NFTs_aaajiao, 2020 - 2021
NFT (dossier compressé .zip) et dispositif interactif USB
NTFs_aaajiao is an encrypted folder in .ZIP format, containing four self-portraits of the artist. It is free to download but is encrypted and password protected. Only the collector who acquires the work via a blockchain transaction will receive the password providing access to the file's contents: it is an old password of the artist’s that he used until it was publicly cracked, and has been disseminated in databases circulating online, where it could theoretically be found by a savvy user. Playing on the link between public and private arenas, NTFs_aaajiao is closely tied to the history of peer-to-peer networks, of which blockchain is a new offshoot. It weaves a thread between cryptography, the circulation of digital information, and computer piracy, whilst also showcasing the paradoxes inherent in the private ownership of digital assets, as promised by NFTs.
Marcella Lista et Philippe Bettinelli, 2023