State of Digital Art 2025: What about NFTS, Ki-Kunst & Web3 in the art world

In the past few days and weeks, the reports in the media have overturned again when it came to digital art and dealing with new technologies in the art world. While it had calmed down around cryptocunism and NFTS, the Metropolitan Museum of Art a remarkable blockchain game. Art links invite players to identify similarities and interesting connections between works of art from the MET collection.

At the renowned auction house of Christie, an auction took place for the first time, which is based exclusively on works created by artificial intelligence. Around 20 AI works were auctioned in New York as part of a world premiere. The auction had the title "Augmented Intelligence" and focused exclusively on this form of AI art.

Artists from all over the world are vehemently protesting this auction because they see their existence acute. Above all, they recognize a renewed dam break towards the normalization of an art trade that is free of human creativity.

In the course of this, the dead art, which in the Digital Art Arena, again gets breeding ground for a possible revival. If we classify the events and let industry experts have their say.

The Met Goes Web3

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has launched an innovative, web3-based game that invites players to discover connections between over 140 works of works of the collection . TRLAB platform, this mobile, browser-based game enables players to collect NFT badges and gain personal and digital rewards.

The game started on January 23, 2025 and has since offered weekly challenges over a period of 12 weeks. Participants deserve points through finding art -based “chains” and have the chance of prices such as museum exhibition catalogs and exclusive guided tours.

"Art left" is available on the MET website at Artlink.Metmuseum.org .

This online game is an exciting premiere for The Met and a unique experience in the museum area ”,

Max Hollein and Marina Kellen , French Director and Chief Executive Officer des Met in a press release * .

By bringing together works of art from collections throughout the museum - from modern and contemporary art to Asian to Egyptian art - players can expand their commitment and understanding of culture and creativity in an entertaining and captivating way. Art on the left is an example of how The Met continues to combine the audience with ideas and with each other and at the same time research new technologies. ”

Audrey OU , co -founder and CEO of TRLAB, added:

As a company at the top of art and technology, we strive to offer the audience new opportunities to discover art and culture, to engage them and to immerse themselves in them. The partnership with The Met at his first web3 experience mirrors T resembles our conviction that the future of art lies in the deepening of the connections between creators, collectors and fans. We combine digital innovation with an artistic expression to create really transformative experiences. ”

The Met is one of the leading museums in the world to do justice to its pioneering role and is likely to inspire other players in the art scene. The topic of web3 hereby experiences an attention boost and is likely to appear on the agenda in one or the other museum director in the near future.

NFT art in 2025: Is the hype finally over or is he experiencing a rapid revival?

The acronym NFT (short for non -fun token), once a terminology that was only understood in the circles of cryptocurrencies, has developed into a familiar term. In 2021, the NFF art market experienced a huge upswing that was considered unthinkable a few years ago. Reports of digital works of art that were sold for millions of amounts caused a sensation and attracted both experienced collectors and interested newcomers.

But the initial enthusiasm inevitably began to lose weight. While we completed the first few weeks in the new year 2025, an essential question arises: Was the boom in the NFT art area a temporary hype or just the prelude to a fundamental change in the way in which art is created, collected and valued?

Recap: Where were the beginnings of NFT development

Digital goods that are listed on a blockchain and offer the proof of property or authenticity for a specific object, such as a completely digital art form, are not fungible tokens (NFTS). The invention of the NFTS is decreasing to 2014, but they only received significant attention at 2017, followed by an enormous increase in 2019.

In contrast to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum , which are interchangeable or "fungeable", NFTS are characterized by their uniqueness and cannot be replaced by an identical object. Every NFT contains metadata that stands out from other tokens. This makes him ideal for confirming digital property, origin and rarity and thus positions it as an essential part of the market for digital art and collector's pieces.

In the following video, Cai director Julien Delagrange * digital art, NFTS and its importance for the art world summarizes and clarifies three elementary questions in this context:

Julien Delagrange, born in Belgium in 1994, is an art historian, contemporary artist and director of the CAI and the Cai Gallery. With experience from the Center for Fine Arts (Bozar) in Brussels, the Jan-Cerruysse Foundation and the Gent University Library, he combines art historical analysis with creative practice in his work. His works and art reviews research contemporary art and striving for innovative perspectives in the art scene.

NFT market shows mixed picture

If you look at the current situation of the NFT art market , especially in the United States, a multi-layered picture is shown. The stormy heights of 2021 have passed and were replaced by a more mature, although fluctuating landscape at a lower level. The total volume of the NFT sales has fallen undeniably. Many projects that were launched during the highlight have been forgotten, so that investors now keep derogatory assets. However, this does not necessarily mean the end. Rather, it indicates a natural adaptation and a phase of necessary further development.

