As early as 1958, in his exhibition “Le Vide” (The Void) at the Iris Clert gallery, Yves Klein was already rethinking the definition of the work of art by introducing the concept of virtuality. Artists have always seized upon new technologies: from Leonardo da Vinci to Nam June Paik, Tomás Saraceno, Manfred Mohr and James Turrell, art, science and technology interlock and merge.

Videos, photographs, generative or interactive works using AI, augmented or virtual reality: these digital works occupy a growing place in the contemporary art market and can be acquired in fiat currency or cryptocurrency. Depending on the method of purchase, certificates of authenticity and backups are provided on a USB key, on paper or on the blockchain for NFTs.

Artists: Louis-Paul Caron, Nikolas Chasser Skilbeck, Chun Hua Catherine Dong, Thomas Israel, Eduardo Kac, Anne-Sarah Le Meur, Lauren Moffat, Manfred Mohr, Kika Nicolela, Quayola, Sabrina Ratté, Nicolas Sassoon, Antoine Schmitt, Eric Vernhes.

Art is a “laboratory” in which, starting from a few splinters of reality, the contours of the “not-yet” are imagined and shaped, said Ernst Bloch (1885–1977).