Web3 Dialogue with Christie's Ben Gentilli: The Meaning of NFT and Digital Art

Source: Polkadot Platform

Original article by Web3 Qinwen Wang

On October 7, Christie's will auction "Portrait of A Mind: Block 21" (2020), A blockchain artwork by Ben Gentilli, which includes: A physical object and an NFT collection. It will also be NFT's first public sale at a major global auction house.

There are 40 digital works in the series "Painting of a Mind." The physical painting is built on a canvas disc with a diameter of 50.59 inches. The surface is covered with 322,048 Numbers, and the word "Block 21" is inscribed on the inner edge. Covered with suspended pigments and graphite and aluminum paint, their 12.3 million Numbers are the exact transcriptions of the V 0.1.0 code that issued Bitcoin. Each code is hand-carved and decorated in a gold color (a metaphor for bitcoin mining) and arranged in a (decentralized) pattern.

Artist Ben Gentilli confirmed his presence at Web3 with Christie's executives; Panel will be moderated by Eliot Safra, the founder of Christie's Art + Technology summit.

As the Web3 conference got underway, Web3 chatted with Ben about the story behind an auction that will go down in history as blockchain art: creative inspiration, the NFT market, a partnership with Christie's, digital art, and a new generation of collectors.

Portrait of A Mind: Block 21

ES:  Can you first tell us about the creation process of a physical work?

Ben: Of course, the early concept of a code base started at the end of 2017. After eight months of research and planning, I decided to create my ideas from an aesthetic point of view. I didn't start working until the middle of 2018.

I had imported machinery from Amsterdam - never before had anything been carved in this detail and on this scale, so from a technical point of view I spent six months talking to consultants and technicians about how to do it.

Once the path is determined, you start carving, a bit like Roman Opalka, by drawing each number in 12.8 million hexadecimal codes. It took some time.

Jean: We observed that each physical work is attached with a geographic coordinate reference. Is it of special significance to you?

Ben: Yes, each work has a unique geographic coordinates embedded in its code base. The gold-plated characters in the screen can be found through the algorithm I developed. Not only do they echo the work-proof mechanism behind "digging" bitcoin (only 16 of the 322,048 digits are gold-plated, in the same algorithmally-driven way that computers compete for blocks), but they also evoke associations of dispersed clusters of stars (similar to our oldest decentralized network structures).

www.robertalice.com  Block 1 works on behalf of the Libertarian Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu located in Quanzhou "Lao Jun Rock" & NBSP; Laozi coordinates

Each geographic coordinate is associated with an important place in Bitcoin's history. Block 1 refers to Lao Tzu, the semi-legendary Chinese philosopher who founded libertarianism. Block 38 refers to the exact location of Hal Finney at the time of the first bitcoin transaction. There were only two people in the world who knew about this, his wife Fran and I. This will be revealed in a few years.

ES: Do the materials used have any special meaning other than aesthetics? Why is it round?

Ben: The work has to contain gold in some way, and the coordinates are a great way to insert a rare metal, which is a prerequisite for bitcoin. The circle points to many different things: early Japanese COINS, thunderstones, coded wheels, military targets, radio beacons, etc.

Jean: Now let's talk about the NFT collection. Is it an accurate representation of a physical work?

Ben: This is a turning point. The NFT was the first NFT to be fully linked to our experience of physical work. Therefore, it can only be viewed during the day in the time zone in which the picture is drawn. Now in New York, it's in the dark.

By using light and shade as binary opposites, I'm not just talking about the binary code base, it's not just part of the code base, but more importantly how we experience digital art. It's like Basquiat crossing out the words to get people to read more. By placing the NFT in the dark, we can reflect on a strange assumption we often overlook -- that in the digital world, the lights will never go out.

Jean: & have spent Is it possible to sell the NFT and keep the physics (or vice versa)?

Ben: Collectors can do whatever they like. If I were them, NFT is part of the composition, so they are taking a risk.

ES: How did the partnership with Christie's come about?

Ben: Some art collectors want to see Satoshi's code base on the global stage. Christie's was forward-looking enough to be bold enough to decide what to include -- I owe them a big thank you.

