VEDANTA 2.0 v2.2.0 — Creative Incompleteness as a Hypothesized Structural PrincipleThe 99/1 Dynamics of Non-Closure, Movement and Novelty वेदांत 2.0 v2.2.0 — रचनात्मक अपूर्णता एक परिकल्पित संरचनात्मक सिद्धांत के रूप में This is a hypothesis-generating framework, not a claim of established fact. Formalization≠Validation. CANONICAL CORE (Frozen): 99 = वर्तमान / प्राप्त अवस्था (current/attained state) 1 = irreducible remainder — not a numerical constant, but a symbol for residual openness 99+1 = open, non-final state — पूर्णता नहीं, आगे बनने की संभावना Chain: incompleteness → remainder → possibility → movement → differentiation → diversity → novelty → creation CANONICAL THESIS (Frozen): Creative Incompleteness proposes that the persistence of an irreducible remainder prevents absolute closure and thereby preserves the possibility of continued change, differentiation, novelty, and emergence. Hindi: रचनात्मक अपूर्णता प्रस्तावित करती है कि अवशिष्ट अपूर्णता की निरंतरता पूर्ण बंद को रोकती है और निरंतर परिवर्तन, विभेदन, नवीनता और उद्भव की संभावना बनाए रखती है। RESEARCH QUESTION (Frozen): If existence never attains absolute closure, how does the remaining openness generate the possibility of movement, change and novelty? Hindi: यदि अस्तित्व कभी पूर्णतः बंद नहीं होता, तो उस शेष खुलेपन से गति, परिवर्तन और नवीनता की संभावना कैसे उत्पन्न होती है? FOUR PROPOSITIONS:P1 Non-Closure: No modeled state is assumed to constitute absolute and final closure. / किसी मॉडलित अवस्था को पूर्ण अंतिम बंद नहीं माना जाता।P2 Remainder: A non-zero remainder preserves the possibility of change.P3 Becoming: Change permits differentiation, novelty and emergence.P4 Symbolic 1%: The "1%" is symbolic representation of irreducible remainder, not a universal physical constant. Separate hypothesis: Polarity transition — as system approaches limiting state of complete closure, model hypothesizes transition/inversion may occur before absolute closure. Hypothesized, not deduced. METHODOLOGICAL DISCIPLINE (Frozen): remainder → movement is not said to "cause" movement. Language: "provides a condition for / preserves the possibility of / is hypothesized to enable" 99.99...% notation removed (if infinite 9s, mathematically =100%). Corrected: "As a system approaches a limiting state of complete closure, the model hypothesizes that a transition may occur before absolute closure is attained." ∀x¬(x=100% closed) replaced by Principle of Non-Closure — structural principle, not formal theorem Gödel, Heisenberg, Thermodynamics treated as analogical / structurally suggestive parallels, not direct proofs. Analogy ≠ Proof. "Three Proofs" → "Three Lines of Support and Analogy" "Law" → "Hypothesized Structural Principle" in title to align with epistemic standard D_t = ⟨ΔA,ΔS,ΔK⟩ defined model-internally: absolute closure defined as D_t=0, therefore D_t≠0 → non-closed modeled state Maya/Lila labeled as Vedanta 2.0 interpretive terms, not direct physics consequences 0, consciousness, Brahma removed from core of Paper 2 — Paper 2 independent TETRALOGY:01 Integrated / Practical — कैसे जीना है?02 0-99 Foundation — केंद्र और अभिव्यक्ति (0→99)03 99/1 Dynamics — अपूर्णता से गति और नवीनता (this paper) (99→remainder→movement)04 Formal Appendix — Formal Arguments, Mathematical Formulations, Physical Analogies, Epistemic Limits NEXT — Theory नहीं, Tracks:Track A Formal: closure, remainder, D_t, S_n<1 ∀ finite n, lim S_n=1, axiomsTrack B Physical: operationalization in real systems as testable correspondence, not proofTrack C Philosophical: incompleteness, becoming, novelty, knowledge-limits STATUS: Architecture frozen. Hypothesis open. Research begins. License CC BY 4.0 | ORCID 0009-0000-8083-0685
This paper examines non-fungible tokens (NFTs) beyond speculative hype, focusing on their cultural value, labour structures, and prospects for long-term market stabilisation. It argues that NFTs function as technological primitives that enable the attribution, ownership, and exchange of digital cultural artefacts through blockchainbased provenance systems. While often framed primarily as financial instruments, NFTs also operate as cultural infrastructures that encode identity, community participation, and creative expression across art, music, gaming, and digital media ecosystems. The study highlights how value in NFT systems emerges not only from market dynamics but also from labour-intensive processes of creation, curation, and platform governance. It further explores how labour is distributed across artists, collectors, curators, developers, and communities, revealing complex hierarchies shaped by platform economies and speculative incentives. In addressing market stabilisation, the paper analyses liquidity, speculation, and price discovery as central mechanisms shaping NFT volatility, while also considering regulatory, institutional, and infrastructural developments that may support more sustainable ecosystems. Ultimately, it contends that NFTs should be understood as socio-technical systems where cultural meaning, economic exchange, and labour relations intersect, and that their long-term relevance depends on whether these dimensions can be balanced beyond cycles of hype and collapse. Keywords: Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Cultural value; Digital labour, Blockchain provenance, and Market stabilization.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are unique digital assets stored on a blockchain that certify ownership of an item, giving rise to NFT art, where digital creations are tokenized to provide verifiable scarcity and provenance. To clarify the polarized debate surrounding this phenomenon, this paper conducts a systematic literature review of 18 academic articles (2020–2025) to synthesize the current state of research on its aesthetics. The review first maps the field’s methodological and typological landscape, and then presents three core thematic findings: the reconfiguration of value from intrinsic visual merit to social factors like community and identity; the evolution of the artist’s role from creator to system designer and community manager; and the adaptation of traditional art world frameworks. The study’s primary contribution is the articulation of a new theoretical framework, “decentralized aesthetics,” which posits that the value of NFT art is derived from the holistic, participatory experience it generates across perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and socio-cultural dimensions, rather than from its isolated visual properties. Finally, the paper identifies critical research gaps, such as a lack of longitudinal and cross-cultural studies, and proposes an agenda for future inquiry into digital creativity and ownership.
