Steve Pikelny (American, b. 1989) is a Brooklyn-based artist and engineer whose conceptual, often participatory works use blockchain technology to satirize money, finance and internet culture. Outside his art practice he has founded a string of satirical companies, including FastCashMoneyPlus.biz, RonaMetch.co, Friendworld.social and FakeBullshit.news, for which he continues to act as CEO, CTO, COO and CFO.
His generative collection Dopamine Machines (2023), released on Art Blocks, is built from HTML and CSS and lets viewers trigger flashing visual effects, synthesized voices and an “Overdrive” mode, framed by the artist as a knowingly over-hyped, casino-like experience complete with a gambling-helpline warning. Individual editions from the series have entered private collections, including Dopamine Machines #270 (2023).