The following three charts from Coinmarketcap, the most frequently referenced website for price tracking for cryptoassets, indicate consolidation and even slight recovery on the NFT market:

As we see, the NFT sector reached its peak in May 2022 with an impressive market capitalization of $ 414 billion, is currently $ 35 billion and has been an $ 18 billion since June. The sales volume has also increased since then and reached a weekly total sales of $ 187 million in December 2024. Although these figures indicate that the market is far from its climax, there is still indications of resilience and adaptation.

Digital currencies continue to be a practical means to digitally store assets and quickly enable transactions. There are numerous, established crypto bonds, wallets and platforms for the uncomplicated exchange of (crypto) currencies-such as SOL/USDT . This creates a solid basis for NFTs and digital products based on the blockchain or crypto values.

challenges

One of the largest hurdles that the NFT art market stands is the challenge of counteracting the widespread view that this is only a speculative investment. The initial boom was at least partially due to the promise of quick yields. This led to an increase in inferior projects that benefited from this trend and ultimately impaired the reputation of the market.

Cases , market manipulations and Wash trading have continued to shake trust and put on potential buyers. Nevertheless, this adjustment process has also opened new options. Sorting out of weaker projects comes to light authentic artistic talent and innovative applications.

The market is becoming increasingly demanding and expects more than just visually appealing works. Collectors now value usefulness, community engagement and especially demonstrable authenticity.

Another important obstacle is accessibility . For beginners, it can be a challenge to find your way around in the complex network of blockchain technology, to understand the transaction fees and to safely manage digital wallets. Overcoming this technological barrier is crucial for the expansion of the NFT art market beyond its current, relatively limited audience.

Technological innovations ensure further development of the NFT market

the Oax Foundation * the development of NFTS points out unused potential , the aim of which it is to offer a holistic view of the digital-asset industry The organization leads a number of technological developments as evidence that illustrate the growing refinement of the NFT sector last year:

1. Digitally Linked Assets (DLAS) combine physical products with digital experiences through the blockchain and thus expand the concept of NFTS. They not only offer evidence of authenticity for products, but also exclusive premiums and access to virtual experiences, which strengthens customer loyalty and interaction. Due to its programmability and transparency, DLAS transform static digital art into an essential part of product ownership and promote brand engagement in a new way.
2. NFTX revolutionizes the NFT market by fighting illiquidity through fungal tokens (vtokens) that represent NFTs. This introduction of fungability enables a easier and more accessible trade experience and increases market efficiency. NFT owners can release liquidity without having to sell their assets directly, which attracts new participants and lowers the entrance barriers. Overall, NFTX creates more dynamic and more flexible markets for NFTs.
3. Bitcoin registration numbers enable the creation of unique digital assets directly on the Bitcoin blockchain by integrating data into individual Satoshis. This innovation attracted developers and users who were previously focused on Ethereum-based NFTS, and thus diversifies the NFT landscape. In addition, Ordinals have a new method for the tokenization of assets, which increases bitcoins versatility and increases the demand for blockplace - a decisive factor for the long -term sustainability of the network. Despite the discussions about possible block overloading, Ordinales open up creative perspectives for Bitcoin and enrich the entire NFT market.

The question of whether NFTs can achieve a new record level, Yat Siu , chairman of Animoca Brands, answers optimistic. He compares NFTS with the possession of a picasso. Although the current market is experiencing challenges, it sees them as part of a natural growth cycle. The future of the NFTS lies in its development to status symbols and useful tools, which could even exceed the highlight of 2021.

However, the expert is decisive for her further success, however, clarifying basic questions such as license fees, scalability and public trust. The NFT market matures, while speculation is increasingly being replaced by benefit ratings, which creates a clearer basis for evaluating the long-term potential of projects and helps the market participants to better assess opportunities and risks.

Critical factors for long -term market success

The long-term success of NFT art is closely linked to its ability to use blockchain technology In addition to the simple verification of property, the blockchain artists enable incomparable control over their works as well as innovative ways to monetization.

The unchangeable nature of the blockchain ensures the authenticity and origin of digital works of art. This is particularly important at a time when digital copies can be reproduced effortlessly, which gives collectors trust and the artists protect against injuries to their copyrights.

