MOMA’s newest NFT exhibit proves that you can’t even give away NFTs for free

The Gund Lobby at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City was packed. A few chairs and sofas provided living space while a crowd sat mesmerized by Refik Anadol’s latest work, Without supervision.

A massive projection of moving lines, waves and shapes generated in real time, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented with data from the exhibition hall itself (such as the volume level of guests), it is very impressive. The video projection’s AI component is trained on hundreds of works from MOMA’s collection.¹ What most visitors to the prestigious museum didn’t realize, however, was that one floor up from the display was a QR code that would allow them to claim a souvenir of the event in the form of a non-functional token.

Non-Fungible-Tokens, or NFTs, are digital items stored on the blockchain. Their content and data vary, but they enable individuals who collect them to have proof that they are the owner of the digital object and that it is authentic and unique. 2021 saw a massive influx of energy into NFTs with large collections dropping, traditional artists entering the space, and individual NFTs often selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

NFTs and the marketplaces that operate them have been in decline for some time now. Part of this undoubtedly due to fatigue in the space and the initial hype passage, the other part due to macroeconomic factors and loss of confidence in the blockchain industry

Walking up to the crowd on the second floor, I looked for the QR code. A QR code that was minutes away from the impressive art. I was excited to get some limited edition NFT memorabilia for the event. Despite the crowd, no one had their phone up to the QR code. I went to scan it while waving through a line and realized I was more in the way of museum goers waiting for another exhibit than anything else.

After scanning the QR code, I needed to download a new app that I’ve never heard of, and I needed to do this over a very visible museum cell signal. Looking up at my camera, another curious person scanned it shortly after exclaiming, “It says I need an app? Forget it.” and walks away

Despite the significance of MOMA including an NFT as a giveaway for an exhibit, it felt more like an advertisement for the new app that powers it than an intentional piece of art. It was placed in a corner far away from the exhibition and users were not asked to retrieve it. The QR code was sequestered away and no one seemed interested despite the sizeable amount Without supervision drawn.

A phrase commonly used in the NFT space is “the art is the utility”, which refers to the fact that these digital collectibles don’t need to drive anything other than their own existence to be sought after. What was clear was that great art, looking at it and being inspired and moved still matters, and NFTs at MOMA do not. Art is its own utility, but does it need NFTs?

Note: Without supervision is truly stunning visually, it opened in November and will be on view at the Museum of Modern Art until March 5.

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