Based on the graphic novel Dalí's Mustache and Other Colors, published by Polirom in 2020, the article Dalí's Mustache between Color, Word, Image, Non-Fungible Token, and... Sound proposes a reevaluation of the concept of musicological research from a contemporary interdisciplinary perspective, as an authentic act of culture. The 16 paintings imagined by visual artist Felix Aftene, perfectly suited to the equally impressive literary chapters written by Lucian Dan Teodorovici, follow a path marked by metamorphosis, with stops that generate new meanings and senses (video artist Andrei Cozlac, Blockchain consultant Gabi Dumitru), with the final destination being the concert stage in the orchestral suite composed by the young musician Paul Pintilie and premiered at the Classix Festival in 2023 on the stage of the “Vasile Alecsandri” National Theater in Iași, performed by the National Youth Orchestra of Moldova and the “Sonos Alumni” Chamber Orchestra of the Iași University of Arts. The article is conceived along parallel lines/arts, but continuously linked by a common thread: Dalí's moustache, a surrealist universe in which the conventional-unconventional dualism fits perfectly.
This paper presents an analysis of five years (2021 - 2025) of conference discourse across six digital art conferences, aiming to trace thematic shifts associated with the rapid development of emerging technologies, namely artificial intelligence (AI), immersive technologies (including XR and the metaverse), and blockchain technologies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The results indicate a marked increase in AI-related contributions, while immersive technologies maintain a relatively stable share of the discourse, and blockchain- and NFT-based works remain marginal. Overall, whereas immersive technologies and blockchain-related topics exhibit relative stability, AI shows a significant rise after 2022, emerging as a dominant theme within digital art conference discourse.
Distributed by Grasshopper Film, 12 East 32nd St., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10016Produced by Nicholas Bruckman, Shawn Hazelett, and Rahilla ZafarDirected by Nicholas Bruckman2024, Streaming, 77 mins Minted: The Rise (And Fall?) of the NFT, directed by Nicholas Bruckman, focuses on the explosive growth of the NFT (non-fungible token) digital art market in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Bruckman introduces how NFTs are situated within broader conversations about creativity, ownership, and value in digital environments. Using interviews with artists, collectors, technologists, and cultural critics, the viewer is asked to consider how NFTs are not simply a speculative trend, but rather a disruption, a way to represent artwork as a token for transactions that bypass traditional intermediaries in the art world (like galleries and museums). The strength of the film is Bruckman’s highlighting of the experiences of artists with new opportunities for visibility and economic independence through their NFTs. Notably, the documentary amplifies the perspectives of some female and BIPOC creators, framing NFTs as a space that seems to offer alternatives to the exclusionary and gatekeeping structures of the traditional art market. While the film highlights these voices, it stops short of fully examining whether the NFT ecosystem dismantled or merely reproduced the existing inequities within the art world. Minted is a timely film for conversations about digital literacy, information ethics, and the economics of creative labor. While the documentary does not offer a comprehensive critique of blockchain systems, it is successful as a snapshot of a significant cultural moment and a useful prompt for viewers to question the intersections of art, technology, and society. Awards:SXSW, Audience Award; Next Generation Indie Film Awards, Best Documentary Feature; Cordillera International Film Festival, Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary
In today's fast-paced business environment, art has experienced a dramatic and quick transition. These days, artists are not only artists; they are also artrepreneurs who combine their artistic and business acumen. Digital and social media are essential components of the significant development of artistic self-employment. Social media sites like YouTube and Instagram are now critical for establishing a strong online presence, interacting with a global audience, and bypassing intermediaries.Art Education is the procedural approach of teaching and learning artistic skills, aiming to foster creativity, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the world. Creative methods, aesthetic questions, and individual artistic expressions are the main topics of contemporary art education. However, they hardly ever give art students the technological, entrepreneurial, and self-management abilities needed to create and maintain financial rewards from artistic endeavours. Since many artists work for themselves or as freelancers, entrepreneurship is a vital part of arts education and is critical for career success in the arts. The lines between digital technologies, art, and commerce are becoming increasingly hazy. Furthermore, there is a pressing need to reconsider the function of art education in light of the emergence of Web3. Without addressing these linkages, art pedagogy runs the risk of leaving students unprepared to deal with both creative agency and financial independence in the digital age. The skill gap is widened when such competencies are not included, making it more difficult for graduates to turn their artistic expertise into long-term professions. Recent research on arts entrepreneurship education reiterates this worry and shows how the abilities offered in art schools continue to diverge from those needed in the creative sectors. Despite being highly skilled and productive when they leave school, graduates lack the necessary skills in related fields like marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship. A hybrid curriculum that strikes a balance between art education and business training is necessary to connect creativity with entrepreneurial education. Project-based collaborations, internships, and real-world simulations are examples of experimental techniques that are seen to be particularly effective in equipping students with both business and creative skills (Ávila & Davel, 2023). There is an urgent need to reconsider the significance of art pedagogy and develop a groundbreaking educational framework that logically integrates various fields. To close this gap, the art curriculum must be completely changed to incorporate digital technologies and entrepreneurship. The goal of modern pedagogy is to provide art students with the necessary tools for a sustainable career, visibility, smart use of digital technology, market adaptation, and financial independence-not to dilute the content. The S.M.A.R.T Curriculum Loop, a revolutionary framework that tackles issues regarding the merging of art with business and digital skills, has been proposed in this study as a solution to this important necessity in art academia. Such a drastic change would equip art students to pursue jobs that are both financially feasible and creatively satisfying.The S.M.A.R.T Curriculum Loop provides a clear framework for introducing students to international art by combining social media-driven art education into conventional art courses. This methodology helps students fulfil the needs of the digital economy by integrating multidisciplinary elements into art instruction. Universities can equip artists who lack the requisite technological abilities and help them develop resilience in the digital age in this way. This Opinion Article posits that the modern education of art needs to immediately shift out of a studio-based, skills-oriented model to begin digitally empowered artrepreneurial education. Whereas conventional methods focus on mastering the arts, they do not equip graduates with a creative economy that is influenced by the dynamics of social media, the governance of platforms, and the creation of visibility through algorithms. This paper will argue that the S.M.A.R.T Curriculum Loop as a futureoriented solution to the challenge of digital literacy, entrepreneurial ability, and creative practice is viable because it integrates all three into a pedagogical framework.The limitations outlined above necessitate a re-examination of how existing scholarship conceptualises creativity, entrepreneurship, and digital fluency in art education. The following section synthesises prior studies