Contemporary art, capitalization and the blockchain

On the autonomy and automation of art's value

Bibliographic Data

ID4495256
AuthorsLaura Lotti (UNSW Sydney, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume2
Issue2
Pages96-110
Publication date2016-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFinance and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2059-5999 • E-ISSN: 2059-5999
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2218/finsoc.v2i2.1724
OpenAlexW2566496080
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited8

This article addresses contemporary art as a means to investigate how, and to what extent, financial logic impacts upon the socio-cultural sphere. Its contribution is twofold: on the one hand, the article shows that contemporary art's valuation practices increasingly reflect the logic of capitalization; on the other hand, it assesses the emancipatory potential of blockchain technology for the cultural sphere. In relation to the latter I argue that, in spite of the technological novelty of blockchain-based art projects, these nonetheless fail to challenge a received logic of finance. This exposes the limitations to technological determinism as a means of countering financial power in the socio-cultural sphere, and points to new problems for art's valuation methods in relation to the liquid logic of algorithmic finance

Capitalization · Aesthetic Perception and Analysis · Art History and Market Analysis · Blockchain Technology Applications and Security

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access