Michael Kutsche, Artist.
Michael Kutsche. Courtesy Michael Kutsche.
The Baer Faxt: Currently, what institutional, technological, or social constraints are limiting the creativity of crypto art?
Michael Kutsche: From my perspective and experience, the bottleneck for creativity and also innovation in crypto art is not due to institutional pressure or gatekeeping by art critics, but rather a lack thereof. To me, the space oftentimes seems like a vast cloud of attention-seeking noise that is difficult to decipher, and whenever I come across written analysis, critique, and curatorial efforts, I deeply appreciate them, as they help provide much-needed context. The primary issue with crypto art being predominantly shared on X is that our consumption of it is reduced to doom scrolling and exchanging emojis. There is almost no intellectual discourse about the works, and social algorithms favor superficial, flashy art over pieces that require deeper examination. Artists are constantly battling the audience’s ever-shortening attention span, focusing more on grabbing attention than on finding their genuine artistic voice.
Another significant issue is the large group of collectors who view NFTs more as investments than as culturally relevant pieces that are worthy of conservation and a means to support the practice of the artists. When they share and promote the artists whose work they have collected, it is often to increase the perceived value of their investment for profit, rather than out of genuine appreciation for the work. This skews the perception of what art is relevant, and also leads to artists producing work for a market that lacks critical examination and favors short-lived social media buzz. The focus on profit and hype has had a detrimental effect on the creation and progress of art in the crypto space and has sent misleading signals to the outside world, contributing to the slow adoption in the broader art community.
Michael Kutsche, Hotel Melancholia, 2022. Digital, edition of 20. Courtesy the artist.
Critical discourse, thoughtful curation and genuine appreciation by art enthusiasts and collectors can incentivize artists to delve deeper into their creative processes, as they feel their efforts aren’t being sucked up in the attention economy void but are contributing to actual cultural dialogue.
However, it is not all doom and gloom. I see a small but passionate group of art-focused individuals and platforms who’ve been raising the quality bar (shoutout to Verse, Fellowship, and Expanded.Art). Through their commitment, curatorial and educational efforts, and also the support of serious art collectors, there is a noticeable shift in the quality of art within the crypto space—which was, apart from a few exceptions, largely lacking any sort of substance in 2021.
