The article examines the evolving and often problematic relationship between museums and digital art. It highlights the institutional struggle to define and categorize works that use contemporary technologies like AI, blockchain, and robotics, noting that canonical figures like Leo Villareal, Jenny Holzer, and Andreas Gursky are often excluded from the "digital art" label. The piece cites specific examples, from Harold Cohen's early algorithmic work to Sougwen Chung's robotic collaborations and Rhea Myers's responsive NFTs, to illustrate the diverse and transmedia nature of these practices.
This debate matters because it questions the museum's traditional role as an authoritative, preservative space in the face of art forms that are ephemeral, dependent on corporate software, or networked. The institutional difficulty in acquiring and maintaining such works due to technical obsolescence and conservation challenges risks relegating museums to culturally conservative strongholds, potentially excluding significant contemporary artistic practices from the historical record and public discourse.