that inform the development of the S.M.A.R.T Curriculum Loop.Promoting creativity in art discipline higher education is often an unexplored area that needs attention at the institutional level, as creativity is no longer seen as a luxury but a necessity in the current economic world post-COVID-19 outbreak and quarantines. Systematic integration of creativity in universities is imperative rather than treating art as a separate domain. The four correlating factors for fostering creativity-conversation, scholarly relations, liminal spaces and leadership-must be included in the present-day art curriculum. This framework criticises traditional pedagogies and addresses creativity as a perpetual, relational and formal mechanism crucial for learning, leadership and innovation (Rae, 2023).Due to the ever-evolving nature of the art economy, entrepreneurial skills have become an integral aspect of art education. Traditional art education is often expertise-centric, relying solely on artistic mastery. Today's Artists must be selfsufficient and capable of dealing with complex market dynamics, navigating digital platforms and building personal brand image. This can be attained only by integrating entrepreneurial training into the art curriculum, which can lead to fostering innovation and adaptability (Zhang & Wang, 2022).Despite the increasing acceptance of entrepreneurship education in higher education, it is often overlooked in the field of the arts. There is a scarcity of existing research to comprehend arts entrepreneurship, which hinders its integration into the arts curriculum. Artrepreneurship education is valuable in enhancing the entrepreneurial competencies of artists. However, there is a need to address the gap between skills acquired through art education and skills actually required for their viable careers (Wong & Chan, 2024).A novel pedagogy must equip artists with skills not only for fostering artistic persona but also autonomy, resilience and digital fluency-enabling a generation of artrepreneurs capable of steering Web3 platforms, building and learning viable habits and practices and reclaiming rights over their original creations (Bridgstock, 2013).Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Web3 technologies now serve as core components of art production, distribution and monetisation in the present-day world. These technologies include Blockchain, NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and DAOs (Decentralised Autonomous Organisations). Generative AI models like Midjourney and DALL•E allow artists to create complex visual concepts from simple text prompts, fundamentally changing the creative process and the definition of a 'tool' in art. AI functions not only as a catalyst for artistic innovation but also as a source of ethical challenges, particularly through the use of generative models such as GANs and diffusion models that reshape creative processes while raising concerns of authorship, originality, and artistic integrity(Amini, 2025).Art education must strategically include these technologies in its art pedagogy, as these are no longer just peripheral tools but fundamental in the rapidly evolving creative economy. NFTs have transformed the conventional perception of ownership and creatorship, introducing students to the idea of digital origination, providing access to global art dissemination through a decentralised system of networks. Smart contracts, a novel term, allow the generation of digital royalties, thereby reimagining the importance of entrepreneurial agency and financial independence for a creator. Web3, NFTs and DAOs are revolutionising art education, transitioning traditional university models into a 'metaversity' concept.NFTs help in keeping a secure record of students' data, DAOs provide decentralised learning centres, while Web3 facilitates customised open learning. The metaverse provides interactive virtual environments for engaging, synchronous, and asynchronous education (Sutikno & Aisyahrani, 2023).Previous research supports critiques of traditional art education, indicating the scarcity of existing research in arts entrepreneurship and a gap between skills acquired through art education and skills actually required for their viable careers (Wong & Chan, 2024). Conventional arts education relies on studio setup and knowledge dissemination, which deals with developing creative, sophisticated, disciplinary, and technical skills. These theoretical or conceptual disseminations of knowledge, which are monotonous, neglect adequate skill development, fail to include critical thinking, and often lack real-world relevance. This is particularly alarming given that most creative, performing and literary artists are self-employed or work on a freelance basis, making entrepreneurial skills critical for career sustainability and success. Art educators are often facing a dilemma in identifying and defining the skill sets required for artrepreneurial pedagogy (Bridgstock, 2013).The older, outdated framework is hindered by faculty hesitance to accept art education as a new frontier due to their narrow perception of entrepreneurial education as merely a "vocation", which conflicts with the age-old romanticisation of art as distinct from a source of revenue. Lack of consensus by art school managers on a curriculum that suits present needs by adopting successful business schools' models is another issue (Beckman, 2007). The available curriculum doesn't equip artists with the necessary Web3 skills, which are essential for navigating their careers. Students generate strong academic portfolios but are appraised with limited digital presence or tool proficiency, building a gap between their talents and tangible opportunities. Most programs also neglect the critical rise of technologies like AI, NFTs and Smart contracts. This overlooks recent technologies, leaving the students unprepared for navigating digital art markets. There is a pressing need for the formation of a formal instructional framework with strategic entrepreneurial and digital competencies.As an example, a recent graduate surveys conducted of design and fine arts courses in Asia and Europe have shown that students graduate with good portfolios, but they lack a digital presence, a fact that has a direct impact on employability on algorithmdriven creative markets. Most of these institutions still focus on studio production as they provide very scarce training on online visibility, digital rights, and monetisation strategies. Conversely, those programs with experience of implementing hybrid creative-entrepreneurship courses (e.g., digital portfolio markets, social-media-based exhibition projects) claim to find substantially better graduate interaction with international audiences. These instances point to the fact that disconnect is not a hypothetical notion but it can be seen in actual educational outcomes. They may organise interactive exhibitions in a virtual space, allowing a global audience to access, interact with, and buy their artwork in real-time. Digital fluency and the commercial skills needed in art markets are expanded and disseminated through such encounters.These tools allow art students to move beyond traditional studio-based instruction because of their transformative ability to develop new models for creativity and collaboration. Students can gain practical experience that prepares them for jobs as artrepreneurs by interacting directly with these (Sutikno & Aisyahrani, 2023).The implementation of this kind of technologies in art education goes NFT-based assignments make evaluation more transparent through verifiable ownership records and metadata trails. DAO-led collaborative projects allow instructors to assess participation, governance decisions, and community contribution as part of the creative output.The S.M.A.R.T Curriculum Loop may immediately address all of the drawbacks of traditional art education, which leave students unprepared to succeed in professional marketplaces. This framework fills the gap in the demands of the digital world by incorporating multidisciplinary elements into art instruction. It works as a cycle that allows for skill improvement and iterative participation over a number of semesters. The creative framework addresses the demands of today's art students by combining social media and entrepreneurial abilities. The authors disclose that there are no commercial or financial relationships that could potentially create a conflict of interest regarding this research.The research received no support of funding.The referencing style used in the study is APA formatting style.
