NFTs’ role in the preservation and reinterpretation of art

Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of crypto.news editorial.

In recent years, non-fungible tokens have sparked a lively debate in both the art world and broader cultural debates. From their role in high-value digital art sales to their perceived association with speculative bubbles, NFTs are often viewed through a polarized lens.

But beneath these rumors and debates lies a transformative technology that is revolutionizing the way we preserve, authenticate, and engage with art and culture. NFTs provide a tamper-proof ledger that ensures trust, transparency, and preservation of cultural heritage—key ingredients for understanding the true value of art.

The importance of originality and origin

Originality is the cornerstone of art appreciation. For example, a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci might sell for hundreds of millions of dollars, while a copy from his contemporary might drop in price by more than 99%. However, today, reproduction of the original would not be considered art in the same way. This sharp difference in value lies in the originality of the work.

While perhaps less familiar to those outside the art world, provenance is equally important. It refers to the documented history of a work of art and traces its journey from its creation through its various owners to its current state. When a work of art’s provenance includes famous collectors or dealers, this confirms the artwork’s authenticity and further enhances its value by adding historical context and significance.

Traditionally, authenticity and provenance were based on physical records, such as catalogues, inventories, or certificates, all of which were susceptible to loss, damage, or manipulation. These gaps in historical documents can make it difficult to assess the true value of a work. NFTs provide a solution by creating immutable records, ensuring the protection of critical information, and providing a transparent and secure way to track provenance.

Tokenization: A new path for art?

Despite the potential of NFTs in documentation and preservation, many traditional methods of publishing, digitization, archiving, and database management are still in place. Art and culture experts have yet to feel the need to integrate NFTs into these established applications.

However, today the most common and concrete application of NFTs in the art world is tokenization. This involves creating digital versions of artworks certified by reputable institutions. For example, in 2021, the British Museum released more than 200 NFTs of 19th-century drawings by Japanese artist Hokusai, and the Belvedere Museum in Vienna turned Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss into 10,000 NFTs the following year.

Such initiatives offer the public an innovative way to interact with cultural treasures. Instead of purchasing a postcard or souvenir at the end of a museum visit, visitors will now be able to purchase a piece of digital history that connects them with iconic works of art. This not only encourages deeper connections with cultural works, but also helps fund the preservation and preservation of physical works of art through proceeds from the sale of these digital versions.

Private collectors have also embraced tokenization, often with investment objectives in mind, offering partial ownership of artworks through NFTs as digital proof of shares. However, this approach raises fundamental questions about the relationship between the physical artwork and its digital counterpart. For example, if you own an NFT share of a work of art, what rights does that provide? Can you display the work physically or digitally? When will the market infrastructure mature enough to effectively support the trading of these digital stocks? Even with museum-led initiatives, how does the value and significance of an NFT compare to a freely accessible high-resolution photo of the artwork? These questions directly impact the perceived value and liquidity of such NFTs, whether treated as digital derivatives or as representations of tangible ownership.

While tokenization offers many benefits in terms of education, engagement, and awareness-raising, digital representations of art will likely remain secondary to physical originals. In the long term, the true value of art lies in its physical existence, and preservation efforts should continue to focus on ensuring the material integrity of cultural works. Museums, collectors, and cultural institutions will need to invest in the preservation and preservation of these objects in controlled environments using a range of technologies beyond NFTs.

NFTs: The future of cultural preservation and reinterpretation

So, what is the best practice for NFTs in preserving historic art and culture? Works of art are manifestations of human creativity and cultural identity, and their preservation can follow two complementary paths. One is to preserve the physical artifacts created by those who came before us, ensuring they remain intact and accessible for future generations. The other way is to capture the essence of these works, reinterpret them with innovative methods by blending creativity with technology, and carry art and culture into the future.

NFTs present a unique opportunity to connect these two paths. It not only documents and digitizes historical artifacts, but also allows artists to reimagine cultural heritage in new ways. By leveraging technology, we ensure that the stories of our past resonate with audiences of the future.

An example of NFTs being used meaningfully and respectfully for cultural preservation is Refik Anadol’s collaboration with the Yawanawa people of Brazil; This collaboration consists of a central video artwork and a collection of 1,000 unique and dynamically evolving NFT data tables. The Winds of Yawanawá project blends artwork created by local people, Amazon rainforest data, artificial intelligence technology, and immersive digital displays to create a data-driven art experience. This project not only celebrates Indigenous heritage, but also raises awareness of the ecological importance of the Amazon and raises funds to support both cultural and environmental conservation.

Such projects set a precedent for how NFTs can be used not just as static tokens of ownership but also as dynamic platforms for storytelling, advocacy, and cultural preservation. Combining traditional art forms with environmental and technological data, NFTs can create immersive, educational experiences that amplify Indigenous voices and foster cultural pride.

We embrace the future of art and culture

For now, those who benefit most from NFT technology are contemporary artists. NFTs can document provenance and verify authenticity from the moment of creation, providing future collectors with confidence in the artwork’s origins. Moreover, NFTs can also serve as comprehensive digital archives that capture details about sponsors, mintages, exhibition histories, and transparent pricing.

We must not forget that we are constantly creating history. Today’s art will be tomorrow’s “ancient art”. Culture is a continuum, and our relationship with time and its impact on art is inherently variable. By embracing NFTs, we ensure that today’s artistic narratives are preserved for future generations.

I believe everything starts in the mind. As humans, we generate ideas, transform them into physical objects, and assign meanings and interpretations to them. In today’s digital age, we increasingly value intangible assets such as digital experiences and virtual spaces. Instead of digitally replicating physical objects, we must continue to leverage our creativity to create new forms and experiences that will define the future. This is how art and culture evolve, adapting to the times while preserving the essence of human expression.

Guoying Stacy Zhang

Guoying Stacy Zhang is an arts consultant who founded Buddhaland, a pioneering community that blends art, spirituality, and technology to empower humanity. With over a decade of experience in this field, he has worked extensively with arts and religious institutions. Since 2016, his column in Buddhistkapı Global has been sharing authentic Buddhist teachings and rare art objects with the public by interviewing religious masters, academics, artists and private collectors. Stacy served as assistant curator at Tsz Shan Monastery and assisted Po Lin Monastery in research on the preservation of the Great Buddha statue in Hong Kong. His work on both projects has been published in Arts of Asia. As a Robert HN Ho Family Foundation fellow, Stacy studied art history and Buddhist art at the School of Oriental and African Studies and the Courtauld Institute of Art.