“The market for digital art is still in development, which is why our motivation is to establish the genre of digital art alongside more traditional media, such as painting, sculpture or even photography.”
Benedict Rodenstock, Co-Founder & CEO of UNPAINTED
UNPAINTED was founded in 2013 by art lovers in Munich and is an international platform for the mediation of digital art. This genre still has some catching up to do in the international art market, and yet the possibilities of expression are unlimited with the help of new digital technologies.
Introduce yourself, Benedict
My name is Benedict, I am Co-Founder and CEO of UNPAINTED, a platform for digital art. Software eats the world, so why should it spare the art world? UNPAINTED started in 2014 as an art fair. We have also done several exhibitions, among them in Venice for the Biennale. In 2019, we created an online art store where people can buy selected digital artworks online, such as video downloads, prints, animations, objects, etc. We want to make this process as enjoyable, convenient and secure as possible.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your activity?
The market for digital art is still in development, which is why our motivation is to establish the genre of digital art alongside more traditional media, such as painting, sculpture or even photography.
How does Bernstein help UNPAINTED in its operations?
For some time now, there have been considerations in the art world on how to authenticate digital artworks in particular, how collectors can protect their property, and how digital intellectual property in the arts can be protected from unauthorized replication. UNPAINTED has found a suitable solution in Bernstein, which helps us certifying and authenticating digital artworks from our portfolio. Every change of ownership is logged, creating a complete, non-corruptible history of the artwork. Uncertified copies can be easily identified and, gradually, all works of art that are listed in the UNPAINTED art store will be equipped with digital certificates. It will be easy to trace ownership of these artworks which might otherwise be easily copied.
How do you think the digital art landscape will evolve?
So far, the digital art scene has followed the technological progress, from the early plotter works to post-Internet art, and we expect digital art to continue evolving along this path. In this context, we’ve started noticing artworks with augmented or virtual reality, for example, and this is only the beginning.
More about UNPAINTED | More about Benedict Rodenstock
The Bernstein team says a big “thanks” to Benedict for sharing his story, and encourages any Bernsteiner who would like to share their journey & insights to reach out!