robert montgomery's first NFT collection critiques the digital world

artist robert montgomery’s first NFT critiques the pervasiveness of the digital world

after recently wowing the world with his solar-powered political billboard at COP26, acclaimed british contemporary artist robert montgomery has entered the NFT arena with his signature text-based work, a blade runner-esque manifesto damning the evils of the digital world. the work was released by new pavilion, a consulting agency collaborating with some of the world’s most celebrated artists’ estates, contemporary creators, arts foundations, and cultural institutions

all images © robert montgomery

the series of 100 NFT artworks are GIFs distilled from the artist’s video manifesto ‘you are an agent of free sunlight’, currently on view at danysz gallery paris. critiquing the very medium the work is hosted on, montgomery (see works here) explores the existential sphere of the digital world. specifically, he looks at how digital communication and devices have become the managers of our time and how tracks of our biographies are now reflected back at us within advertising media. by doing so, he ultimately questions the fate of our intellectual and emotional freedoms, as well as our connection to the natural world.

the invasive pull of smartphones, and our discord with the natural world today

specifically, the NFT references our reliance on smartphones. ‘like a witch’s cat, it is your primary familiar, a little illuminated window with fire from the inside, and a little box of ghosts, exactly tailored for you,‘ states montgomery. defining our reality, this digital space can analyze and track humanity, more invasive than any time in our history. the artist also notes our resistance to any barriers to our screens — how the digital world works to discord with nature. in his words, ‘you are annoyed when the sunlight kills it.’

looking at the sequence of GIFs, prose seems to spiral, zigzag, crash and disintegrate into the darkness. and in the poetic final sentences, the artist invites viewers to leave their screens and ultimately realize the natural world’s magic. robert montgomery’s work released by new pavilion joins an acclaimed group of artists producing one-of-a-kind exclusive NFT artworks hosted on knownorigin.io releasing january 28, 2022, at 8 pm UTC, and will be available for purchase.