The Interview I Art Collector NIFTYNAUT
As we step into a new year, we continue the ongoing series of interviews with some of the most fascinating voices in the digital art space. Kate Vass is excited to kick off with the first of this year's interview with collector NiftyNaut.
NiftyNaut’s collection spans historical milestones like CryptoPunks and Autoglyphs, as well as emerging projects and experimental works that challenge traditional definitions of art. What sets NiftyNaut apart is a thoughtful approach to collecting—one that prioritizes storytelling, innovation, and a deep connection to the artist's journey over hype or market trends.
As Charles Saatchi once said, "The role of the artist is to ask questions, not answer them, and the role of the collector is to ensure those questions continue to be asked." Visionaries like NiftyNaut play a crucial role in supporting emerging movements and amplifying the voices of digital creators, ensuring the space continues to evolve and inspire.
In our conversation, we dive into what makes a piece culturally significant, the evolving role of NFTs in art history, and his vision for redefining how digital art is experienced. Whether you're an art collector, creator, or curious observer, this dialogue offers a rare glimpse into the mind of someone shaping the future of art in the digital age.
Larva Labs, CryptoPunk #2460, 2017
KV: What was the first digital art piece you collected, and why did it resonate with you?
NN: It was CryptoPunks. When I stumbled across them I thought it was different - I am one of the 267 wallets that actually claimed them. I recognised it as something pioneering as you could suddenly proof ownership of digital items. That was a game changer for me and I went down the rabbit hole.
Larva Labs, Autoglyph #173, 2019
KV: Your collection includes notable works like CryptoPunks and Autoglyphs. What draws you to these iconic series, and what role do you think they play in art history?
NN: Two angles that really interest me: what constitutes art in our digital(-native) world and the technical nerdy nitty gritty parts to make digital art. I’m captivated by how Punks challenge our traditional notions of art. Those 24x24 pixels combine simplicity and cultural impact and became symbols of digital identity. They are basically reducing art to its essential digital elements. From a tech POV it is the pioneering, kicking-the-can kind of stuff I appreciate. Punks pushed the enveloped and introduced verifiable digital scarcity with a simple original implementation that ended up inspiring the entire NFT / tokenisation-of-everything movement. What makes Autoglyphs remarkable is that they were the first project to generate and store their art entirely on-chain. Simply put: LarvaLabs created with Punks and Glyphs something aesthetically and technically meaningful that met community adaptation and let to subsequent innovations.
Larva Labs, CryptoPunk #3288, 2017
KV: Are there any lesser-known artists or collections in the NFT space that you’re particularly passionate about?
NN: Two in particular: MCSK (@mcsikic) and Material Protocol Arts (@material_work). MCSK is such a versatile artist who is exploring the concept of time in his works. He is incredibly talented, loves tinkering and is using different media and tools. I started my own art residency with hon.art, with him as the first artist in 2024, and he just created those incredible sculptures to display digital art. Material Protocol is a studio that is pushing the boundaries with 'Cycles’. Their project uses the blockchain as its canvas, it is interactive and creates an evolving digital sculpture that records its own history and changes over time. Both MCSK and Material Protocol experiment with and explore the concepts I am interested in.
MCSK, Gameboy, 2024
KV: How do you stay ahead of trends in the rapidly evolving NFT and digital art space?
NN: I don't. It was manageable when the space was smaller and 'NFT' was synonymous with digital art. But now NFTs have become an umbrella term, with platforms popping up everywhere tokenizing everything - it's impossible to stay ahead, and I don't try to. Instead, I move at my own pace, exploring things I like and what friends share with me. Stepping back from the constant rush helps me focus on the bigger picture and avoid the fallacy that you always need to be first. Besides, most trends end up being overhyped and overpriced anyway.
Pxlq1, Dynamic Slices #488, 2022
KV: What’s your approach to evaluating the long-term cultural or financial value of a piece?
NN: I am really bad in evaluating the future value of a piece. I collect them because I like them. In my experience the things that aggregate value over time are the ones that don’t live on hype or utility as both will eventually fade. Take Punks as an example, it took some years before they moved to where they are. In my experience, innovative ideas are normally not necessarily understood in the beginning and it takes time to being adopted by a broader audience.
Ivona Tau, The cycle of night (lat. Nocte Cursus), 2021
KV: What personal philosophy guides your collection? Are you focused on investment, curation, or storytelling?
NN: While I was driven during the art blocks peaks from a gaming / competitive pov -I need to have a full curated set- I am nowadays somewhere between curation and storytelling. Curation in a sense of what pieces do I want to have in my wallet or what I want to share for an exhibition, what would spark a conversation with people that are not in this space and how could this piece convince them to explore digital art. And storytelling from a pov of the artist. I am quick in judging, and sometimes I judge pieces / artist absolutely utterly wrong because I don’t understand their journey or their message. So it takes sometimes a second or third look for me and some talks with family / friends / artists / others to truly understand what is behind a piece. And if I get hooked on a story I want that piece.