El presente artículo aborda la realidad digital reciente y el contexto contemporáneo, con el objetivo de comprender la casuística de los NFT en Europa a través de dos casos de expansión comparativos: el español y el lituano. Metodológicamente, el estudio adopta un enfoque híbrido, combinando la revisión teórica de los Non-Fungible Tokens con técnicas empíricas de recolección de datos, como entrevistas en profundidad y encuestas. De manera preliminar, se realizó un análisis bibliométrico utilizando la base de datos Scopus, lo que permitió identificar y seleccionar los artículos más influyentes publicados en revistas de alto impacto. Esta fase inicial facilitó la delimitación de los ejes temáticos y subtemáticos que sostienen el desarrollo del trabajo. Los resultados indican que la mayoría de los estudios revisados emplean metodologías cualitativas y aportan marcos conceptuales para la aplicación práctica de los NFT, validando su relevancia en campos como la publicidad, la comunicación y las artes. El análisis de contenido identifica seis líneas principales: características, expansión, aplicaciones, repercusiones, percepciones del mercado y marco jurídico. Además, el estudio evidencia el potencial de los NFT para la diversificación y conectividad de la industria cultural, así como su creciente relevancia en entornos de realidad virtual y aumentada, destacando su papel como herramienta innovadora en la transformación digital del arte y la comunicación.
Dec 23, 2025·Proceedings of the ... Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences/Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
Tejas Kotha, Kushagra Bhatnagar, Leona Chandra Kruse, Matti Rossi
NFTs (non-fungible tokens) promised the interaction of artists/creators directly with their collectors without the need for any intermediaries, but the realisation was quick that such a technology, instead of getting rid of intermediaries, reintroduced new intermediaries in the form of NFT marketplaces. These marketplaces exhibit diverse features and cater to different user groups. A wide array of governance strategies, such as curation and gatekeeping, are used to steer creativity and interactions in the marketplace, informed by the marketplace's strategy. We examined this diversity by identifying the 'ideal types' of marketplaces based on these strategies alongside the motivations of the creators to make sense of the growing NFT market and constructed a typology that distinguishes four kinds of NFT marketplaces: Avant-garde, Canonical, Mass Culture, and Coterie. The article also offers practical implications for creators and collectors looking to make informed choices when deciding to participate in a particular marketplace.
The contemporary art world is undergoing a foundational shift, driven by the emergence of blockchain technology and its most culturally salient application: Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). This transition marks a move from the physical, gatekept spaces of the "White Cube" gallery to the distributed, code-governed networks of the blockchain ledger. This article argues that this is not merely a change in the medium of art's financialization, but a profound process of decentralization reshaping the core pillars of the art ecosystem-curation, valuation, ownership, and access. We analyze how blockchain disrupts traditional, centralized art market models by enabling peer-to-peer transactions, immutable provenance tracking, and fractional ownership through smart contracts. Crucially, we examine the rise of algorithmic and community-driven curation, where platforms like SuperRare or DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) challenge the authority of the traditional curator-institution. A conceptual framework (Figure 1) maps this new ecosystem, while a comparative table (Table 1) delineates the paradigm shifts across key domains. Through case studies of NFT platforms, crypto-art movements, and artist collectives, we demonstrate both the emancipatory potential and the critical tensions within this decentralization. We conclude that while blockchain introduces new forms of transparency, accessibility, and artist empowerment, it simultaneously engenders novel hierarchies, environmental concerns, and questions about the nature of cultural value in a digitally native era. The future of visual culture will be negotiated in the space between the aesthetic aura and the verifiable hash.
This chapter describes the macro context for the soft aesthetic experience through an exploratory overview of emerging and current shifts within three macro areas: Society and Culture, Science and Technology and Design and Aesthetics. The aim of this section is to set a foundation for the book through graspable explanations of pivotal moments influencing soft, not only as a design aesthetic but also as a movement, a quality of life and a platform for the future. The first section “soft in Society and Culture” brings to the forefront important and current influential topics such as the emergence and prevalence of soft power, soft skills and a non-compartmentalized way of thinking and taking action in order to solve pressing problems. The second section “soft in Science and Tech”, examines recent developments propelled by the emergence of movements such as The Fourth Industrial Revolution and technologies including Web3, 5G and 6G, articulated in the context of the book, together with important neuroscientific models including the Aesthetic Triad and scientific tools for mapping and visualizing emotions. The third section “soft in Design and Aesthetics”, explores practices such as sensory design through a new light to include a broader spectrum of senses and their interactions through sensory experiences. Emerging design areas such as The Aesthetics of Wellbeing, Sensory Restoration and Soft Rooms are also explored.
