The Vilbil Blog

At first glance, CAVE CANEM by the Italian collective NHOMM looks like a traditional object. It’s crafted from resin and polymer — solid, tangible materials that firmly place it in the world of sculpture. You could imagine it on a plinth in a gallery, lit from above, admired for its form.

And yet, this piece doesn’t end with its physical presence. Like much of NHOMM’s work, CAVE CANEM has a second existence: a digital one. By creating blockchain-secured versions of their sculptures, NHOMM extends their practice into a new dimension, where art is not only seen and touched, but also traded, collected, and experienced online.
This dual identity is what many now call phygital art — art that inhabits both the material and digital realms at once.

Why phygital matters

Phygital art is more than a technical add-on. It signals a shift in how artists and audiences think about presence, ownership, and access.
Two audiences, one work.
The physical sculpture belongs to the gallery visitor or private collector. Its digital twin can be accessed globally, reaching audiences the object alone could never reach.
New layers of ownership.
Collectors may hold the physical piece, the NFT, or both — creating an interplay between tangible possession and digital provenance.
Durability and visibility.
A digital twin ensures that even fragile or hidden works continue to circulate and inspire.
Cultural continuity.
By bridging object and token, phygital art situates heritage within the logic of the 21st century: material rootedness combined with digital fluidity.

From hybrid art to hybrid spaces

Phygital art also challenges museums and cultural platforms. Where should these works live? The sculpture belongs in the gallery; its token belongs in a blockchain wallet. But the experience of both — the conversation between them — needs a stage.
That stage is emerging in the form of digital museums. Projects like The Vilbil offer spaces where phygital works can be encountered on their own terms: not as compromised reproductions, but as integrated hybrids. Here, audiences can appreciate the physical craft and the digital extension, side by side.