Insights / Collecting

Collecting With Meaning: A Philosophy for Digital Art

By Amir Soleymani • January 21, 2023 • 5 min read

When I started collecting digital art, I bought with my eyes. I chased what looked striking, what was trending, what everyone said would go up. It took a while — and a hard personal stretch — to learn that this is the least interesting way to collect.

When collecting becomes transactional

As my collection grew, so did the pressure. I began to feel that some artists saw me as a source of financial support rather than someone who genuinely loved their work. That weighed on me more than I expected; at one point it contributed to a real low in my own well-being. Collecting had quietly turned into a series of transactions, and transactions are a thin foundation for something that is meant to bring meaning.

What pulled me back was small and human. The artist Rebecca Rose once reached out simply to check on me — not to sell me anything, just to ask how I was doing. That gesture reminded me what I actually valued: the person behind the work, not the next acquisition.

Collectibles versus art

It helped me to separate two things that often get lumped together. Collectibles are frequently about community, status, or utility — the membership and the upside. Art is about expression and emotion, about a piece that moves you whether or not anyone else ever wants it. Both are fine. But knowing which one I am buying, and why, changed everything about how I collect.

Collecting as conviction

I gradually moved from chasing aesthetics to seeking out artists who stay true to their own style, even when the trends pull elsewhere. I would rather support an artist's journey than catch a wave. When Sotheby's invited me to curate for their Natively Digital sale, I used the moment to champion other artists rather than myself — that, to me, is what a collector is for.

My collection is not just a gallery of digital art. It is a mosaic of diverse voices and creative visions — and the relationships behind each piece matter as much as the piece itself.

This essay draws on my first book, The Art of Connectivity: Unveiling the Magic of NFTs (2023).