ART THAT ENDURES
generation lives in, this would influence how he expresses himself in his artworks and give him a different perspective when it comes to creating his art.”
Not surprisingly, younger digital natives — even those whose work is traditionally known for its physicality — are exploring the Web 3 space to expand their artistic horizons.
Multidisciplinary artist Andy Yang, whose NFTs are available for sale under online art gallery The Artling’s NFT category, was excited about the opportunity to push his creative boundaries. “By extending my exploration in the digital domain, I was able to explore ideas and techniques that would have been impossible or very laborious to achieve in the physical realm,” he says.
The “unprecedented surge” in the community of creators all over the world also allowed him to collaborate on the Hola Mona NFT project with two other artists, Yeo Shih Yun in Singapore and Alba Escayo in Spain, resulting in the creation of a whopping 1,503 images.
“Having been full-time career artists for over two decades, the three of us took up the challenge and decided we could create much better-looking profile pictures (PFPs),” he says.
Yang appreciates that NFTs make it possible to track who owns his artwork even after it changes hands while providing a much-needed income stream. Royalties from the resale of artworks help artists further fund their practice, he observes. “The smart contract also streamlines the management and agreements for collaborative projects, making artwork sales and the splitting of royalties much more transparent.”
Despite the current turbulence in the crypto world, artists like Farizwan Fajari, who is better known as Speak Cryptic, intends to stay in the space. The contemporary artist, who started as a street artist and is known for his elaborate murals, began creating NFTs as a way to expand his practice.
“I have an art-first approach, so I try to keep showing up in places with good art, or what I think is good art. Being involved in the NFT space has expanded my audience,” he says. “Plus, I’ve made a couple of new friends since I started, so it is pretty easy to stay.”
Currently, about a third of his current work is NFTs, with commissions, physical works and giving talks and workshops making up the rest.
At the end of the day, the appeal of having their work live on in a pristine form — unlike physical works that tend to degrade with time — also plays a major role. Says Yang, “As an independent artist, the prospect of having NFTs of original artworks on the blockchain really helps. It will really assist in making sure my archived artworks will always be available to be enjoyed even after I am gone.”
“I have an art-first approach, so I try to keep showing up in places with good art, or what I think is good art. Being involved in the NFT space has expanded my audience” SPEAK CRYPTIC