NTFs_aaajiao is an encrypted folder in .ZIP format, containing four self-portraits of the artist. It is free to download but is encrypted and password protected. Only the collector who acquires the work via a blockchain transaction will receive the password providing access to the file's contents: it is an old password of the artist’s that he used until it was publicly cracked, and has been disseminated in databases circulating online, where it could theoretically be found by a savvy user. Playing on the link between public and private arenas, NTFs_aaajiao is closely tied to the history of peer-to-peer networks, of which blockchain is a new offshoot. It weaves a thread between cryptography, the circulation of digital information, and computer piracy, whilst also showcasing the paradoxes inherent in the private ownership of digital assets, as promised by NFTs.

>Marcella Lista and Philippe Bettinelli, 2023