In the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unquestionable protagonism of work in digital environments. Like other productive sectors, artistic making underwent several adaptations during this period. We at Coletivo Amarelo have proposed in the last two weeks a historical investigation of the relationship between art and the Internet, suggesting reflections related to the first experiments with technology and the interventions of the NetArt movement in the 90s, often predictive of the performance of artists in an increasingly digitized world. . The previous texts are available on our blog under the tag “Internet”. Click here to read our last post about the Net.Art movement.
In the first months of 2021, we witnessed what seemed to be the trigger for a new era in the relationship between art and the internet. NFT editions invaded social networks and art groups shortly after the traditional house of Christie's auctioned a fully digital work of art for US$ 69 million (or R$ 382 million).
“Everydays: the first 5000 days“, by contemporary digital artist Beeple, fetched US$ 69 million at the latest Christie's Auction House auction.
The work is a collage of daily illustrations that the artist made over 5000 consecutive days (Image: Beeple/Christies available on BBC.com)
What happened? Where did it come from? Is this a new trend?
After nearly two decades of unstable speculation, cryptocurrency wallets such as Bitcoin have especially soared in the past year. The value of just 1 Bitcoin jumped from US$ 0.34 in mid-2010 to around US$ 50,000 (or approximately R$ 280,000 – Google quote: Morningstar and Coinbase, query 4/23/2021).
However, not every type of product had the same possibility of being introduced in the cryptocurrency market, because the monetary commerce that takes place in the technological world started to demand a safer structure, since the entire transaction is carried out in a currency that does not exist in the the real world. The Blockchain online system was created from this need. It is a platform that functions as a cryptocurrency exchange and serves to explore, track, monitor and record complex transactions.
In Blockchain, each trade is encoded as an immutable link, and therefore other objects that would need non-exchangeable value in more secure transactions have now been introduced into cryptocurrency trading, such as works of art.
But what does “objects with non-interchangeable values” mean? Imagine two situations:
- You are in a store and your purchase totaled $ 100. You have the option to pay using two $ 50 bills, 5 $ 20 bills or 10 $ 10 bills, etc. Therefore, common currency is mutually interchangeable (or fungible).
- Let's say you own three houses located on the same street, one worth $ 500,000 and two others worth $ 250,000 each. Although their price is close, if hypothetically the two houses worth $ 250,000 are grouped together, they will not necessarily have the same stipulated value as the house worth $ 500,000, even though the combined unit values result in an equivalent value. This is because each house is unique and has its own characteristics, that is, they have values mutually non-interchangeable (or non-fungible).
In this sense, Blockchain allows objects with non-exchangeable value to be traded for cryptocurrency, maintaining a fundamental aspect: uniqueness. For this, each object will be linked to an immutable link recorded in the Blockchain. These immutable links are called NFT (Non-fungible Token). The NFTs are also able to sustain another essential aspect for the art market: the concept of scarcity, responsible for valuing the piece taking into account how many identical units exist or not. In addition, NFTs offer a new type of registration for artists, since the immutable links registered on the Blockchain can contain all the information and technical specifications of the work produced in a “Smart Contract” format.
In short, the new revolution in the world and in the art market allows works to be sold 100% digitally, forming a new segment: Crypto Art. Each image, video, sound, text or software file, even if it is unique or limited edition, becomes an NFT registered on the Blockchain. As a result, each NFT will be priced and sold in Cryptocurrency.
Still from the NFT video work of American graphic designer Kii Arens based on a real house in California.
Bidders will bid on this NFT, with the winner also receiving physical property at 221 Dryden Street.
After this process, the NFT has a traceable contract with the most credible, safe and innovative copyright. For example, until the emergence of Crypto Art, an artist did not receive a percentage of the profit corresponding to the resale of his work. With the Smart Contract, a clause can link a mandatory percentage of transfer to the author of the work in case the NFT is resold. Noah David, specialist responsible for the first NFT auction held at Christie's, declared that “the potential imposed by NFTs to break with the traditional model of art auctions is immense”.
Still, they are still digital files, so can anyone have them? In theory yes, in practice no, because only those who have the NFT own the work. The rightful owner will be insured in the Blockchain registry.
It is worth remembering that Crypto Art is highly influenced by video games (by the way, a visual design niche that recently gained the well-deserved position of production with artistic content). In other words, the featured look has futuristic features that even hark back to NetArt's predictive interventions.
“Gods in Hi-Res”, by Canadian artist Grimes. The work has a futuristic look inspired by games.
The NFT was auctioned for $ 77,000 (Image: Grimes/Niftygateway)
Finally, it is in this context of congruence exercised by a technological environment of infinite possibilities associated with a global situation of digital protagonism, that a new era for art and the internet is installed. Crypto Art proposes a reintegration of the avant-garde of the 90s. A reboot. It is up to us, artists, to reflect on our own conservatism in relation to advances in art with technology. Crypto Art establishes itself not just as a trend, but as a movement. It is naive to believe in the illegitimacy of the movement based solely on the fact that this art “does not exist” in real life. After all, if digital exists, it is because we created it, making it part of our reality. With this, art fulfills its role as a catalyst for new readings of these realities.
REFERENCES:
Extraordinary Sale – BBC News Brazil
JPG File Sells For 69 Million – New York Times
NFT Artwork Being Sold With Physical House In California – Dezeen