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Dorian Batycka

Dorian Batycka

Dorian is a freelance art critic and curator based between Europe, Canada, and Dubai. In addition to Decrypt, his writing can be found in Hyperallergic, Artnet, Artforum, and The Art Newspaper, where he covers the trials and tribulations of the art market, cultural politics, and issues ranging from censorship to restoration, heritage and technology. Disclosure: He owns less than 5 BTC, less than 5 ETH, and a significant amount of APE.

Stories by Dorian Batycka

  • Mike "Beeple" Winkelmann and HUMAN ONE. Image: Andrea Guermani

    Beeple: Next Era of NFTs Will Focus on 'Emotional Connection and Utility'

    It’s been quite a year for artist Mike “Beeple” Winkelmann. In March 2021, he leapt into the art world’s stratosphere, becoming the third-most-valuable living artist with the sale of a single NFT for $69 million. The sale of Beeple’s EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5,000 DAYS was a seminal moment for NFTs, forcing the legacy art world to sit up and take notice of non-fungible tokens and the artists using them. With Beeple himself suddenly counting the likes of David Hockney and Jeff Koons as his peers, he...

    Deep DivesLong Reads
    6 min read
    Dorian Batycka
  • Art Basel Miami 2021. Image: Art Basel

    NFTs and Crypto Art Fully Invaded Miami's Art Basel

    Over the last year, NFTs have kicked down the doors of the art world, making superstars of hitherto-unknown artists like Beeple, pplpleaser and FEWOCiOUS, and grabbing headlines with multimillion-dollar sales of CryptoPunks, Bored Apes and Art Blocks. To date, the reception from the wider art community has been mixed. While venerable institutions like Christie’s and Sotheby’s have enthusiastically embraced NFTs, and established artists like Damien Hirst have experimented with them, many in the a...

    Deep DivesLong Reads
    6 min read
    Dorian Batycka
  • Damien Hirst's A History Of Painting at Frieze London. Image: Edmund Sumner © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd.

    London's NFT Art Scene Thrives Even As Prestigious Frieze Fair Sits Out

    Frieze Art Fair, one of London’s oldest and most prestigious art events, stumbled into the post-pandemic, post-Brexit world for its 2021 edition earlier this month. Crammed in between two other major art fairs, Art Basel and Fiac Paris (all three were canceled last year due to the pandemic) from October 13-17, Frieze London was low on crowds compared to years past. Still, there was a palpable sense of optimism that in-person events would lure buyers with the promise of shiny in-season objets d'a...

    ReviewsOthers
    8 min read
    Dorian Batycka