Crypto Art: Digital Art for Virtual Reality

The origin of the universe is dotted with black holes in both space and knowledge. Everything about the metaverse seems a bit clearer. Of course, we’re seeing it develop in real time. 

Something similar is happening in the art world. As you know, until recently, art was all about the manifestation of ideas and emotions onto a physical medium to offer something of aesthetic value as well as the artist’s vision of reality. But for some time now we’ve been witnessing the proliferation of artistic creations that are taking shape in a digital format and offer the artist’s vision of …. virtual reality? 

Will so-called crypto art become to virtual reality (VR) what art is to reality? 

To avoid getting lost in the mire of so many concepts, let’s take them one by one.

Virtual Reality

Taking a dip in virtual reality means immersing yourself in any three-dimensional computer-generated environment. Once inside, you can easily be enraptured by what surrounds you. And, more and more frequently, by the action of manipulating and interacting with the objects that are put within your reach. 

The entertainment is addictive. The number of fans and followers is growing at the same pace as the number of technological resources designed to make the dip more fun. There are goggles, headphones, gloves and even aromatic effects designed to activate your senses: sight, hearing, touch and smell, all designed to dress up the experience and foster the illusion of reality.

And in this new market packed with potential – above all for education and leisure –, art is beginning to make its presence felt through the tangle of ones and zeros…

Crypto Art

This new artistic phenomenon is a direct consequence of blockchain technology. In case you missed the previous episodes of the story, let’s do a ‘previously on’ review… 

Blockchain is a chain of encrypted and decentralized blocks that don’t depend on any control by a third party, but rather on the management of the users themselves. These users act like blocks in the chain that gives its name to this invention. The security of the chain is guaranteed by the relationship of trust between one link and the next. Thus, the exchange from the first to the last is as solid and secure as the chain itself.

A classic application of blockchain technology is in cryptocurrencies. If in this field the basis of the exchange is economic, in crypto art what is exchanged is the acquisition of authorship between two individuals. And logically, this exchange is paid for in cryptocurrency. 

This requires a technology that encrypts the artwork and guarantees its authorship, as well as the authenticity of the piece itself. Crypto art platforms are experiencing a big bang similar to what is being seen in the metaverse. More and more artists are transforming their work into crypto art, transferring it to a parallel world. Or, to put it another way, into a virtual reality. 

At last, it seems that some concepts are beginning to mesh physical reality with VR, art with crypto art, and the universe as we know it with the currently expanding metaverse.  

But let’s move on. When you buy a piece of crypto art, you don’t get a canvas or a sculpture, but a non-fungible token (NFT) that is stored on a blockchain. As it cannot be replicated, this NFT verifies the authenticity of the piece and makes it almost impossible to counterfeit. In other words, exactly as if it were a physical object. This gives digital art the same value as analogue art. 

Acquiring NFTs usually accompanies the entry into the game of buying and selling in the virtual world. And here, where a lot of cryptocurrencies move very quickly, this habit can be addictive. Of course, the metaverse art market is booming and many purely speculative exchanges are taking place at a dizzying pace. And as this market has only been in existence for a short time, it’s still too early to know where this commotion is leading and where it may end up… 

Design and crypto art

Every digital revolution, especially at the beginning, is heralded by winds of change, democratization, universalization, free exchange, etc. And of course, crypto art is still a new showcase offering endless possibilities for artists. This even includes offering the status of artist to many designers who had never considered it before. However, uploading a work to a crypto art platform is very cheap, and it’s worth trying your luck and exhibiting your work in a metaverse art gallery – you never know where Lady Luck might be waiting for you. 

That’s why crypto art is making designers more valuable as artists. Suddenly, at least for as long as it lasts, there’s a growing demand for unique works made up of pixels that are as valuable as the dot work of the Impressionists. 

And right now, the works of art that are getting the most attention are motion design pieces. Storytellers have become the most successful artists in the crypto universe. And there you have it. 

Tangible and intangible art

In this excursion on the knife edge between the tangible and the intangible, we can’t be sure what direction this whole crypto-art movement will take. Maybe you’ll find yourself taking down the Van Gogh in your living room to exhibit an NFT now that the most popular art is paid for with cryptocurrencies. Who knows? Stranger things have happened. There’s all the graffiti that Banksy has left on the streets to serve as an example. 

But speaking of seeing, if you need a little push to get a clearer picture of all this, you can soak up virtual reality at freepik.com. Maybe it’s time to take your design career to the next level and try exhibiting in an art gallery on the golden mile of the metaverse.

If you feel the call, don’t hesitate, just bang on the table and shout “Mom, I want to be a Crypto Artist”.