Harvey Rayner's Algorithmic Synesthesia Captures a New Audience at Art Basel 2026

For the second time, Art Blocks was proud to be a part of the Zero 10 exhibition for Art Basel, this year in Hong Kong, helping support the growing momentum in digital art. At the inaugural edition last year in Miami, Quine by Larva Labs drew attention to code as a medium, prompting visitors to confront the origin of generative art. This year, artist Harvey Rayner eased viewers into conversations about the process of creation and nature of ownership through Algorithmic Synesthesia, a painterly set of works that fit comfortably in the renowned venue.

Rayner developed Algorithmic Synesthesia with the hope of expanding collectors' understanding of generative art and on-chain ownership. Attendees gravitated naturally to the large, framed works on the walls, perhaps seeking a place of relative familiarity amidst the unconventional territory of Zero 10. 

Algorithmic Synesthesia bridged digital and physical by allowing attendees to use our custom-built software to select and generate a favorite artwork to mint on-chain, and then print out as an artist-signed copy on archival paper. As guests enjoyed the process of repeatedly generating and finally arriving at a favorite, the nature of generative art as a participatory experience solidified, as did the concept of owning a totally unique artwork in a larger body of work, a 1/1 of X. 

Rayner estimated that, going into the fair, the vast majority of visitors knew basically nothing about code-based art. Through many conversations with surprised guests—“These are not paintings?”—we saw a new awareness emerge. Collectors were beginning to understand how artists (nothing to do with AI) can employ computer code to express ideas that resonate emotionally and feel familiar. 

Once visitors understood that "the paintings" were not paintings and were created with a direct code-based craft and not AI, they were super curious about how that works. The idea that people could create a unique physical artwork and get it signed by the artist also seemed very exciting...  
-Harvey Rayner

Ultimately, over 100 visitors walked away with a token of ownership, a one-of-a-kind digital artwork from Algorithmic Synesthesia, plus a physical print to display. We are proud to have exhibited alongside so many outstanding artists and platforms that are expanding the notion of how art is created, perceived, and collected—and ultimately influencing what art can be.

For more insight about the collection, read our recent Journal interview with Harvey Rayner. 

Would you like to own an artwork from Algorithmic Synesthesia? Collectors will soon have another opportunity to mint. Follow along with us on X for details.