“I think art can change the world. Art can change people’s mind.”
Born and raised in the French capital of Paris, Benoit has pioneered his national government’s seamless adoption of cryptocurrencies and NFTs. With a background in law and a keen interest in the ideologies and philosophy around cryptocurrency, he began investigating the regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in France and found nothing. “Two months later, in the middle of 2018, I ended up in the official meeting room at the Ministry of France. They wanted to understand cryptocurrency and create a new framework,” he recalls.
Wanting to tell them all that he could about this mysterious blockchain technology led to Benoit’s discovery of NFTs. With a need to explore further and wanting a way to connect with the artists, he cunningly bought land in the Metaverse and proposed to build a Museum of Crypto Art. “So, I’m doing these exhibitions in the museum, and some artists start giving me NFTs, and that’s when I understood its value. Because as soon as I receive the NFTs in my wallet, I receive bids from collectors.”
Although he was starting to see the potential of financial gains in the NFT space, it’s never been about the money for Benoit. He wants web3 to live out its full potential of offering society a decentralized platform where users’ information isn’t unknowingly shared with large corporates; users have complete autonomy over their finances and a world where creatives can dictate what, where, and when they create.
“This is what is beautiful about this space,” shares Benoit. “Artists are the deal makers and rainmakers. With crypto NFTs, you can evolve and exist in this digital world without being monitored because you don’t give your data, so you can have your privacy in the digital world.”
The desire to relay this message prompted Benoit to co-create the NFT Factory. Nestled in the Centre of Paris, it focuses on art that conveys the messages of decentralization, privacy, and giving power back to the creatives through web3. “I think art can change the world. Art can change people’s mind.”