ES: Can you tell us how many blocks have been sold?

Ben: Blocks 0-20. Collectors include Jin An CEO Zhao Changpeng, Bloq chairman Matthew Roszak and Kenetic co-founder Jehan Chu, among others, whose works are now scattered around the world. https://www.robertalice.com/portraits-of-a-mind-current you can find the code repository location map of complete Ben Gentilli/Robert Alice

Jean: & have spent How did you decide to become a full-time artist?

Ben: I've been creating work, and Bitcoin has given me some financial independence, not a lot, but enough to take me out of the world for a few years and focus on what I want to explore for myself.

ES:  Who/what was your inspiration?

Ben: A lot. On passwords, Simon Denny, Nicholas Mangan, CryptoPunks, and curator Ben Weeks.

In art, Roman Opalka and Cavalla are the basis of the concept of the work. Formally, Jack Wheaton and Jasper Jones are two artists that I have great respect for. The work of Hanne Darbhoven is the object of my concern. Hito Steryerl is something that I read and a lot of people I know read.

Jean: What do you think of Robert Alice? Why do you call it that?

Ben: Bob and Alice are the most famous pair in the field of cryptography. It was important to change the name of the project because it gave me the flexibility to move forward. I want artists to come in and go into this secret space and see what they can find...

NFT market:

Jean: & have spent Will Christie's NFT collection have a significant impact on the digital art market? What do you think is working in the market right now and what could be done better?

Ben: I hope it will be a landmark moment in space history. The speed of subversion and innovation of NFTs is amazing. The technology is economically groundbreaking. The art world, while valuable to a small number of intellectual code collectors, still needs to expand. The traditional art world will catch on sooner or later.

Jean: & have spent Do you think the market will grow? What do you think might be driving growth?

Ben: There will be more traditional artists in this space. There will be a better way to present the work. There will be bigger virtual museums. There will be a better realization of the artist's resale rights. Conceptually, the empowerment of the artist to the work itself is groundbreaking. The current slide is too steep.

But most importantly, it will be the next generation. And then the next generation. Art is a slow game. This is the avant-garde.

Digital art vs. Traditional Media:

Jean: & have spent Will the digital art market start to look more like the traditional market? Will digital art fairs become a thing?

Ben: Yes! If they are not, they should be. Covid-19 has transformed video conferencing, potentially allowing people to feel the value of cultural experiences anytime, anywhere.

  ES: Have you seen "traditional" art collectors turning in large Numbers to digital art? Or, conversely, has digital art become an entry point for the cryptographic community into other, more "traditional" art forms?

Ben: The number of collectors for this project is almost half and half of the art and codes. Some people have both. I think they can coexist. You may be obsessed with digital art, but you still live in a house with walls.

ES: You have a very diverse collection base, both geographically and from different backgrounds. How do you get in touch with collectors?

Ben: I think it's a testament to the truly global nature of the blockchain community. It's just a hint. We meet in private, as collectors whisper.

ES: Do you have a dream collection?

Ben: SFMOMA.

Future Projects:

ES: Have you started your next project yet? If so, what can you tell us?

Ben: Art is a slow game. You'll hear from me in time... If you don't want to miss Block 21, you can contact usVbrodie@christies.com

Background:

About Benjamin Gentilli: London-based artist, founder of The Robert Alice Project:

Robert Alice Studio is dedicated to promoting blockchain culture in the visual arts. Gentilli has worked in the international art world in London, Hong Kong and Vancouver, most recently at Sotheby's "S. After leaving Sotheby's, he focused on developing a visual culture of blockchain. "Portrait of the Mind" is the first piece of art in the project, which Gentilli completed alone over three years. Following Portrait of the Mind, Working with artists, creative developers and blockchain stakeholders, Robert Alice will become a decentralized collective.

About Elliot Safra: Founder of AndArt Agency:

Creative companies that focus on helping multinational brands and the art world collaborate. Safra was senior director of global strategy at International art gallery Levy Gorvy and was a member of the Christie's Chairman's office, initiating a series of collaborations including Christie's Art + Technology Summit. Safra is vice-chairman of the International Committee for the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

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