Art goes crypto
Saba Chima speaks with artists who are learning what cutting-edge technology and “ non-fungible tokens ” can do to boost their audience and protect them from cyber-thieves .
These days , people are just as likely to consume art by clicking a mouse as they are by going to a gallery or a performance . But in a digital environment , how can artists protect themselves from all those hackers we constantly hear about ?
At the latest World Art Day , organised by the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ), one of the themes was technology . Artists were introduced to the ways that non-fungible tokens ( NFTs ) can make it easier for them and their audiences .
Robyn Conti explained in an article for Forbes Advisor UK : “ An NFT is a digital asset that represents a real-world object like , for example , the Charlie Bit My Finger video . NFTs are bought and sold online , frequently with cryptocurrency , and are generally encoded with the same underlying software as many cryptocurrencies .”
Like physical money , cryptocurrency being “ fungible ” is easily exchangeable at the same value . “[ However ,] NFTs are different . Each has a digital signature that makes it impossible for NFTs to be exchanged for or equal to one another ( hence , non-fungible ),” Conti writes .
Global artists who participated or followed the World Art Day 2021 exhibition , came together on social media to share an understanding of the role NFTs play in protecting their works with creative licenses .
NFT & its impact on digital art .
One of the artists who minted her artwork via the gallery was Kiku Wu , an MA Fine Arts student based in Los Angeles .
While reasonably new to terms like NFT , Ms Wu made great use of the online gallery . She explained : “ An NFT allows digital artists to monetise their art and control creatorship . By minting an NFT , each artwork becomes a unique token that can be tracked on blockchain — helping users to recognise the original artist .”
Making use of the opportunity provided by the concept gallery , Ms Wu shared :
Caption : “ Wave of Love .” PC : Kiki Wu : @ kikiwu404
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