Matt Kane is a leader in a new wave of art: masterpieces that involve technical programming on the back end and can be built as nonfungible tokens, or NFTs. This type of art can transform based on an array of factors, such as time or asset prices. “Right Place & Right Time,” one of Kane’s pieces, looks different at any given moment based on the value of Bitcoin.

Kane burst into the spotlight of the crypto scene in 2020 when he used the Async Art platform to put “Right Place & Right Time” on the blockchain. In September, someone paid a record $100,000 for the NFT master version of the art piece. Down the road, 210 separate NFTs will subsequently spawn from the master copy, formed according to art changes in line with Bitcoin’s price fluctuations.

Kane has produced many other minted NFTs, including one from August titled “Nocturne Blue and Gold After Whistler.” He also minted a number of others throughout the year, including “Excessive Force (Cat Devouring a Bird after Pablo Picasso)” in July and “First” in June.

NFTs gained popularity in 2020, following in the footsteps of the decentralized finance boom. December 2020 was a record-breaking month for NFT art sales, a sign that the industry is slowly creeping into the mainstream. Kane explained that he launched the smart contract for Volatility.art (where you can track “Right Place & Right Time”) on Jan. 3, Bitcoin's birthday, and that he will begin releasing the 210 NFTs that go with the piece for public sale in February.

Volatility.art is the first smart contract on Blank Network.

Kane promises that as the limits of what is possible sync up with his own creative vision, he’ll also be making further use of the synergies he sees between art and technology.

Last update on 10-03-2023

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