John Orion Young , Franny, 2021
KV: Do you see your collection as a legacy project? If so, what story would you like it to tell about this era?
NN: My collection turned into an attempt to tell the story of what fascinated me most about this era: the intersection of what constitutes art in our digital world and the technical innovation behind it. I'm drawn to works that challenged traditional notions of art - whether it's CryptoPunks showing how 24x24 pixels could become cultural symbols, or artists pushing the boundaries of generative on-chain art. Looking at my collection, I see pieces that forced me to rethink the very essence of digital art and its technical foundations. I hope future viewers will not just see individual pieces, but understand this fundamental shift in how we thought about art, ownership, and digital expression.
Kim Asendorf, Cargo #588, 2023
KV: How does hon.art redefine the traditional museum experience, and what aspects of Johannes Cladders' anti-museum philosophy were most influential in shaping this digital space?
NN: hon.art is the spectre of all unfinished ideas I had, that turned into this evolving digital collection and hub. I came across Cladders during some philosophical rabbit hole I went down regarding how to present and display digital art. His anti-museum philosophy just resonated with me: he rejected traditional museum conventions and he was viewing museums as living spaces for dialogue rather than static repositories. I'm still at the beginning with HON but I envision a translation of these principles into the digital age. I want to exploring algorithmic curation to create unexpected juxtapositions, build interactive archives that preserve both artworks and their context, and enable artist collaborations and a residence- something I did a first trial of in 2024. I envision simple systems for visitor-curated exhibitions and ways to show the evolution of digital artworks over time. The core principle remains true to Cladders: art shouldn't be locked in ivory towers - whether physical or digital - but should be an active part of social dialogue and everyday life. In an era of declining trust in traditional media, art remains one of our most powerful tools for confronting and exploring societal issues. Most importantly, institutions should serve art and people, not the other way around. This principle guides how we should approach both physical and digital art spaces today.
Jonathan Chomko, Natural Static #114, 2023
KV: The idea of a boundary-less, ever-evolving space is ambitious. How do you manage the tension between technological constraints and the goal of seamless accessibility for a global audience?
NN: Ha yes - something I am debating with myself ever since. I would argue that actually more people have access to technology than to a museum. I think the comparison though, shouldn’t be between universal access and limited access, but between different types of limited access, where digital actually provides broader reach. I mean digital distribution has loads of advantages like time flexibility (24/7, no queues), cost efficiency (mostly free, no travel costs, constant access and repeatedly), cultural accessibility (no language barrier), geographic reach. In my opinion, the answer lies not in trying to ensure universal individual access, but in creating new forms of collective engagement. Rethinking what we mean by "digital art" - perhaps it's not just about creating works that exist purely in digital space, but about using digital tools to create experiences that can exist meaningfully across different levels of technological access.
Harm van den Dorpel, Shasette, 2021
KV: What role do you see technology playing in making art an integral part of daily life, and how does hon.art act as a bridge between art and everyday experiences?
NN: Let me flip this question on its head for a moment. Rather than asking how technology can make art more integral to daily life, perhaps we should ask how art can make our increasingly technological daily life more human. Look, we're living in this fascinating paradox where technology has made art more accessible than ever - you can literally swipe through any museum during your morning coffee - yet somehow, our relationship with art has become more passive, more consumptive, more Instagram-friendly. Writing this, I think it shouldn’t be about bridging art and everyday experiences - it should be about disrupting the notion that art needs a bridge at all. Technology should be breaking down the white cube mentality, not just creating a digital version of it. Think about it: We're carrying supercomputers in our pockets that can render anything imaginable, yet we're still stuck in this mindset of art as something that happens 'over there,' in galleries or museums. The truth is, if we're doing this right, the line between art and everyday experience should become blurred.
Steve Pikelny, Dopamine Machines #270, 2023
KV: Looking back, is there a specific piece or moment in your collecting journey that stands out as particularly meaningful?
NN: While claiming Punks was the start, I think the most meaningful shift happened slowly over time. I went in with this completionist / rarity mindset and evolved into something deeper. I started spending more time understanding artists' journeys and messages, having conversations with friends and family about the pieces. That's when collecting became less about having and more about understanding.
Xcopy, ICXN #186, 2024
KV: What advice would you give to someone just starting their digital art collection?
NN: Buy what you like, not what others tell you.
MCSK, REframe _ III, 2024
KV: If you could add any one piece to your collection—regardless of cost or availability—what would it be and why?
NN: A piece I have seen at the cavernous exhibition halls of Amos Rex in Finland by Japanese composer and artist Ryoji Ikeda. It was an audiovisual installation on a 5x10m screen called data-verse and it was just stunning.
Ryoji Ikeda, data-verse 2, 2019
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*The responses provided in this interview have been preserved in their original form, with no alterations to the interviewee's stylistic choices or grammar. - Kate Vass
Niftynaut on X: @niftynaut
Hon.art collection link: https://hon.art/