“Creative” and “artistic” capitalism have been with us for a while. Yet something is wrong with them. We seem to be too stressed, too extracted, too invested in the time and effort and monthly subscriptions necessary for curating our public personae in “social” platforms. Back in the early 2010s, neoliberalism seemingly entered a stage in which its “artistic features” were sufficiently appealing to smooth over contradictions. It was as though everything the early avant-garde had once promised was finally coming about. Art was merging with everyday life, including a never-ending demand for originality (or what looked like originality), the articulation of a system of economic and social value based on flexibility and regulated transgression (gig work has its upside for creative types), and the celebration of previously marginalized cultural types (diversity, inclusion, and equity—even in an art world fundamentally structured by novelty, exclusion, and unpaid apprenticeships). But with this transformation soon came another realization. The aestheticization of politics that Walter Benjamin gravely forewarned about as a hallmark of fascism deeply stained artistic capitalism, as the mobilization of creativity became a driving force for urban gentrification displacing those apparently lacking the imaginative flexibility to surf the peaks and troughs of the new normal society of risk. Artistic capitalism and its promises began to stink. Something is wrong, and we are its pitiable symptom.We are not talking about the simple replacement of a mode of capitalism by something else, about an irreversible disappearance. Things are subtler than that. The artistic imperative, the emphasis on participation and experience, the anxiety linked to “like” economies and profile capitalism, are still there. Yet there are new things, too. Technofascism, for that matter: the normalization of the murderous combination of bio/necro/geopower control and authoritarianism. This is not your average nightmare: while artistic capitalism relied on psychosocial isolation, the performance of narcissism, and the establishment of hierarchies through a simulacrum of personal-realization-as-differentiation, this new thing does not care about how curating has become part of the vocabulary of professional and personal self-realization or about the interiorization of extractive mode(l)s of self-exploitation.The farewell to artistic capitalism also implies a farewell to the “human face” of late capitalism. The good news is that in this deeper circle of hell in which we are now, I/you/we don’t need to feel creative anymore. (In truth, I/you/we are so exhausted, disoriented, subsumed into survival mode that I/you/we can’t afford it. It seems that only the algorithm can keep the pace of “not-particularly-creative creative imperatives.”) The bad news is that the new landscape that is just materializing in front of our eyes seems vaster and gloomier than anything we have seen before.Recent debates on technofascism suggest that capitalism died in front of our eyes without us noticing. That necropolitics has been enhanced through its transposition into the policed digital-social now. That subject formation is again under attack and that inhabiting the non-normative implies being at the frontline. That “politics” does not exist anymore, because it has been replaced with memes and algorithms (as if the effects of these were not political and material and tangible). In any event, the exercise of coming to terms with the nightmares of our recent past should not be done to feed apocalyptic thoughts, nor to say that we occupy a worse position than what we occupied ten years ago. Rather, the challenge remains one of imagining the historical coordinates of both subjugation and flight, of capture and fugitivity; understanding what creative capitalism did to us, but also resisting its self-fulfilling, totalizing allure.“Creative” capitalism relied on the collective fulfilment of the equation art = life; technofascism is creative in different, darker ways. In this context, looking forward seems an imperative for basic survival. On the contrary, looking back seems more like a luxury, as a nostalgic gesture without important consequences for our crisis-driven present. “Forward” and “back” should, however, be relativized, as things have already happened, keep happening, in front of our eyes. Coming to terms with “artistic” capitalism should be seen as a complex operation, one that implies adjusting our temporal perception and challenging simplistic, self-predicted, apocalyptic visions of the end of the world. Could we look at the end of “creative” capitalism with creative eyes, to see something other than the replacement of a bad nightmare by a worse one? What is at stake in such a task? How might we accomplish it? Does it make any sense?Until recently, “creative” and “artistic” capitalism was something almost taken for granted. The use of the concept implied its naturalization as a prevailing force, as the new normal. Creative capitalism was the gentle touch making possible the financialization of everything, the “creative force” giving an abstract system a humane face. As such, the concept was so indissolubly linked with late capitalism that its specificity could be easily dismissed as part of the ideological apparatus naturalizing neoliberal ideologies. The loss of relevance of creative capitalism has paradoxically made its contradictions more visible than ever, as in a last desperate attempt to keep traction, to stay in the game.Writing in 1999, Luc Boltanski and Eve Chiapello explained that late capitalism has been taking lessons from countercultural movements since the 1960s and applying these to increasingly profitable endeavors.1 For both authors, a new state of things was taking shape at the end of the 1990s, one marked by the commodification of difference, the interiorization of artistic critique, the diversification of market options and the transformation of services and social relationships into a resource. The confluence of these elements sought to simplify and facilitate control and surveillance. For Boltanski and Chiapello, however, the new spirit of capitalism failed at suppressing a sense of collective anxiety that prevailed over the superficial variations implemented. The clearest symptom of the inefficiencies of the “new spirit of capitalism” could be felt in the flesh, as it is related to the impossibility of being predicated on the flexibility and originality that “creative” paradigms demand. In a connectionist world, the tension between the requirement of flexibility and the need to be someone—that is, to possess a self endowed with specificity (a “personality”) and a certain permanency in time—is a constant source of anxiety. The slogan that sums up the ideal of a successful life as becoming oneself—that is, changing in order to bring out and discover what one potentially was, so that one is no longer the same person while nevertheless evincing conformity to an original self—is the typical expression of this tension.2Reading Boltanski and Chiapello’s The New Spirit of Capitalism in 2025, feelings of pessimism and even nostalgia seem to be unavoidable, especially in relation to the idea that the main obstacle blocking change has to do with critical and epistemological limitations, as if not knowing how to call this “new spirit” made it more menacing. In a postscript added in 2007 to the original book, the authors mention that the specificity of recent developments consists in the development of a connectionist logic, which does not mean that it has invaded the totality of the social world or that, in particular, connectionist exploitation has replaced other forms of exploitation. In our view, however, it is precisely the shortage of descriptions tailored to the uniqueness of this world that has hitherto prevented critique from being more effective.3Looking back fifteen years later, it is clear that we have plenty of descriptions dealing with the “uniqueness of this world.” We know well how global globalization was; how much liberation the celebration of creative freedom turned into an imperative of self-development brought. We have the information, but this has not helped us in preventing the damaging effects resulting from an excessive trust of connectivity and newness. Importantly, we can feel an exhaustion in the ways in which creative capitalism is researched and theorized, as if its normalization implied that some of its edgier features could no longer be appreciated and critically apprehended.In 2013, Gilles Lipovetsky and Jean Serroy wrote a less radical book, L’esthétisation du monde. Vivre à l’âge du capitalisme artiste, in which the authors defined artistic capitalism as the driving force of an exhausted neoliberal logic in constant need of reinventing itself.4 The key issue for both authors is the appropriation of the project of aestheticizing the world for capitalist purposes. The point for Lipovetsky and Serroy is not just the expansion of aesthetics, but rather its confluence with the domains of economics and finance, its indistinguishability. The collapse of design and experience, the acceleration and automation of consumerism, the development of platforms for mass-tailored consumerism: all these elements play a role in the conceptualization of this new version of creative capitalism. And yet, the most confusing, the most outdated element found in Lipovetsky and Serroy’s book is the idea of perfection, as if the only thing we needed to do is give capitalism enough time to perfect the formula, to tune up the algorithm, so that mass-consumerism-as-aesthetics resembles more the echo of a lost aesthetic grandeur.Reading L’esthétisation du monde in 2025, more than a decade after its first publication, is an interesting exercise. On one hand, things have changed significantly. But there is something else. It is worth noting that Lipovetsky and Serroy’s book was written