Cryptoart and Digital Humanities: Transtechnological Perspectives and the Challenge of Tactical Positions

Abstract

Contemporary times always pose a challenge for theoreticians who try to map it and encode it. Nevertheless, it is more than important to grapple with present times and bring out the topics that can engage understanding of present discourses, potentials, and possibilities. It is even more true with art and humanities that, each on its side, faced significant challenges from the rise of technology-driven reality. As for the art, it seems that technology gives more opportunities and options than ever, but it is not without questions of value, authenticity, ownership, commodification, or artivist practices. As for the humanities, they already faced the alleged “crisis” due to the new wave of technocracy. New technology offers new media, new languages, and new discourses. But is it all good news? Should art and humanities form a kind of a (trans)tactical (im)pact and adopt the technology language, or would such a turn create more slippery points than easy-going practices? This paper will try to examine transdisciplinary and transtechnological coordinates of art and humanities taking the case study of cryptoart and blockchain system usage in contemporary artistic practices. This will also engage the discussion about digital humanities, which might be one of the next transdisciplinary steps to continue the fierce line of experimentation, and to combat the trend of going back to disciplinary frameworks. Article received: December 18, 2021; Article accepted: February 1, 2022; Published online: April 15, 2022; Original scholarly article