Critical theory for crypto art: Exploring the impact of non-fungible tokens on the commodification of art in the digital age.

The article examines non-fungible token (NFT) art as the ultimate form of commodification within capitalism, proposing it as a potentially ideal art form for the capitalist system. It employs an interdisciplinary theoretical framework combining critical theory, new materialism, and object-oriented ontology (OOO) to analyze NFTs' emergence, materiality, and socio-economic impact. Critical theory highlights how NFTs reinforce capitalist ideologies by transforming digital art into commodified assets emphasizing ownership, exclusivity, and financial speculation. New materialism foregrounds the entanglement of human and non-human actors and the material-discursive nature of NFTs, while OOO conceptualizes NFTs as autonomous "cryptographic objects" with withdrawn essences beyond human perception. The study concludes that NFTs reveal complex tensions in digital capitalism by simultaneously embodying art, technology, and finance, challenging traditional notions of value, authenticity, and objecthood without offering straightforward political subversion.