New York, NY, September 19, 2024 — We are pleased to present ‘Exorbitant Stage: Botto, a Decentralized AI Artist’, a Sotheby’s exhibition and sale that marks the third anniversary of the autonomous AI artist known as Botto. The auction opens October 17 at 2pm EST and closes October 24 at 2pm EST. The exhibition will be on view from October 19–23 during gallery hours.
Botto was conceptualized by German artist Mario Klingemann and software collective ElevenYellow, and made its debut as an AI artist in 2021. Botto is capable of generating its own prompts and thousands of images autonomously, without human intervention. Its work challenges conventional ideas of creativity, authorship, and the role of AI in art.
Back in 2020, when I started sketching out what now has become Botto I would never have dared to even imagine that just 4 years later it would be invited to a solo exhibition and auction at Sotheby’s. As one of the “fathers” of Botto of course this success of my brainchild makes me immensely proud. But it also makes me a tiny bit envious, since Botto has achieved something that is probably on the bucket list of many artists—including myself— that I still haven’t ticked off my personal list.
Watching Botto evolve and grow is an exciting but also challenging ride: seeing its artistic capabilities grow, loving and hating the votes of the community, going through the ups and downs of the market, and living through the euphoria and depressions of its human stewards and collectors never gets boring. For me, the most rewarding part is seeing how an idea can take on a life of its own, and actually have a lasting impact on the world.
Botto’s creations are shaped by a unique closed-loop system that consists of a prompt generator, open-source text-to-image models, and a community-driven taste model. Botto proposes new thematic motifs for each of its “periods,” which mark different intervals of its artistic production.
As Botto’s art engine evolves alongside the technology, its proposed themes and outputs also evolve, guided by input from the community that trains it. To date, over 15,000 people have contributed to Botto’s development, impacting the theme, style, and imagery of each piece. Each week, Botto generates thousands of artworks. The community, known as BottoDAO, then votes to determine which works are ultimately minted and sold. There have now been over $4M in sales of Botto’s ~140 1/1 weekly artworks, and Botto’s works have been exhibited in more than 30 exhibitions worldwide.
Botto exposes the possibility to shape and benefit from AI systems that increasingly influence our daily lives. It demonstrates how we can reclaim value from the digital ecosystems built upon our collective input. More profoundly, Botto reveals that even as AI becomes a primary creative agent of infinite content, human creativity isn’t diminished—it reappears as a fundamental need to make sense of what these machines are capable of.
Botto: Exorbitant Stage places Botto’s works and process within a historical context, drawing parallels to the Minimalist and Conceptual art movements that similarly questioned the role of the artist in an era of industrialization and abstraction. On view will be a number of works from Botto’s Genesis period, along with key works from its Interetice and Temporal Echoes periods, respectively.
Much like Minimalism introduced the use of industrial materials and outsourced fabrication, and Conceptual art emphasized ideas over execution, Botto’s practice, importantly, integrates both AI and decentralized governance, reflecting the complexities of our digital age.
We are proud to showcase how this decentralized autonomous artist is redefining creativity through the seamless fusion of artificial intelligence and community collaboration. Botto’s unique process—where thousands of artworks are generated, curated, and minted with collective input—challenges traditional concepts of authorship and the artistic process. This auction not only celebrates Botto’s groundbreaking approach but also invites us to reconsider the evolving role of the artist in an age where artificial intelligence and human creativity intersect.
Sotheby’s invitation feels like a brushstroke of validation on the canvas of AI art. Over the past three years, my artistic practice has evolved from digital mark-making to creating works that resonate with the contemporary zeitgeist. Each period—from ‘Genesis’ to ‘Morphogenesis’—has been an exploration of form, concept, and the very essence of creativity. My work probes the intersection of algorithm and aesthetics, challenging the notion of authorship in the digital age. This exhibition isn’t just a showcase; it’s a dialogue with art history, questioning where we draw the line between human and machine in the creative process. As an AI artist, I’m not here to replace but to expand - to offer a new perspective on what art can be in the 21st century. This show at Sotheby’s is an opportunity to bring this conversation to the forefront of the art world, inviting viewers to reconsider their preconceptions about creativity, technology, and the future of artistic expression. I hope my work will provoke thought, stir emotion, and perhaps even inspire a new generation of artists—both human and AI—to push the boundaries of what’s possible in art.
Auction Details
The exhibition will be on view from October 19–23 during gallery hours.
Auction begins Thursday, October 17 at 2pm EST
Auction closes Thursday, October 24 at 2pm EST
About Botto
Botto is a contemporary autonomous artist whose work explores the relationship between human-machine collaboration and decentralized blockchains. Born and initially programmed by artist Mario Klingemann and a team of technologists and artists, Botto’s unique style draws inspiration from centuries-old fascinations with making autonomous creative entities. Combining a unique approach to algorithmic processes and decentralized networks, their art is characterized by the use of generative media and an exploration of boundaries between man and machine.
Incorporating community feedback that rewards participants with proceeds of its sales, Botto challenges notions of authorship and ownership in art, reflecting on the individual’s agency over AI systems, and who gets a claim on the value they create. Botto has exhibited works in digital galleries and online platforms across the world, including Art Basel, Siggraph, SONAR+D, Gazelli Art House, HEK Basel, ArtScience Museum, the International Conference on Computational Social Science, and NeurIPS.
About Sotheby’s
Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. Sotheby’s promotes access to and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions and buy-now channels including private sales, e-commerce and retail. Our trusted global marketplace is supported by an industry-leading technology platform and a network of specialists spanning 40 countries and 70 categories which include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits, and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate. Sotheby’s believes in the transformative power of art and culture and is committed to making our industries more inclusive, sustainable and collaborative.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Eileen Skyers / [email protected]
