Ontology of Cryptocollectibles is about the digital & reproductive nature of assets like Cryptokitties and Cryptopunks. It questions the current economical fuel and psychological ownership behind collecting these assets (aka non-fungible digital tokens) in our society using Cryptocurrency. This work uses custom software and reproduction techniques to create another creative abstraction on top of these digital assets to create a post-cryptocollectible art work. The visual imagery reveals the reproductive ontology of these assets by slowly removing subsections of an asset, layered with its own reproductive version and creating a never-ending loop of revealings over time. Today, we are amidst a Blockchain revolution, where provenance is being proven the pinnacle for digital art. With digital platforms like Cryptokitties and rare assets like Cryptopunks, we have identified an age-long human fetishism to collect artifacts and claim ownership through a digital token. This has created a wave of active developments and innovations in the space of Art and Blockchain, which looks promising for visual artists in this modern age of internet. All it could take is a digital token, securely stored in an e-wallet to own a rare piece of art. This work was developed and exhibited as part of the Ethereal Summit in New York on May 11-12, 2018 where I was invited as a visiting artist to explore the realm of Art and Blockchain.
