Previously exhibited: Match Gallery

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Private unique

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Private limited series

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Private unlimited series

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Private non-transferable unique

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Public's private unique

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Public good (CC Zero)

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Unownable unique

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The Miha Artnak (1983) is a Slovenian artist and designer who began his career with graffiti. His first works date back to 2000, when he graffitied Prodigy Backstreet Boys Rules and a half of the Arthur & Ivek on the walls of Fužine hood on the same day. He embarked on a path of insurgency and social criticism with the graffiti that reads in translation as SLO : FRA – 2 : 3 JUDGE CORRUPTED. In 2001, he co-founded the arttistic collective ZEK CREW and shortly afterwards exhibited with it at the International Centre of Graphic Arts. In more than 20 years since their graffiti origins, the collective has settled into conceptual art, out of which The Miha Artnak’s performances are also derived. He first upset the public with his painting Dove & Peace (2017), which he, according to The Guadrain portal and Slovenian media, supposedly sold for a large sum. His passion for puns and advertising, was brought to life with Bitcoin City (BTC City, 2018), in which he added a new pseudo-digital marketing dimension to an existing Ljubljana-based company. Most recently, he enraged taxpayers with a performative crossing of the road outside a pedestrian crossing (Crossing, 2019), attracted Facebook commentators with pollution as art (Pollutism, 2023), while his utopic project Flat Fiat (2022), in which he placed coins of the world’s leading currencies on the tracks to be run over by a train in order to prevent hyperinflation, managed to impress both at the same time. The exhibition Owned (2024) at the Match Gallery is concerned with ownership, which the artist The Miha Artnak entitles in different ways through seven motifs. The painting of a figure, a still life, a landscape, a self-portrait and an animal portrait evoke classical painting, a child’s painting evokes abstract art, and the yellow rectangle representing the solar flag evokes the meme “the masculine urge to make art from flags”. The Miha Artnak paintings were not painted by him. Is he not able to paint them? Most likely not. Why then a painting exhibition? The artist selected his motifs, hired a photographer, Klemen Ilovar, to photograph them, and then hired a painting service where the motifs were painted on canvas by painters Shao M. Zeng, Jim Xing, James Lin, David Lin, Pendy Chen, Cathy Wu, Nane Fang, John Zeng, John Lin, and Max Feng. The technique mimics the process of artificial intelligence (AI) image generation, but this time humans took over the AI’s job. In the exhibition, you will come across the following expressions: original, unique copy, property, possession, value and certificate. Probably also blockchain and NFT. That is how it is, such is the world we live in, and The Miha Artnak directs our gaze even towards where we do not want to point it ourselves. The paintings differ not only in their motifs, but also in their quantity and the possibility or impossibility of their ownership. The Figure, Still Life and Animal can be purchased and owned, while Self-portrait, Abstract, Landscape and Monochrome cannot be. All paintings can be possessed, but the Abstract cannot be owned. Monochrome can be downloaded from the internet and reproduced at will, Landscape belongs to everyone in the world, Abstract belongs to no one under the sun. It is a concept of non-ownership, which The Miha Artnak invented precisely for this exhibition. Before you take home the painting that belongs to everyone in the world, remember to align yourself with all the others. —Nika Jurman

Whitepaper

ownership control authorship authenticity value real world assets

In the future, as AI art grows, the importance of genuine human expression will shine. AI is precise, but human art brings imperfections, stories, and vitality. The need for human creativity, with its emotions and livelihood, will stay vital in art.

Each artwork has four parts of the story. The unchangeable contract sets the properties and terms influencing the prompt (instructions and stories for humans, not for machines), digital image (human’s visual interpretation of the prompt), and physical painting (human’s visual interpretation of the digital image).

Create a digital image of my girlfriend lying on the couch, phone screen is illuminating her face, late night, projector light, monochrome blue, indoor, diagonal, 4:3

Turn the digital image into a physical oil painting

The exhibition features seven artworks, each with a unique ownership style, across various categories, and available in different quantities. Some artworks are available for resale, while others are not. The terms of ownership for each artwork are legally binding, and attempting to sell a non-transferable item is a criminal offense, subject to legal prosecution.

Unownability refers to the idea that certain items or concepts cannot or should not be owned by any individual. It challenges traditional property laws and suggests a paradigm where certain goods exist without an owner. It pushes for a more radical rethinking of property rights.

Under current law, which focuses on owning property, abandoned items are claimed on a "first come, first served" basis, meaning possessions are always owned. If something temporarily has no owner, it's like "trash," waiting for someone new to claim and use it.

