The work of art in the age of second-order observation

&gt; &#x27;Beware of first- hand ideas!&#x27; exclaimed one of the most advanced of them. &#x27;First-hand ideas do not really exist. They are but the physical impressions produced by love and fear, and on this gross foundation who could erect a philosophy? Let your ideas be second-hand, and if possible tenth-hand, for then they will be far removed from that disturbing element – direct observation.<p>(The Machine Stops, 1909, E.M. Forster)<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikisource.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;The_Machine_Stops" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikisource.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;The_Machine_Stops</a>

This article explained a lot to me about why people purchase these types of things.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;newrepublic.com&#x2F;article&#x2F;147192&#x2F;modern-art-serves-rich" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;newrepublic.com&#x2F;article&#x2F;147192&#x2F;modern-art-serves-ric...</a>

Tom Wolfe (RIP) wrote &quot;The Painted Word&quot; in 2008 which pretty well summarized all this.<p>Those can make art, make art. Those who can&#x27;t, write artist&#x27;s statements. And those who can&#x27;t do that, write impenetrable essays about it.

Can I get an NFT of an invisible sculpture? Or, more importantly, can I sell one?

Just like the emperor had no clothes, whoever bought this has no art.

The only thing I &quot;learned&quot; from this Salvatore Garau in this text is that this sort of art is but one expensive form of institutionalization of commercial bullshit.

The line between art and trolling is becoming increasingly difficult for me to discern. If indeed there ever even was such a line.