Cabinets of curiosities for the postcolony II: tokens: collections I-V

Abstract

This paper offers a discussion and reflection on my work titled "Cabinets of Curiosities for the Postcolony II: Tokens, Collections I-V" (hereafter referred to as "Tokens") which was exhibited in 2022 both physically in a gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa, and virtually on the non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea.The physical component of "Tokens" consists of five entomology cases, each displaying a collection of unique, handmade objects, and an artists' book, and the digital component takes the form of 51 NFTs.I describe the origin, development and nature of the project and explain the reasoning behind the creative decisions that I made.Initially the project was driven by my need for tactility and experimenting and crafting with physical materials, but it evolved into an exploration of the question of what is considered "new knowledge" in creative practice.This exploration eventually led me to the world of NFTs and resulted in a final creative project that engages with further questions around uniqueness, the aura of physical and digital art, and value.I propose that by making and naming new objects, I created new knowledge, which I then attempted to validate by minting the objects as NFTs.However, I realised that by digitally reproducing the physical objects I ran the risk of destroying their "aura" as postulated by Walter Benjamin in his 1935 essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction".I consider Benjamin's concept of "aura" in relation to physical and digital art and highlight more contemporary views that refute his claim.This leads to a brief discussion of the financial value of NFTs and the importance of community in creating value in the NFT world.I conclude by noting that many questions remain on what blockchain technology can do and become for artists and the study contributes one such perspective and experience.Creative practitioners are encouraged to become acquainted with this technology.