On NFT Art in Russia

Abstract This article examines the development and cultural significance of NFT art in Russia, framing it through the sociological lens of “neo-structuration” theory — a framework that foregrounds individual agency as a driving force within evolving social and technological structures. The authors argue that NFTs have emerged in Russia as a means for young and independent artists to bypass state and institutional gatekeepers, access global audiences, and exercise creative autonomy in a context historically marked by collective identification and centralized cultural control. After introducing the technical workings of NFTs and their integration into both institutional and grassroots exhibition contexts, the article surveys three broad thematic tendencies in contemporary Russian NFT practice: explorations of the future of art and new forms of technologically mediated expression (exemplified by calligrapher Pokras Lampas); critical reflections on technology's impact on humanity (as in the work of AES+F and Aristarkh Chernyshev); and the deployment of NFTs in the service of social justice and charitable causes. Engaging critically with David Joselit's argument that NFTs reverse Duchamp's emancipatory gesture by re-commodifying freely available information, the authors nonetheless contend that the technology holds genuine democratic and transformative potential. The article concludes by noting the growing role of AI-generated imagery within this ecosystem and the broader implications of digitally mediated human agency for societal change.