Generative art refers to art that is created in whole or in part using an autonomous system. This form of digital art dates back at least to the rise of computing machines in the 1950s. Recently, however, generative art has experienced a burst in digital creativity thanks to the emergence of blockchain technology and, in particular, of Non-Fungible Tokens. In this paper, the author explores the new forms of generative art that blockchain technology has brought to the field. Moreover, he embeds these new forms of blockchain-based generative art within Philip Galanter’s generative art theory. Once programmed with the right instructions, a single Jacquard loom could produce an unlimited number of copies of a given design without the need for human labor. BENJAMÍN LABATUT, “THE MANIAC,” 2023

Crypto art is limited-edition digital art, cryptographically registered with a token on a blockchain. Tokens represent a transparent, auditable origin and provenance for a piece of digital art. Blockchain technology allows tokens to be held and securely traded without the involvement of third parties. Crypto art draws its origins from conceptual art—sharing the immaterial and distributive nature of artworks, the tight blending of artworks with currency and the rejection of conventional art markets and institutions. The authors propose a collection of viewpoints on crypto art from different actors within the system: artists, collectors, gallerists, art historians and data scientists. A set of emerging themes and open challenges surfaces.