at a time when artistic capitalism was not hegemonic, when non-individualistic modes of being in common were being put into practice by assembly movements and activist platforms all around the world. Part of the appeal of artistic capitalism as an idea lies in its character of self-fulfilling prophecy. The idea, in order words, is not just an idea; the concept comes with its own advertisement, as the ultimate commodity. In its soft apocalyptic tone, it is simultaneously anticipatory, and already outdated.It is particularly useful to think about artistic and creative capitalism as a remarkably persistent fictional tale, as a way of presenting things that anticipates its own triumph and parries any critical blows against it by justifying its presence as the best possible way of organizing everything. Artistic capitalism takes the glitter of the creative genius and presents it as universally reachable. The emphasis on blockages and frustration only adds up to the climax of self-realization. The interiorization of this fictional account that reduces sociality to the configuration of successful individuals works, because it works its way into the psychosocial texture, projecting its malleability as a sort of do-it-yourself tool kit that can be adapted and transformed for each particular case.Discourses on creative and artistic capitalism present “the thing” as a relatively new phenomenon, as something emerging out of the disintegrated fluxes of Fordism and late capitalism. In fact, the equation “creative self-realization = subject formation” can be defined more accurately as the central piece of a long-term occupation. Of biopolitics attempting to transcend the physical realm of the body to invade also the oneiric, the aspirational, the not-yet. We may, for instance, dust off the genealogies of the artist novel or Künstlerroman, in which becoming (subject, citizen, individual) is associated with becoming an artist, with orienting yourself and finding your way in relation to creative imperatives.5The artist novel—the genre that establishes the novel form at the center of modern literature; the specific form of Bildungsroman in which personal development and subject formation is achieved through artistic means; the body of work that glues together the canon of Western literature, from Balzac to Goethe, Joyce, Mann, Woolf—is not just a literary genre. Rather, we should read this body of work concerned with the coming-of-age of the individual as an artist as a socializing pact, as a particular way of imagining the world in which creative self-definition is always in reach, a path always available. Importantly, the artist novel is not just a literary genre. We should see it as a malleable genealogy that permeates cultural imagination, as a formula for subject-formation-as-individuation that involves novels, but also social media profiles, curated avatars, and the myriad ways in which self-appreciation and self-definition in creative terms are mobilized as socializing tools.The artist novel is not a tale about artists. It does not tell anything about anyone in particular. Rather, this body of fiction works by projecting the fantasies of artistic capitalism (long before such a concept existed) onto the reader, by narrowing the distance between emissary and receptor, producer and consumer. These narratives arise from the hope that realization is around the corner, that “if I could, you also can,” that the alliance between material progress and self-investment represent the perfect formula of success.In the artist novel, the possibility of imagining a life worth being lived is projected upon the reader. Artist novels are aspirational in at least two ways: first, they are concerned with moving off the beaten track, of fulfilling desire as a way of countering a dull and normalized bourgeois reality. Second, the kind of becoming depicted in the novel remains available, transferable, and applicable as a sort of toolkit that the reader can import and put into practice within the sanitized environment of the reading room. The artist novel produces capitalism through the fiction of subject formation and identification, through the accumulation of property made possible by a supposedly inexhaustible and expansive creative imagination.To be sure, this goes much further than any dream of perfect, polished cities powered by the force of a young class of cosmopolitan creative practitioners. We are talking here about a centuries-long experiment that works beneath the skin and repurposes all sociality to make it fit the equation of creative individualism = subject formation. Importantly, this is no longer (it never was) just about literature. Under the late stage of artistic capitalism, scientific progress is replaced by the advancement of “creative” socialization. Apps and user-friendly profiles are the new chemical formulas. Patents and proofs of concept are no longer the predefined terrain of scientific advancement; rather, they have been translated into the realm of the subject-as-profile, curated personae relying on the mobilization of inventiveness to constantly demonstrate that they belong to the group, that they are “in” instead of “out.” Ranking anxieties and technofascistic democracies have combined personal development with computerization and AI sovereignty.The issue with the artist novel and the pact it relies upon is that it is never stable. The process of becoming (subject, individual, citizen) that is promised and propagated through the artist novel is not static, is not about assuming any position. Rather, it is concerned with displacement, with the politics of pattern(ed) lives that are embraced and discarded, that are made fashionable and conceived of as worth being lived. In fact, we should look at the genealogy (fictional and otherwise) of the artist novel and its late capitalist ramifications as lifelines, as patterns that produce their own orientation. Sara Ahmed conceived of queer orientation as a phenomenological task concerned with “the politics of lifelines.” She explains that “following lines…involves forms of social investment. Such investments ‘promise’ return (if we follow this line, then ‘this’ or ‘that’ will follow), which might sustain the very will to keep going. Through such investments in the promise of return, subjects reproduce the lines that they follow.”6 Crucially, Ahmed foresees the possibility of getting lost, of starting new lifelines, while following any path.What is interesting is that the artist novel was always, also, an escape route. A way of being, but also a way of being in between different lives, diverse aspirations, even different eras and The appeal of artistic elements in fiction seems to from such here in How to with art the possibility of a In The the main character a with murderous and through the of In art and make the world in ways that challenge the In art is a for gentrification and but also for a that together and in subject formation and are part of the same equation under creative capitalism, such a formula capture the to and put into practice art or thing is that these art are not just they are also, more than could also say here a that simultaneously how “creative” capitalism can and how and the genealogies of creativity We may, about the a canon as a and instead look for a malleable of creative challenging the idea of subject formation as the only way of being and We look the glitter of “creative” capitalism to see the the work of that was always already there materializing in front of our is not life, that is being These are the by not the of we that we were That our implied how we were in the normalization of the of consumerism, of the That becoming an individual becoming creative in extractive ways. But what if the of could to a different to the formation of radical the of subject formation under creative capitalism are murderous isolation, we could also say that the end of creative capitalism paradoxically about the of possibility for radical can only when the of artistic capitalism are should not be seen as we should see this historical as one for the task of we should the of in ways still not still for collective capitalism was predicated upon a of through the from Fordism to Western achieved the dream of the merging art and But what if the point was not about but rather about and What if the task of imagining art implied a task of and the configuration of “new political subjects of the to What if creativity as a form of being and becoming was always already about the of and about collective well be the that technofascism is an important part of our collective but this does not everything. the terrain emerging in front of our eyes is but it is to a self-fulfilling with another The challenge is to while to see past the murderous of capitalist or making sense of the genealogy of radical that to and past and present forms of The in other words, is to change and as a of this the collapse of creative capitalism could be seen as an into the is not a just the of something else, something still to
The article discusses certain aspects of blockchain-based art, including the ecology and economy of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), applying projects curated by Ruangrupa for documenta 15, such as Jalar, Dayra, Cheesecoin, and BeeCoin, created within the lumbung Economy. In light of earlier investigations into the ecology of NFTs, the main areas of concern now are the ways in which information about the environmental effects of NFTs presents itself, the monopolization of particular technological mechanisms, the perpetuation of cultural biases, and, from this angle, the belief of artists in the potential for change brought about by the new technology. Given the economic and ecological implications arising from the blockchain projects discussed in this article, I propose to use the notion of ecosophy defined by Félix Guattari as an approach for lumbung Economy interpretation.
