Artist and Founder of Pioneering Photography Platform, Assembly Curated
Web3 has presented the perfect opportunity to be a part of a large community that really uplifts each other.
Shane Lavalette is a renowned photographer and the Founding Director of Assembly Curated. Shane first developed an interest in Ethereum and smart contracts in 2017, and it wasn’t until 2021 that he became more active in the NFT space by minting his collections ‘New Monuments’ and ‘One Sun, One Shadow.’
In addition to his own work, he launched Assembly Curated, the first curated web3 art photography NFT platform. At Assembly, he’s been involved in several momentous projects, including the genesis drop of artist Alejandro Cartagena’s ‘The 50 Carpoolers,’ a first-of-its-kind project. It led to a series of drops by emerging and established artists making influential and innovative work in photography, including Alec Soth, Daniel Gordon, Penelope Umbrico, Poulomi Basu, Rodrigo Valenzuela, Hannah Whitaker, and more. Shane says about his many roles in the NFT space: “I equally enjoy supporting other artists as I do making time for my own creative practice. Web3 has presented the perfect opportunity to be a part of a large community that really uplifts each other.”
Having worked extensively with film and digital cameras, he remains partial to film when he can work with it, stating that nothing beats the more considered approach it requires. He counts the likes of photographic pioneers such as Evans, Lange, and Arbus among his early photographic influences. He has remained inspired by his contemporaries worldwide, including lesser-known artists he has met through the NFT space.
“I can single out Misha de Ridder as an artist and human being whom I admire very much,” says Shane when asked who he’d like to single out as inspiring him in the NFT space. “With his work in web3, he has pushed himself to experiment and develop projects that really utilize the possibilities of the technology. And beyond his own practice as an artist, he has made time and energy to support other artists and community-building, which of courses I can relate to and appreciate.”
Shane holds a BFA from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and has previously worked as the Director of the non-profit Light Work. His photographs have been showcased across the globe in exhibitions at, among other places, The High Museum of Art, Aperture Foundation, Le Château d’Eau, The Center for Photography at Woodstock, Fotostiftung Schweiz, and Musee de l’Elysee. He has also published four award-winning monographs to date. His prints are available through Robert Morat Galerie, Berlin.
