with code — and fx(hash). It all really clicked because of my background. I understood the complexities of making art with code and found it really special.”
After dipping his toes into the blockchain art space with his newsletter and podcast, Hugo soon decided to take things a step further by founding The Blind Gallery, a Tezos digital art NFT marketplace with a twist…
“It really got me excited that I had this community of enthusiasts in the Tezos ecosystem, both as creators and also collectors. This all led to the creation of The Blind Gallery. I was collaborating with different artists working in different kinds of mediums and with platforms like fx(hash) and objkt.com. What’s interesting about The Blind Gallery is that it’s not about the hype of the name. It’s called ‘Blind’ because we showcase art and we work with artists, but we don’t reveal the names of the participating artists until the end of the experience. That’s really attracted a group of people that are really in it for the art — learning and discovering new creators. Artists also found the concept neat and wanted to participate. It’s something very different from the typical releases that were based on the names of the artists.”
Now a firmly established voice in the burgeoning Tezos art ecosystem, Hugo Santana is philosophical about his journey and the confluence of events that have led him down this path. Although not exactly what he envisioned when he set out to make his mark on the world, Hugo has found a very particular niche that suits him well…
“To be honest, before I dove into Web 3.0, I didn’t have a strong art background. I did read history and liked to visit museums, but it’s not something that I thought I would do professionally. But once you combine technology with art, it’s very different — at least to me. I liked being early into this new wave — this new kind of revolution where there were many artists that were starting their path in this new ecosystem. The combination with the technology as distribution and also as a way of inspiration really clicked for me.”
As for his decision to stake his claim here in the Tezos ecosystem, Hugo is effusive in his praise for the lively and diverse community of artists and collectors who help make up the Tezos art scene. Having watched the Tezos art scene develop over a period of years, Hugo believes that several factors have combined to make Tezos a fertile ground for such a vibrant art community to take root in, something he spoke about during his recent appearance on TezTalks Radio…
“I think Tezos has multiple elements that you can’t find in other communities. First of all, it’s the vibe. It feels like an underground vibe. It has different kinds of artists who are just there experimenting and releasing all kinds of work. You can find a wide diversity of artists and different kinds of artworks. Secondly, it’s cheap. The gas prices are very low and you don’t need a lot of money just to collect art. It’s attracted people who aren’t just in it for money. More marketplaces and communities have developed out of that, like fx(hash) and objkt.com. Artists have the opportunity to practice and create their art at affordable prices, and at the same time, collectors have the opportunity to discover good art and support artists. You don’t find that as much in other communities.”
Today, as a new and exciting blockchain market shift emerges, Hugo believes that interesting times lie ahead. As the evolving interfaces that make up the blockchain user experience make these technologies and the tools being built with them more accessible and easier to navigate, Hugo sees enormous promise for the days, weeks, and months to come…
“If I look at my girlfriend, for example, she likes art and she likes to read science fiction. She doesn’t care about blockchain technology. She doesn’t care if something is on Solana or on Tezos. For her it’s more about how the UI/UX feels and how she can get the information into her Kindle or have a place to see all the art she’s collected. For her, it’s irrelevant. She won’t go into the details of ‘OK, this is in L2 blockchain’, or ‘this is on Tezos’. I feel like probably 95% of the population in the world thinks like that.We are the early adopters and we care about the different coins and the different interactions and how everything works behind the scenes. But most people don’t care about those things. For most people, it’s about the use cases.Thanks to decentralization and the way these products are being built, eventually the experience will be much better for normies, and they will focus on the use cases and what they actually find interesting and not so much on the technology.”
As the blockchain user experience continues marching ahead toward the day that “normies” begin to move into the space at scale, it’s good to know that people like Hugo Santana will be right there with us to tell the story as it unfolds. We look forward to hearing his commentary as the Tezos ecosystem claims its rightful place at the forefront of the blockchain conversations to come! We also can’t wait to see the new art and projects he builds on Tezos! Cheers to you Kaloh, we will be eagerly watching and supporting you!
Riding The New Wave: Getting To Know Hugo Santana aka ‘Kaloh’ was originally published in Tezos Commons on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
