CryptoPunks creators: from art experiment to cultural movement
Wed Feb 04 2026
Before NFTs were a category and crypto was an industry, two artists released 10,000 characters into the world with no roadmap, no pitch, and no expectations. What started as an art experiment in code ended up flourishing into a movement about ownership and identity. In this episode of Possible, Reid sits down with Matt Hall and John Watkinson, co-founders of Larva Labs and creators of CryptoPunks, to trace how a small creative experiment became one of the most influential cultural phenomenons of the internet era. They reflect on what it means for art to live on-chain, why decentralization was a design choice rather than a slogan, and how digital identity became one of the most valuable real estates online. From museums and blockchains to profile pictures, permanence, the conversation explores how letting go of narrative control can allow culture and community to write the story themselves.
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Before NFTs were a category and crypto was an industry, two artists released 10,000 characters into the world with no roadmap, no pitch, and no expectations. What started as an art experiment in code ended up flourishing into a movement about ownership and identity. In this episode of Possible, Reid sits down with Matt Hall and John Watkinson, co-founders of Larva Labs and creators of CryptoPunks, to trace how a small creative experiment became one of the most influential cultural phenomenons of the internet era. They reflect on what it means for art to live on-chain, why decentralization was a design choice rather than a slogan, and how digital identity became one of the most valuable real estates online. From museums and blockchains to profile pictures, permanence, the conversation explores how letting go of narrative control can allow culture and community to write the story themselves.