As reported in the New York Times, internationally recognized artist Jim Sanborn and his captivating Kryptos work continue to draw attention more than three decades after its installation at the Central Intelligence Agency in 1990.

Well known for historically based, politically daring conceptual works, Sanborn has transferred the encrypted solution and related materials surrounding his famous sculpture, Kryptos - an enduring cryptographic mystery in contemporary art. Though the mystery endures, the solution to K4 and related materials were acquired at auction for nearly $1 million by the San Francisco-based software and investment firm Paradigm, which is inviting a new generation of codebreakers to engage with the puzzle through public submissions. The plaintext and mathematical methodology remain strictly held by Paradigm.

The curved copper sculpture contains 1,706 characters divided into four encrypted passages, each encoded using a different cipher. While three sections have been solved, the fourth—known as K4—remains one of the most famous unsolved codes in contemporary art, resisting public decryption for 35 years.

Unrelated in content but closely related in form, Sanborn’s work “Meridian II,” a sculptural artwork similarly pierced with site-specific lettering, was shown at Robischon Gallery in 2018. The illuminated "Meridian II” chronicled momentous events in Colorado history, exemplary of his colossal and provocative undertakings - and part of a practice that intriguingly conflates art and science. The exhibited Robischon work accompanied an earlier outdoor work titled “Meridian,” which is permanently installed in the plaza at Denver Union Station, for all to enjoy.

“I think it’s important that every piece of artwork holds one’s attention for as long as possible.”
— Jim Sanborn

 

PROJECT KRYPTOS ACQUIRED BY PARADIGM

Kryptos is one of the most famous cryptographic mysteries of our time. Three of the four sections were solved in the first decade after the sculpture was installed at CIA headquarters in 1990. The fourth, K4, has never been solved. In this video, artist Jim Sanborn shares the story of Kryptos and why he has passed stewardship of the solution to Paradigm, who is taking up the challenge and inviting a new generation to solve K4. Submit your solution at https://paradigm.xyz/kryptos