In this episode, Mat Dryhurst joins us to discuss how digital art has evolved over the past decade and where it's heading next. We talk about blockchain, NFTs, AI, and the idea of protocol art - works that are defined less by a single image or object than by the rules, systems, and networks that produce them. Along the way, we discuss collecting, curation, online communities, software as an artistic medium, and why some of the most important developments in contemporary art are happening outside traditional institutions. Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 00:33 – Why blockchain matters for digital art 01:43 – NFTs, provenance, and authenticity 02:43 – Digital art beyond traditional formats, including PFP projects 03:32 – Communities, experimentation, and the crypto art scene 04:37 – Artists emerging from the NFT ecosystem 05:14 – Rhea Myers, 113, and early pioneers 06:09 – Collecting on-chain artworks 06:56 – Collectors, criticism, and community 07:17 – Lorandam and writing about digital art 08:16 – Social media and how digital art spreads online 08:55 – The changing relationship between artists and collectors 09:22 – Curating protocol art in Venice 09:47 – What is protocol art? 10:36 – Software as an artistic medium 11:12 – Rules, systems, and emergence 12:07 – What's next for protocol art 13:06 – AI, NFTs, and deploying software as art 14:06 – The immaterial nature of protocol-based work 15:36 – The Protocol Institute 16:27 – Science, technology, and contemporary art 17:27 – Digital art and traditional institutions 17:55 – Art as a way of thinking through technology 18:12 – Why niche communities matter 19:00 – Closing thoughts Connect with Matt Dryhurst: Twitterinstagram