Through intelligent contracts (so -called smart contracts), artists have the opportunity license fees into their NFTs, which ensures that they receive a share of future sales. This creates a permanent source of income that benefits the artists and offers incentives for the production of high -quality work.

NFTs can be divided into parts so that several people can become co -owners of a single work of art at the same time. This opens the art market for a broader investor base and makes valuable pieces more easily accessible.

NFTs can be designed in such a way that they develop over time, react to external data or even integrate generative elements . This gives artists the opportunity to create dynamic and interactive experiences that blur the boundaries between art, technology and performance.

NFT artists take new ways

Despite the fluctuations on the market, a dynamic community of NFT artists in the United States continues their efforts to redefine the limits of digital art. These creative people are not limited to simply reproducing traditional art forms in digital form; You actively explore the unique opportunities that are opened by blockchain technology.

Artists such as Refik Anadol are pioneers when using artificial intelligence and data to create impressive generative works of art that react to real conditions.

BEEPLE , known for having sold his NFT "Everydays: The First 5000 Days" for $ 69 million, continues to produce visually captivating and thought-out digital art, which appeals to the viewer at different levels.

Artists like Fewicious use NFTs to create living online communities, promote cooperation and offer collectors the opportunity to actively participate in the creative process.

Artists like Xcopy create visually impressive and conceptually profound digital works that challenge conventional ideas of beauty and value. Together with many others, these artists not only contribute to art production; They design a new artistic ecosystem that is decentralized, transparent and accessible to everyone.

What's next? A outlook

In 2025, the NFT art market will be shaped by several crucial trends. The institutional acceptance of NFTS will increase , since traditional art institutions are increasingly entering digital space and thus promoting the legitimation of this art form (see Art Links of The Met).

User -oriented NFTs will gain in importance by offering tangible advantages such as exclusive access and memberships. Integration with the meta verse opens up new opportunities for the trade of digital assets in immersive environments. In addition, the focus will grow on sustainability by developing environmentally friendly solutions in blockchain technology, which increases the attractiveness for environmentally conscious collectors.

The blurring between physical and digital art invites you to creative collaborations and creates hybrid works that combine both worlds. Despite past volatility, the potential of the NFT market remains fascinating; A greater maturity and stronger networking with the traditional art world are expected.

Artists and collectors who rely on quality and community and use the possibilities of the blockchain become part of a new artistic movement that democratizes the creative expression repertoire.

The hype may be mapped, but the potential for use may only be at the beginning of its development. ”

Arrived AI art in the art trade-what does the Christie's auction mean for the future of the art industry

What would we have arrived at the third large topic about digital art: Is AI art still art? And what does this development mean for artists made of flesh and blood?

While a group of artists runs loudly storm and in an urgent open letter demanded the immediate cancellation of the planned auction, the auction house, on the other hand, is unimpressed and rather recognizes the opportunity to open up a new business area in this situation. These different perspectives impressively illustrate the tension between artistic ideals and commercial interests .

The artists who have come together feel threatened in their work; You see the impending auction as a form of exploiting your creative work. In your letter, you appeal to the auction house of taking responsibility and questioning the practices of the art market, which often put the dignity of art and its creators into the background. Her voice is full of concern for the future of the art scene.

On the other hand, the auction house interprets this situation as an opportunity to potentially win new customers and to develop innovative business models. Instead of taking the artist's appeal seriously and opening possible dialogues about the ethical dimensions of the art trade, it focuses on how to expand its portfolio and increase the income.

This attitude could be considered short -sighted, since it may not recognize that long -term success is based on trust and respect within the art community. ”

It is a multifaceted conflict that not only affects the interests of artists and auction houses, but also raises basic questions about the value of creativity and the importance of artistic statements in an increasingly commercialized world.

The art historian Henrik Hanstein , who acts as the spokesman for the association of European auctioners, expressed himself to the artists' concerns about WDR

Who is the artist here now? ",

The managing director of the Cologne auction house Lempertz questioned.

And who owns copyright? The computer, the programmer or the artist whose data used the AI? We are all puzzled here ”,

the recognized expert for the art market expresses in conversation with the WDR .

The artists will of course sacrifice in this matter ”,

Hanstein warns.

Many need a whole life to work out a name. "

Nevertheless, the artists have always received new technological opportunities with enthusiasm.

Karin Lingl from the Kunstfonds Foundation already expressed concerns about the effects of AI generated art on the market in the summer of 2024. Many artists fear that this technology could devalue the art, which is why 85 percent demand mandatory labeling of such works.

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.

www. kunstplaza .de/