Protocol art has recently proliferated through blockchain-based smart contracts, building on a century-long lineage of conceptual, participatory, interactive, systematic, algorithmic, and generative art practices. Few studies have examined the characteristics and appreciation of this emerging art form. To address this gap, this paper presents an annotated portfolio analysis of protocol artworks by Pak, a pioneering and influential pseudonymous artist who treats smart contracts as medium and collective participation through protocol as message. Tracing the evolution from early open-edition releases of The Fungible (2021) and the dynamic mechanics of Merge (2021) to the soul-bound messaging of Censored (2022) and the reflective absence of Not Found (2023), we examine how Pak choreographs distributed agency across collectors and autonomous code, demonstrating how programmable protocols become a social fabric in artistic meaning-making. Through thematic analysis of Pak's works, we identify seven core characteristics distinguishing protocol art from other art forms: (1) system-centric rather than object-centric composition, (2) autonomous governance enabling open-ended control, (3) distributed agency and communal authorship, (4) temporal dynamism and lifecycle aesthetics, (5) economy-driven engagement, (6) poetic message embedded in interaction rituals, and (7) interoperability enabling composability for emergent complexity. We then discuss how these features set protocol art apart from adjacent movements such as conceptual, generative, participatory, interactive, and performance art. By analyzing principles grounded in Pak's practice, we contribute to the emerging literature on protocol art (or "protocolism") and offer design implications for future artists exploring this evolving form.
This research aims to deeply explore the origin of the metaverse and its impact on the development of corporate strategy, especially in the field of non-fungible token (NFT) artwork design. Through the analysis of the current development status of NFT artworks, an artificial intelligence-based enterprise development strategy and a metaverse NFT artwork design method are proposed. In addition, the generation logic, technical attributes, and technical and legal risks of metaverse NFT artworks under different design methods are also studied. It is expected that this research will provide strong theoretical support and practical guidance for the legal protection of metaverse NFT artwork design.
This dissertation examines the evolving landscape of non-fungible token (NFT) markets, primarily in the arts, focusing on the experiences of artists and the role of intermediaries in shaping market dynamics. Through three interconnected research papers, it challenges the techno-utopian narratives of decentralization and democratization associated with blockchain technology. The first paper presents an analysis of how NFT marketplaces have become decisive arbiters of value, particularly in royalty enforcement, which reveals the paradoxical coexistence of technological decentralization and organizational recentralization. The second paper presents a novel typology that demonstrates how NFT marketplaces actively construct value and shape participant behaviour through governance mechanisms and curatorial strategies. The third paper foregrounds artists’ lived experiences and unveils how the digital nature of NFT markets intensifies competitive pressure and necessitates constant “visibility labour” on social media platforms. Collectively, the findings unveil how NFT markets, despite the decentralization rhetoric, often reproduce and amplify traditional art market hierarchies while introducing the challenges of cryptocurrency volatility, algorithmic visibility, limited legal and social protections and other forms of digital vulnerability. This dissertation highlights the complexities of an evolving ecosystem in which technological innovation intersects with established power structures and market practices and thereby contributes to the Information Systems literature. It also offers critical insights into the intricate interplay between technological innovation, market configurations, and creative labour in the digital age, which not only advance our understanding of NFT markets but also provide a framework for analysing future developments in digital creative economies.
The recent advent of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has profoundly disrupted the contemporary art market, but their status remains contested. While advocates tout the democratising potential of NFTs, critics dismiss them as a speculative bubble. This study elucidates the position of NFT art within mainstream art market discourse through an interdisciplinary analysis synthesising critical discourse analysis, corpus linguistics, and the political economy of art. Examining three key 2023 art market reports furnishes empirical insights into how influential institutions frame and valorise NFT art. Linguistic patterns reveal NFTs’ increasingly solid yet variable positioning across art market segments. NFT art appears well-integrated into mainstream discourse but remains emergent at the high end. The analysis reveals a complex picture, with the data showing both positive institutional framing and valorisation of NFT art, as well as the identification of ethical tensions and concerns around issues of accessibility, diversity, and sustainability within the NFT art market discourse. We find NFT art simultaneously amplifies and challenges existing hierarchies, creating new opportunities counterposed by risks.
The advent of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in the art world has led to the emergence of a unique aesthetic sensibility, ‘crypto-aesthetics.’ This nascent phenomenon is marked by the amalgamation of digital and traditional art forms, the exploration of decentralisation and blockchain themes, and an emphasis on scarcity and digital ownership. This article proposes to examine the crypto-aesthetic phenomenon of NFT art through the lens of New Materialism, in particular the key concepts of two major New Materialist thinkers, namely Karen Barad and Jane Benett. Our application of New Materialism elucidates crypto-aesthetics as a distinct occurrence stemming from the interplay of object-reality, agency and networks, sociomateriality, and cultural and historical contexts. Utilising the New Materialism perspective to investigate crypto-aesthetics sheds light on the intricate relationships, processes, and consequences shaping the art market vis-à-vis NFTs and digital art. By acknowledging the agency of matter and the entwined nature of human and non-human entities, a more holistic comprehension of crypto-aesthetics’ transformative potential for artistic expression, value generation, and cultural dynamics can be attained. Our theoretical framework offers a novel lens through which to explore and understand the burgeoning world of NFT art and its crypto-aesthetic tendencies.
