Bridges to Web3: An Interview with Ivana On The Block from Hartverse
Even in a world increasingly shaped by AI agents a real community is still made up of people. And to build a strong one, individuals like Ivana On The Block, founder of Hartverse, a creative hub based in Belgrade, Serbia, are invaluable.
Ivana Ehrensvärd, founder of Hartverse.
The word “onboarding” has become part of the new lexicon we’ve been exploring daily since at least 2021, when the NFT hype hit its peak. To navigate this space, one must grasp the fundamentals — understanding digital wallets, cryptocurrencies, and the process of minting, and so many other concepts that are crucial to being part of this ecosystem. In essence, onboarding is about making the transition into something new, smooth and efficient. And that’s exactly what Ivana Ehrensvärd, a.k.a. Ivana On The Block, has been doing in the Web3 space.
I spoke with her about the new curation on objkt.com, which presents works by artists who completed the Hartverse/ECD course "Application of NFT technology in Art". The onboarding process on objkt platform is part of this, enabling students/artists to experiment, gain experience, and continue minting their pieces independently afterward.
“The biggest ongoing challenge is maintaining motivation and engagement after the course ends," Ivana explains. "It requires additional strategies to keep artists active and inspired in this space.”
Ivana’s calendar also includes NFT Paris 2025, where she will co-host the side event Art Connect at the Cultural Centre of Serbia. The event will bring together experts from the NFT art ecosystem to explore how blockchain technology is transforming the art world, and how artists, collectors, marketplaces, and businesses are adapting to this rapidly evolving digital landscape. Kika Nicolela, from objkt.com, is also part of the line-up.
With a background rooted in culture and art, Ivana also reflects on her own journey into Web3, sharing insights from her experiences and the potential for preserving the work of her late father — a photographer and educator — on the blockchain.
When and how did you first get involved with Web3? What is the digital art and NFT market like in Serbia?
My introduction to Web3 happened in 2020 when a friend introduced me to OpenSea. At the time, the unfamiliar interface and the concept of digital wallets felt daunting. However, in 2022, I applied for a position as an NFT Collection Art Director, which gave me the chance to explore NFTs and their potential for my father’s work.
This full-time role immersed me in the NFT space, where I contributed to educational projects, launched PFP collections, and organized Serbia’s first token-gated NFT exhibition. This experience revealed the cultural and ideological depth of NFTs, sparking my deep commitment to the space.
The project was educational at its core, offering free masterclasses on blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and the metaverse. I led the launch of a PFP collection — from conceptualizing the art to collaborating with artists and developers — which culminated in a token-gated exhibition in Belgrade, the first PFP collection exhibition I’m aware of.
“The NFT market in Serbia initially revolved around collectibles during the 2021–2022 hype phase. Many artists were hesitant to explore the space, often misunderstanding NFTs as being limited to the collectible aesthetic.”
After this project, I transitioned to a role as a Web3 retail market researcher, analyzing how major retailers integrate NFTs into their strategies. Ultimately, I decided to focus on the art niche within NFTs and launched educational onboarding programs to support artists entering the space.
The NFT market in Serbia initially revolved around collectibles during the 2021–2022 hype phase. Many artists were hesitant to explore the space, often misunderstanding NFTs as being limited to the collectible aesthetic. Those who ventured into global NFT markets did so independently, without much connection to local NFT communities. This misconception motivated us to develop educational programs to help artists navigate the space and focus on the art niche within NFTs. Onboarding artists is just the first step in building a sustainable NFT art market in Serbia.
What do your workshops and lectures primarily focus on?
Since entering the Web3 space, I’ve been passionate about onboarding people into this exciting new world. With the launch of my educational programs, I chose to focus on the art niche within NFTs. From my first program, Into the Metaverse with NFT Photography, to more recent courses like NFT Technology in the Art World, my efforts have always been centered on helping artists navigate the NFT ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on art.
Our goal is to save artists time by connecting them directly with the art-focused NFT community and helping them avoid the common pitfalls of navigating the space on their own. These programs cover foundational topics, from understanding Web3 and setting up wallets to creating their first NFTs and becoming active participants in the art-focused NFT ecosystem. We guide them every step of the way as they take their first steps in the space.
“Through Trilitech, I connected with Kika from objkt, who facilitated an incredible promotion for the artists we onboarded, featuring them on objkt’s main page, daily curation, and X.”
How was your first experience onboarding artists to objkt, and how will this next onboarding process work? What challenges have you encountered?
Our first onboarding with objkt took place in early 2024 as part of the “Web3: New Business Model in the Art World” program, supported by the USAID Supercluster Excellent3 project. The goal was to connect artists directly to the art niche within the NFT world, helping them bypass the confusion and discouragement that often arises when entering the space. Through Trilitech, I connected with Kika from objkt, who facilitated an incredible promotion for the artists we onboarded, featuring them on objkt’s main page, daily curation, and X. Kika was also a speaker at our “Crypto Art” panel discussion at the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade during Belgrade Blockchain Week.
The second onboarding with objkt went much more smoothly than the previous one, thanks to our current partnership with regional crypto pioneers, ECD cryptocurrency exchange, which handled wallet installations and related topics.
The onboarding process is energy-intensive and requires personalized guidance. Many participants are entirely new to Web3, so we begin with the basics, including wallet setup and creating profiles on Objkt and X. One of the main challenges has been acquiring XTZ (Tezos) in Serbia, as it’s not listed on local exchanges. This time, we solved this issue with donations from Fountain and Scott Christensen, which saved us a lot of time.
The biggest ongoing challenge is maintaining motivation and engagement after the course ends. Additional strategies are needed to keep artists active and inspired in the space.
“While the NFT space offers incredible potential for preserving artistic legacies, the current models make it difficult to effectively promote the work of late artists without continuous participation from the artist or their representatives.”
I read that your father was also an artist and that you had the opportunity to bring his work onto the blockchain. How was that experience for you?
My original motivation for entering the Web3 space was to promote and preserve my late father’s work on the blockchain. However, I quickly realized that showcasing a completed body of work in this space requires a systematic approach and active engagement, which is challenging without the artist’s direct involvement.
While the NFT space offers incredible potential for preserving artistic legacies, the current models make it difficult to effectively promote the work of late artists without continuous participation from the artist or their representatives. For now, I’ve decided to wait for these models to evolve further and have shifted my focus to other projects in the meantime.
‘Welcome to objkt.com by Hartverse’ – a selection of artworks by artists newly onboarded through the Hartverse//ECD course: "Application of NFT technology in Art". These are their first mints ever.
