Digital artist Mike Winkelmann, known as Beeple, joined Ben Davis on the Artnet News podcast "The Art Angle" to discuss his work and the evolving perception of digital art. Beeple first gained global attention in 2021 when his NFT artwork "Everydays, The First 5,000 Days" sold for $69 million at Christie's, making him a symbol of the NFT boom. Since then, he has continued to experiment with new media, including interactive video sculptures shown at LACMA and robot dogs with human heads displayed at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025.
This conversation matters because Beeple's trajectory reflects the ongoing tension between traditional art institutions and the digital art world. His sustained influence—despite the crash of the NFT bubble—shows how museums and galleries are increasingly seeking to engage digital-native audiences. The article also raises broader questions about taste, value, and whether internet-born aesthetics like "brainrot" can be legitimized as art, making Beeple a key figure in the debate over the future of contemporary art.