matt kane

Matt Kane is a pioneer in a new kind of art: nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, that entail technical programming on the back end. This sort of art can change depending on a variety of elements, including time and asset prices. One of Kane's pieces, "Right Place & Right Time," changes appearance depending on the value of Bitcoin at any particular time.

Kane states in his bio, "I develop paintings layer by layer, choosing design choices based on how the algorithms I've written should interact." The artist, who is from Chicago, says he developed his skills via years of traditional painting. He also dabbled in the world of computer programming.

"I communicate in colour and pattern in ways I've known for a long time but that my hand and materials can't physically manifest with traditional means," he adds. "I'd like to use code to investigate historical aesthetics; to do with geometry what great painters did with oils."

Kane said he created the Volatility.art smart contract (where you can track "Right Place & Right Time") on Bitcoin's birthday, Jan. 3, and that he'll start selling the 210 NFTs that go with the artwork in February.

Kane promises to make further use of the synergies he finds between art and technology as the limitations of what is feasible align with his own artistic vision.