The exhibition's novel concept is unownable artwork, where you can possess but not own the art. The physical painting called Abstract has no owner and carries no responsibility or legal consequences for whoever holds it.

This raises complex questions about the nature of art ownership, community responsibility, and the idea of possession without legal consequences. It also confronts the ethical dilemma of possession being taken by individuals or groups, which isn't traditional theft but still removes the artwork from communal enjoyment.

Immutable Contract The data in the contract is permanent and unchangeable. •

Immutable/Mutable Prompt If the prompt is mutable, any changes will also influence the digital image, which should then be updated accordingly.

• Immutable/Mutable Digital image If the digital image is mutable, its changes will influence the physical painting, which should be altered to reflect these changes.

• Immutable/Mutable Physical painting A mutable physical painting can be repainted. However, its motif and technique remain consistent, as it should replicate the digital image.

Immutability (unchangeability) in NFTs is key for ensuring authenticity and trust by keeping assets unchanged. However, allowing some controlled changes lets artists improve their work, balancing security and flexibility.

Still life is an artwork that can be changed after purchase, offering creative flexibility. While the original canvas is captivating, the chance for transformation strengthens the bond between the artwork and its owner. This not only boosts the piece's collectible value but also makes owning art interactive and collaborative, revitalizing the work while keeping it original.

The person in the portrait owns the artwork Self-portrait for life. In the world of an unchanging identity, change plays a crucial part. It allows us to adapt to new interests and tell our evolving story, connecting our core identity with our changing selves. This ensures authenticity and meaning in our journey.

The artwork Landscape is the collective property of every living human (yes, that includes you). The optional mutability of both the digital image and the physical painting presents a difficulty of consensus*, given that we face the challenge of how to reach agreement among 8 billion owners, many of whom may not even be aware of their ownership or their voting influence.

Art as an Investment (AaaI)

Artworks for sale Figure and Still life offer all the secure investment protocols mentioned below, creating a safe investment for buyers.

The artist sets how rare their art is, affecting its value and how special it seems. They need to follow specific contract rules to keep the art's uniqueness as agreed.

The artwork consists of a physical contract with a PIN number, a digital contract (NFT containing the digital image and prompt for humans), and the physical painting that carries an NFC for verification.

Meet the Ship of Theseus (SoT) insurance protocol, ensuring the artwork's value if it gets lost or damaged.

The spread of blockchains made NFT values unstable. NFT 2.0 goes back to basics, focusing on unchangeable proof of authenticity, regardless of the blockchain used.

It includes:

Investing in art that works with any technology is safer as it's less tied to one platform. The digital contract includes safety features to avoid loss or theft, making it a stable investment despite tech changes. Initially, it will be tested using blockchain technology.

The buyer selects their preferred blockchain solution, which can be changed in the future. Options like ETH, DOT, ICP, SOL, among others, are available for the digital part of the artwork’s proof of authenticity and origin (provenance)

Turning physical art into digital tokens makes owning and investing in real-world art assets easier. It opens up investment to more people and helps protect the art's value.

Ensuring authenticity of the digital contract and the physical painting involves scanning an NFC tag embedded in the back of the artwork and connecting it with the NFT. This integration smoothly connects digital assets with real-world assets (RWA), offering a trustworthy and easy way for buyers to confirm their digital assets' authenticity.

NFT 2.0 is the digital component of the artwork on blockchain that offers interoperability. Without this, different blockchain networks would be isolated from each other, making it difficult to exchange data and assets. Interoperability also links markets for increased profits.

This is solved with SoT protocol.

DAO intermediate is a service that acts in case of disputes, asset transfer, or edit preferences to assure everything is done accordingly.

Temporary centralized solution

Temporary centralized solution done by the author acts as an intermediary, providing verification services to ensure authenticity and trust in ownership transfer until DAO intermediate service is developed.

Art as a Start-up (Art-up)

The exhibition's seven artworks demonstrate an ongoing Art as a Service model. Customers can order custom art in various ownership forms in the innovative painting technique.

Art as a Service uses the Ship of Theseus (SoT) protocol for security and insurance. If an NFT is compromised or the buyer wants to switch to a preferred blockchain, it's safely burned by the DAO, protecting the artwork's value and allowing for a replacement if needed.

All components of the artwork – the physical contract (PIN), digital contract (NFT), and the physical painting – must be delivered for a check-up. Once verified, the artwork is prepared for transfer and then delivered to the new owner.

