June Saw a Number of Artistic Representations of Cryptocurrency Make Headlines

A Hong Kong art collector is also reported to have used bitcoin to purchase a painting recently. In late June, Romanian artist Stefania Nistoreanu sold the painting for two bitcoins, which at the time equated to roughly $4,500 USD. The painting, titled ‘Cryptsy’, is an oil and gold leaf on canvas piece that the artist says incorporates mathematical elements derived from cryptocurrency, and was listed alongside another of Nistoreanu’s works on Bitpremier.

Bitcoin's Presence in the Art Industries Is Growing

June saw a number of artistic representations of cryptocurrency make headlines, with Los Angeles-based artist Matthias Dorfelt’s ‘Block Bills’ also enjoying coverage from both arts and cryptocurrency media outlets. Block Bills comprises a visual depiction of 64 randomly chosen blocks from the bitcoin blockchain.

Mexican artist, Antonio Vega Macotela, has also recently explored cryptocurrency through art, with his installation ‘Mill of Blood‘ currently being hosted at Germany’s largest art fair, Documenta 14. Reuters reports that Mill of Blood seeks to examine “the global economy and humanity”, and encourages audience members to “push a wheel on the ‘Mill of Blood’ that produces a metallic coin and a digital bitcoin.” Macotela has described the piece as being “reminiscent of mills used in Mexico and Bolivia to mint coins, using the labor of animals and slaves.”

What do you think of artists’ attempts to represent cryptocurrency? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!