Proof of Work takes its title from the consensus mechanism behind Bitcoin and many other blockchain-based cryptocurrencies – the protocol by which they can validate transactions and prevent double-spending without relying on a single, centralized authority. This is one of the many alternative networking structures that Bitcoin’s launch in 2009 has popularized in computing and beyond, initiating wider cultural conversations about new governance models and peer-to-peer possibilities brought to light by the advent of blockchain technology.

Proof of Work was exhibited at Berlin’s Schinkel Pavillon in 2018, where a collaborative team of curatorial “nodes” brought together artworks made by crypto builders, crypto projects made by artists, and a handful of works that predate, but relate to or anticipate, blockchain technology. The curatorial strategy itself was “decentralized”, adopting transparent approaches that reflect the emphasis on distributed decision-making carried across its subject matter. As a snapshot of art’s intersection with blockchain, it indexes various positions that entertain the technology’s potential use not only for money, but all different computing and organizing more broadly.