Automat

Preserving and presenting art shaped by the digital era.

[Automat @Automatdotart]

Digital art is one of the defining artistic movements of our time.

Automat is a long-term initiative dedicated to its study, collection, and presentation.

This is the beginning.

https://t.co/7Kln9SWhJu

[Giannis Sourdis (🦉,🦉) @Greekdx]

A bit more information on the first piece published on the new @Automatdotart Research Lab.

Back in June I finished researching and writing an AI-assisted piece on hello world by @qubibien.

After weeks of gathering resources, going through all of them, building a structure, and writing my thoughts down, I think it's finally ready to share.

For those unfamiliar, hello world is the piece that started everything we know as qubibi's most iconic series like mimizu, leftovers, wiwizn and more.

I was lucky enough to co-collect this piece with one of my favorite collectors in the space and good friend, @thefunnyguysNFT, last November.

hello world is a work I believe more people should engage with and to truly appreciate its brilliance a bit of reading helps, especially if you're not familiar with qubibi's practice.

In the piece below, I try to explain why I think hello world is so interesting. It draws together ideas explored by generations of computer art pioneers, from algorithmic systems and computational motion to artificial life and software art. Yet somehow it still feels entirely its own, and strangely alive.

Read it here:
https://t.co/lK9wiEsR0w

[qubibi @qubibien]

Thank you, Giannis ― for spending all this time with "hello world", first as a collector and then as a researcher. It means a lot.
For anyone curious what the work actually looks like: here's documentation footage from a recent private exhibition.

[Giannis Sourdis (🦉,🦉) @Greekdx]

After a very long wait, I can finally share a bit more about what I’ve been working on for the last 2 years.

What started almost as a joke during a gathering with a few friends 4 years ago has now become something real. 🧵

[Giannis Sourdis (🦉,🦉) @Greekdx]

I’ve spent a lot of time with “hello world” by @qubibien over the past 8-9 months, first as a collector and then as a researcher.

The deeper I looked, the more I felt that “hello world” wasn’t just a beautiful generative artwork. It was a meeting point for decades of experimentation in computer art.

Really happy to finally share this with everyone.

[Automat @Automatdotart]

Automat Research is live.

Long-form writing on the artists, movements, and works that define digital art.

First: qubibi, Hello World.

https://t.co/FKJxSk1Ld1

[Automat @Automatdotart]

Thanks for the mention @funghibull! Future is bright!

[funghibull @funghibull]

It might not feel like it but imo the digital art & NFT space is positioned better than ever

On the art/artist side, we're seeing:

A clear rise in thoughtful, novel and well executed releases that celebrate the networked opportunities that blockchains uniquely provide — and also a rise in those leveraging the skill/creativity/functionality unlocks that AI offers

Few examples:
- Birds by @nicedayJules x @mungimungimungi
- Windows by @dave_krugman
- GLiFS by @EfdotStudio
- Economy of Words by @jackbutcher x @visualizevalue
- Vessel by @stephensantoro_ x @producedbydav
- Normies by @serc1n
- Terminal Pro by @DXRGai
- BrinkWorks by @bryanbrinkman
- "Artificial After All" by @hanrgb along with his collab w/ @jalilwahdat + @yougogirl_eth "Hello World Computer"
- Psychic Hotline by @oliviapedi w/ @Romenewmedia
- @beeple taking over Art Basel and IRL with robots, AI and live performance art + collectible releases

Amongst collectors & patrons:
• @AdamWeitsman continues to put the space on his back as a patron and builder
• @batsoupyum x @musicalnetta deploying both capital, attention and tremendous care to artists
• @redbeardnft traveling to a new city/country basically every week to champion digital/crypto artists to major institutions & collectors
• @RogerDickerman and team continuing to provide incredible, unwavering coverage of the digital art market via @24_Hours_Art
• Dan Sundheim quietly rotating some SpaceX IPO profits into 30+ @cryptopunks

On the platform/team side:

• Big recent updates from @verse_works that make the market easier to understand + engage with
• Major improvements by @SuperRare, experiments with liquid editions / editions, feed UX
• @raster_art providing a very clean UX that unifies profiles & work across chains and platforms
• @gondixyz continuing to add features that support the secondary art + collectible market
• @nodefnd thoughtfully stewarding Punks while supporting other great artists and building bridges to IRL
• @opensea's new mobile app development is very strong and could be a great first touch for new collectors/enjoyers
• @punk6529 Memes evolving from a curated artist drop into a decentralized networked society
• Rekt by @osf_rekt continuing to ship sellout products and global IRL presence evolving from an NFT collection
• @Rhynotic x @token_works endless experimentation at the intersection of mad science x NFT infra
• @derekedws, @magey_mage and @maltefr_eth continue to intentionally invest in and support artists via @glitchmarfa while nurturing the full set holder community
• @artblocks_io + @ArtOnBlockchain representing generative art at Basel, continuing to support great releases and provide space for the community to connect at Marfa 2026
• Just announced + one to watch: @Automatdotart

Outside of our 𝕏 bubble we see:

• @eli_schein putting on yet another phenomenal Zero 10 exhibition at Basel, this time alongside @trevorpaglen — leading to +$4M (est.) in Artist sales in collab with galleries like @artblocks_io, @fellowshiptrust and @AspreyStudio — many of which seem to be to trad. collectors & institutions
• @ArtBasel x UBS reported that digital art's share of the art market increased by 200% from 2024 to 2025
• Awareness, trust and use of stablecoins and neobanks is up only
• Signalling taste is up only
• Preference for true asset ownership is up only
• The TCG market is growing while increasingly behaving like savvy crypto users & digital collectors (See my 𝕏 article for more info)
• Teams like @fomo onboarding thousands of new, real users daily, realizing crypto wont grow strictly from CT — a strat that will surely catch on
• Massive platforms like @RobinhoodCrypto coming onchain in the wake of @HyperliquidX's success and regulatory + infra clarity/easing
• Major AI companies hiring & building teams of digital artists & creators to help create new media formats, technologies and steward taste in an agentic, internet-native world — also seeing creatives with deep roots in the NFT space playing key roles at growing orgs like Prime & Nous
• A wave of newly minted millionaires & billionaires in the wake of AI IPOs
• Digital products & digital creator patronage outside of crypto are on the rise, signalling both increased valuing of the intangible & preference for directly supporting creators

The thread is tangled but the scene it's weaving is clear.

The maturation of this space has been steadily accelerating since it first made global waves in 2021

Those within it — artists, patrons, participants, platforms and teams — continue to evolve and build more useful, beautiful and interesting things that exceed previous standards of being "good enough" for CT

There are vast numbers of people not yet "here" that are increasingly signalling preference & openness for what crypto, blockchains and digital assets uniquely offer

Bridges and infra are being built to and from this industry to support, connect and empower both groups

Despite the setbacks and volatility crypto & digital art markets have endured, the stage has never been set this optimally before

The future is bright and exciting

[Automat @Automatdotart]

@funghibull Thanks for the mention!

[NORI @NORIWTS]

The way I see AUTOMAT is how can we rethink in 2026, what "collecting" is for us. Collecting art and gathering with passionates and learners.
I know we have seen this through DAOs and teams but maybe it's time for us to reconsider of how it should be.

I have been seeing @Greekdx & Mikes efforts & passion to put this together.

So, seeing more & more positive things coming up, looking forward to the new initiative👍

[Automat @Automatdotart]

This is a long-term commitment, not a moment.

https://t.co/qVxPM4dwbm

[Automat @Automatdotart]

Digital art has spent decades shaping culture, technology, and visual language.

Yet much of its history remains fragmented, under-documented, and inaccessible.

We believe that should change.

[Automat @Automatdotart]

Automat exists to do that work: studying the field seriously, collecting with intention, and presenting works in the format they were made for.

[Automat @Automatdotart]

Automat.

https://t.co/7Kln9SWPz2