Owners can modify artworks’ components to suit their preferences, while still retaining The Miha Artnak’s original. Changes, especially with well-known painters (physical painting), photographers (digital image), or storytellers (prompt), can also enhance the artwork's resale value.

Buyers can securely receive the physical painting at a designated pickup point, ensuring both safety and privacy by not sharing personal addresses..

The Animal artwork is from an unlimited series where each piece is hand-painted upon order, blending consistency with unique craftsmanship.

hand-painted unlimited edition artwork

Commons

The "commons" in the creative realm is a shared area of ideas and knowledge open to everyone, promoting teamwork, new ideas, and collective progress in creative projects.

The Monochrome artwork is freely available in the public domain with a CC Zero license. While the physical painting is displayed, it's just one of several reproduction prints without copyright restrictions.

The digital image is available for free as pdf. The NFT is freely minted across various blockchains, offering no specific use or value other than covering minting expenses.

The public domain consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds the exclusive rights, anyone can legally use or reference those works without permission except for …

The artwork Landscape is a unique artwork that belongs to every living person. What we do with it is up to us. But where do we even start and how do we inform everybody about their property and their rights?

In practice, achieving a system where all living people collectively own and vote on an object would require innovative solutions that address these complex challenges while respecting individual rights and autonomy.

Current technology does not allow for an NFT to be shared universally. This limitation poses a challenge in realizing the concept of collective digital ownership on a global scale.

The artwork Landscape, owned collectively by every living person, could be managed by a DAO - a decentralized autonomous organization. With this system, everyone gets a voice in how the artwork is taken care of, displayed, and even developed further. The blockchain ensures that this ownership process is transparent and trustworthy. One day a solution could be presented, and the artwork would get the global access.

A decentralized app (dApp) could enable everyone to access a unique artwork digitally, using blockchain and smart contracts to prevent individual ownership or transfer, thus upholding collective ownership.

Fractionalized NFT (with prompt and digital image) would be shared equally among all living people, where each person would hold an equal fraction of the artwork. As new individuals are born, additional fractions would be created, and fractions would be adjusted or retired upon deaths, ensuring that each living person continuously holds an equal share. This dynamic system would require an automated blockchain mechanism to track global population changes and adjust ownership fractions accordingly.

Today, reliably verifying individual identities for Proof of Personhood is challenging due to the risk of digital fraud and identity theft, while also ensuring privacy and accessibility in a technologically advanced world.

In practice, achieving a system where all living people collectively own and vote on an object would require innovative solutions that address these complex challenges while respecting individual rights and autonomy.

Non-transferable ownership means you can't give or sell something you own to someone else. It stays yours, and you can't share or transfer it (e.g. Driver’s license, tax ID, ID card, …).

The artwork Self-portrait is owned by the person (subject) on the portrait until the end of his life and is non-transferable. The digital image and prompt are put on soulbound tokens (SBT), also known as non-transferable NFTs, that are permanently tied to a specific individual (or crypto wallet) — meaning they cannot be transferred to others.

Public good Monochrome, inherently non-transferable, belongs to everyone and can't be privately owned.

Similarly, unique public artwork Landscape with potentially fractionalized NFTs (or SBTs) would maintain this non-transferable nature. Each fraction could represent a shared stake in the artwork, aligning with the concept of public goods, where the art is already part of the commons and thus not subject to private transfer.

Unownable artwork Abstract, by its nature, has non-transferable ownership as it belongs to no one; however, the use of an unownable token allows for the transfer of possession, enabling a unique interaction with the artwork without conventional ownership.

Owning non-transferable art is about enjoying and valuing it for life, focusing on personal connection rather than resale. It emphasizes enduring ownership and personal appreciation, not as a tradable commodity.

Proof of personhood (PoP) verifies the human uniqueness of participants in a system. It’s a solution to the threat against online (Web3) democracy when people use bots to manipulate voting outcomes. The artwork Self-portrait proves that this human exists.

Original

Fake profiles

Using zero-knowledge proof with a soulbound token enables secure verification of digital identity without revealing any personal details. This method ensures that the identity remains bound to the individual and is authenticated privately, maintaining both security and privacy.

Art as a Law (AaaL)

The unownability law proposal for physical assets seeks to update how we understand ownership in the physical realm. It aims to adapt legal structures to acknowledge that some physical properties can exist without traditional ownership, challenging conventional concepts and requiring legal innovation.

The idea of a public’s private unique legally supports the notion of joint ownership by all living individuals. This concept seeks to reshape laws to acknowledge the shared ownership of digital and physical assets worldwide.