In the traditional sense, Trash Art is a genre of art that uses existing media to come up with a new work of art.
However, the term has taken on a new definition within the digital sphere; it has come to define a social movement.
The History of Trash Art in the Crypto World
The origins of the trash art movement in the crypto world can be traced back to a joke. At the time, it defined a simple work of art created by an artist in a short amount of time.
They would use simple apps that would transform their images into a glitch piece in less than a minute.
Trash art came to the fore when Robness, a crypto artist was kicked off the SuperRare NFT marketplace for creating a “Trash GIF” NFT known as “64 Gallon Toter”.
On SuperRare, the selection of featured art is carefully curated, which was what informed the decision to kick Robness off the platform.
His suspension caused an uproar within the trash art community and the trash can subsequently became a symbol of rebellion.
Soon, trash can NFTs flooded the NFT marketplaces. One notable example is the trash can wearable created by Kamisama in Cryptovoxels. With the wearable, users can navigate the Cryptovoxels metaverse.
The collective energy around the trash art movement has played an important role in driving it forward.
Some believe that it is the communal feeling of mutual respect amongst artists that drives it.
They argue that it is a contrarian approach to art critics, who would keep people away from publicizing their work. Some view it as means of self-expression where they can create without rules or being meticulous.
How Marketplaces Have Reacted
Some marketplaces and collectors have come to embrace and appreciate trash art. However, other platforms still have rigid rules on what they consider to be art.
A good example of this is the banning of artist Max Osiris from the Foundation marketplace for creating “Low Effort” NFTs.
One article pointed out that trash art questions what is considered art and how value is assigned in the age of mechanical reproduction.
It forces the art world to re-evaluate the perceptions and notions regarding what is held to be true.
These questions need to be answered as the world moves increasingly into the digital world.
Whether the works were ever serious works of art or just trolls, Trash Art has firmly established itself as a movement within the crypto art world.
Summary
The current art community is focused on original and beautiful pieces of art.
These art pieces have to be visually appealing and desirable. However, Trash Art does not meet any of these criteria.
It has grown into a movement that still faces harsh criticism and backlash but it has persevered. Like other movements before it, it will no doubt hold an important place in the art world.
It pushes boundaries and reimagines what art can be.
A major reason why it may have found a home in the crypto world is that crypto was itself formed to push existing norms and challenge what can be considered money.
