NFTS and art. Is this combination possible? Brian Eno, in a recent and very interesting interview with crypto syllabus pointed the finger at what is happening in the NFT world in a very clear way. His accusation is that essentially the NFTs are just the tool to bring artists into “financialization” and to turn them into actors of global capitalism ( “How sweet – now artists can become little capitalist assholes as well”), without any artistic implications (“right now I mainly see hustlers looking for suckers”).
Problem is that Brian Eno’s right. As one of the world’s first poets to try to put poetry into the NFT worlds, I find Brian Eno’s analysis flawless. He’s a real artist, and anyone who has walked an artistic pah – as illustrious as his or as small as mine – feels that something doesn’t add up.
Numbers or art?
There is too much attention to numbers, money and rankings, very little interest in the meaning and in the message of the works that are sold. And so youtubers, influencers and celebrities suddenly become artists.
On the other hand, if the only quality required for NFT creators is to be good at marketing, necessarily only those people will be selected whose only goal is to earn, which is unlikely to reconcile with the soul of those who let themselves be chosen by art.
If I had primarily wanted to make money I would have had a different career as a different kind of person. I probably wouldn’t have chosen to be an artist
Brian Eno
So if the direction of the relationship between NFTs and art does not change, as much as a creator will climb the charts, then you will be sure that he is not an artist.
But the NFTs remain a technology that offers enormous potential. Revolutionary, and not necessarily in an anarcho-capitalist sense. I think about my case: as a writer and poet I have had and am having my opportunities. My project of poetry and music instead, being I a suburban artist, far from the musical circuits that matter (Brian, do you read me?) is not taking off and I can see in the NFTs an opportunity to express myself more fully. But I have to confront, or maybe compete, not with artists, but with young marketing experts.
So now there are two possible ways:
- The trend will remain the same, the NFT markets will be filled with self-proclaimed artists who will irrevocably discredit the NFT environment. The world and the artistic tradition will remain substantially alien to this phenomenon. And this technology will end up being used for other purposes, be it video games or property management. But the art will remain other.
- The world of art (or better, the arts) will decide to enter the NFT circuits, impose its media strength and influence and create moments and forms of artistic selection that are not based only on the temporary greed of young (and perhaps poorly educated) holders of cryptocurrency wallets.
I am faithful. I believe that art is above all prophecy and cannot ignore for long this significant slice of the world that has thrown itself into the metaverse.
What will eventually be the relationship between NFTs and art?