Art Voices Episode 3: Is Art Changing, or Are We? | Grant Yoon & Chidi Wubani

Is Art Changing, or Are We? Two artists working across digital and physical mediums explore identity, cultural reclamation, and what it means to make art today. In Episode 3 of Art Voices, Elena Zavelev and Farrah Carbonell sit down with Grant Yun and Chidi Nwaubani, two artists whose practices bridge digital tools and deeply personal narratives. Grant, an American self-taught digital illustrator inspired by the landscapes and history of the places he has lived, creates work rooted in realism and Americana. Chidi, a Nigerian-British creative technologist, uses LiDAR scanning, TouchDesigner, and performance art to reclaim stolen cultural artifacts and continue the stories they carry. Together, they discuss how the NFT era opened doors for non-traditional artists, what "digital art legitimacy" actually looks like now, the emotional weight of art restitution, and why collaboration across mediums matters. Hosted by: Elena Zavelev, Growth Lead at HUG.art and Faculty at Sotheby's Institute of Art Farrah Carbonell, Founder & Curator at Art & Vault Featuring: Grant Yun, Artist Chidi Nwaubani, Artist, Creative Technologist & Designer Presented by HUG x Art & Vault x .ART 0:35 Welcome to Art Voices Episode 3 1:08 Elena introduces .ART and the artist community 1:37 .ART Award 2026: free to apply at award.art 2:31 Curator's Selection open call announcement 3:16 Today's question: Is art changing, or are we? 3:47 Grant Yun introduces himself 4:31 Chidi Nwaubani introduces himself 5:29 Entering the art world through NFTs 6:14 Beyond the NFT spectacle: real conversations about digital art 8:08 Art Basel Miami, Zero Ten, and digital art at major fairs 8:35 What inspired your digital art careers? 10:46 Grant's origin story: from medical school to art for hospital patients 12:52 The Chazen Art Museum, Pop Art, and American Regionalism 14:52 Chidi's cultural inspiration and Nigerian-British identity 15:30 The Benin Bronzes: stolen artifacts still in the British Museum 16:34 The pseudo heist: LiDAR scanning inside the British Museum 17:00 Cultural continuation: creating new stories from historical objects 19:45 Personal identity embedded in artistic practice 22:07 How technology shapes art: LiDAR, TouchDesigner, and beyond 24:00 "Please touch": interactive sculptures that oppose museum conventions 25:23 Mbari: a communal art practice from southeastern Nigeria 27:24 Grant's California series: landscape, agriculture, and sacrifice 30:50 Grant's creative process: photography, Adobe Illustrator, freehand 34:30 looty.art: Chidi's vision for a new kind of cultural museum 38:55 Chidi's upcoming solo show at Frieze London (October 2025) 41:17 Can these two artists collaborate? 43:30 Milele Museum: a gaming collaboration for art restitution 44:58 Closing remarks Learn more: Grant Yun: https://www.ribbonriven.com Chidi Nwaubani: https://www.looty.art .ART Award: https://www.award.art theHUG: https://hug.art Art & Vault: https://artandvault.art .ART: https://art.art Register for upcoming episodes! https://campaigns.art.art/artvoices #artvoices #digitalart #contemporaryart #grantyun #chidinwaubani #beninbronzes #artrestitution #nftart #dotart #artaward #friezelondon