Young Soon Jeong, Ji Eun Jeong, Chae Hyun Lee, Jong Woo Park
Purpose: Non-Fungible Token (NFT) ART, based on NFT technology, represents a novel form of art that has recently garnered significant attention in the art market. NFT technology enables the assertion of ownership over digital data, introducing the concept of ownership into the digital realm. As digital data gains ownership, NFT ART is anticipated to be positively viewed as an investment and expected to become more active due to the characteristics of this new technology. Therefore, this study aims to verify the influence of NFT ART characteristics on perceived value. This study contributes to extracting the distinctive characteristics of NFT ART compared to other forms of art and to understanding the perceived value of NFT ART among consumers with purchasing experience.Methods: This study applied structural equation modeling to explore the relationships among the variables using SPSS 26.0 and R program version 4.2.3. A total of 320 questionnaires were retrieved, all of which were adopted as valid analytical samples without missing values.Results: The findings indicate that the decentralization, transparency, and scarcity of NFT ART positively influence the perceived usefulness and enjoyment among consumers, while security does not have a significant impact. This suggests that higher levels of decentralization, transparency, and scarcity in NFT ART enhance perceived usefulness and enjoyment for consumers, significantly influencing the perceived value. Furthermore, it was confirmed that these characteristics are considered important values and perceptions from the consumer’s perspective.Conclusion: The research presents positive factors for the activating of purchases among consumers considering buying NFT ART. It emphasizes the necessity of benefits for all participants to activate the art market. Additionally, the perceived value provides crucial insights for inducing active purchasing behavior in the NFT ART market and serves as a foundational study for further research.
Tesserart is a pioneering portal offering a tool-based web3 infrastructure designed to evolve with rapid technological advancements in the digital art space. Its goal is to simplify the processes of creation, curation, and collection of digital art and events, providing community-driven tools and innovations. Committed to enhancing accessibility and versatility, we aim to be the Swiss Army knife of the digital art ecosystem. Tesserart facilitates the digitalization and accessibility of digital artworks through blockchain technology, extending global reach and opening new revenue streams. It provides comprehensive tools for digital and physical event experiences, including live artwork minting and selling, ticketing, curation, and the use of community tokens for engagement and rewards. Our business model capitalizes on transaction fees and royalties from art sales, along with partnerships with digital art marketplaces and cultural organizations. Tesserart aims to redefine digital art engagement and collectability, making it more accessible, innovative, and experience-based
On 8 September 2022, the American artist Frank Stella launched a series of twenty-two digital art works minted as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in collaboration with Arsnl, the in-house platform by the Artist Rights Society (ARS). Titled Geometries, each “package,” included the NFT that would affirm ownership and the corresponding geometric model designed by Stella in JPG (image), MP4 (video), SLS (3D printing), GLB (virtual reality and model manipulation), and USDZ (augmented reality). This range of digital formats alludes to two of Stella’s innovations in this space: the license to remix and manipulate his models, and the ability to 3D print Geometries at any color, scale, and material. Taking Stella’s foray into the NFT-space as a starting point, my article focuses on an emergent trend by artists engaging with Web3: the effort to bridge the physical and the digital by giving tangible form to NFT artworks and what this suggests for the future of digital materiality. The paper at its core seeks to examine the relationship between the physical referents to NFTs at the very moment when new media returns to historical forms.
The development of crypto has resulted in NFT (non-fungible token) derivation. Artists began to explore the NFT market with its potential. NFT artists have different ways to get engagement and establish themselves in the world of NFT, whether in terms of artwork substance or in the social field. This study aims to deconstruct the actors behind NFT artists to elucidate the visual style and the social engagement of artists in the world of NFT. The method used in this study is a qualitative approach with data validation from interviews and NFT artwork samples. The data was subsequently processed using actor-network theory (ANT) to analyze and trace the actors behind the NFT artists. Two Indonesian artists, namely Angga Tantama and Mufti Prianka, became the study cases in this research. The result of this study shows heterogeneous actors who support the artists in their work's substance and social engagement. In the case of Mufti Prianka, NFTs influenced him to explore the possibilities of creating digital artworks, whereas for Angga, NFT platforms became one of his well-established channels to publish artworks. Based on their networks, the two Indonesian artists studied have different approaches and motivations in creating and engaging with NFTs.Proses kreatif dua seniman NFT Indonesia dalam perspektif teori jaringan aktorPerkembangan kripto telah menghasilkan derivasi NFT (non-fungible token). Para seniman mulai menjajaki pasar NFT dengan potensinya. Seniman NFT memiliki cara yang berbeda untuk mendapatkan keterlibatan dan memantapkan diri di dunia NFT baik dari segi substansi karya seni maupun dalam bidang sosial. Gaya visual dalam kategori ini bervariasi dengan seniman yang berbeda yang merupakan pencipta di belakangnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendekonstruksi aktor di balik seniman NFT untuk menjelaskan gaya visual dan keterlibatan sosial seorang seniman di dunia NFT. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan kualitatif dengan validasi data dari wawancara dan sampel karya seni NFT. Data tersebut selanjutnya diolah menggunakan teori jaringan aktor (ANT) untuk menganalisis dan menelusuri aktor di balik seniman NFT. Dua seniman Indonesia menjadi studi kasus dalam penelitian ini, yaitu Angga Tantama dan Mufti Prianka. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan aktor heterogen yang mendukung seniman dalam substansi karya dan keterlibatan sosialnya. Dalam kasus Mufti Prianka, NFT memengaruhinya untuk mengeksplorasi kemungkinan dalam menciptakan karya seni digital, sedangkan pada Angga, platform NFT menjadi salah satu salurannya yang mapan untuk mempublikasikan karya seni. Berdasarkan jaringan mereka, dua seniman Indonesia yang diteliti memiliki pendekatan dan motivasi yang berbeda dalam menciptakan dan terlibat dengan NFT.
Art advisors are usually engaged by collectors to help them assemble their collection. In that role they may accompany their clients to galleries, artists’ studios, and especially art fairs. Art advisors can be self-standing firms. Gallerists, however, will also often take of this role for clients who trust their advice and judgment. The phenomenon that art can accrue value over time forms one of the foundational premises of an art market. Very much simultaneous with the art world’s pivot from the physical to the virtual during the COVID pandemic, the disruptive technology of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) emerged quite suddenly in early 2021. Kickback—a payment received by the agent of a commercial transaction from a supplier, usually in compensation for the agent having facilitated their client’s business with the supplier. All blockchain transactions incur a gas fee including minting of NFTs.