Bitcoin, 2020
Fichier numérique image (SVG), couleur
A pure, simple reproduction of the Bitcoin logo (which is free of copyright), Bitcoin is one of three pieces by Robness that were removed from the SuperRare sales platform in 2020. This exclusion revived the debate regarding Duchampian readymades, more than a century on. As an appropriationist work questioning the criteria of “artistic” values on crypto art platforms, Bitcoin is now one of the artist’s most important pieces. A declaration placed in the description of the token summarises things in an inclusive way: “This image is in the public domain and free for commercial use and in this case, art”. This work, one of the most famous pieces of crypto art, represents a milestone in the creation of conceptual activities within the NFT environment and is a reflection on the history of art and visual culture, echoing Warhol’s Dollar Sign (1981) and highlighting the purely speculative reasoning behind the creation of the majority of blockchain production, i.e. the migration of a system of values that was once attached to painting into the virtual space of high-frequency transactions.
Marcella Lista et Philippe Bettinelli, 2023