The craze of non-fungible tokens or NFTs has been on the rise over the last one year. Several artists, celebrities, sportspersons and fashion houses have jumped on the NFT bandwagon and proved that blockchain-based technology can serve as a lucrative investment to maximise the sale of digital assets.
NFTs are digital assets, including music, videos, art, yachts and even land. Among these, the prospect of digital art being traded in the form of NFTs has caught the fancy of many visual artists and other major names.
Artists across the globe are turning to the metaverse to showcase their works in the form of digital assets. This is largely because digital art is considered to be of high value for its uniqueness and rarity. Additionally, owing to the trend that began ever since digital artist Beeple sold his piece for USD 69 million, these NFTs are helping artists grow both inside and outside the digital realm.
Talking about the renowned artworks, Asian artists who have already created a space for themselves in the real world of animation, filming, photography, design and much more, have brought their own uniqueness into the digital space.
From unique pixelated GIFs and lego-like animated videos that evoke some of the deepest emotions to NFT magazine covers, these Asian artists will capture your imagination like none other with their creations.
Here are seven contemporary Asian artists and all you need to know about their NFTs
Curry Sieong Tian
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Originally from China, she is aspiring to blend the East and the West through mediums of art and film. What keeps her relevant in such evolving times in the art space is her endeavour to innovate as a visual artist, which goes beyond 3D motion graphic and alternative storytelling styles.
Currently, the artist has three of her fantastic works on SuperRare. These are Sunyata – The Originator, Illuminate the Void and Supreme Pole-03.
THE IMITATION STONE 01-The Impurity of the Body, which is described as a “fake Chinese antique” digital series by the artist, depicts the “irony of contemporary optical theatre” and was sold for USD 22,747 (6.8 Ether; approx HKD 177241.21) in August 2021.
Takahiro Suganuma
With honourable mentions and awards in his kitty, Suganuma uses calm colours and soft organically flowing lines in his digital artworks that evoke a sense of ease.
The Tokyo-based illustrator and artist’s works can be identified in advertising and publications, such as The World Today, Royal College of Physicians and The Architectural Review.
Joining the trend of turning artworks into NFTs, he features his works on Makersplace. Some of his creations include Wait for a Hundred Years, Rainstorm, Green Man and Circulation.
Suganuma’s Flock of Sheep, which was inspired by acclaimed Japanese writer Haruki Murakami’s Adventures of a Sheep, was purchased at USD 650 (approx HKD 5064.70).
Victor Wong
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Creator of the first artificial intelligence (AI) ink artwork in the world, Victor Wong is a well-known name among contemporary artists as well as those who are drawn to NFT artworks. While creating Escapism 001 in 2019, Wong was assisted by the first-ever AI ink artist named Gemini.
Wong is the propagator of the TECH-iNK era, which began at the INK NOW Taipei Art Expo the same year. It was here that the artist revealed Escapism 001 to the expo’s visitors.
The Hong Kong-based artist showcases his NFT artworks and collaborations on the marketplace called Refinable where one can buy them using Ethereum. Mahjong – The Dragons, Album of “Stormy Water ? So What ?” and Bench Over Troubled Water are some of his artworks that are currently on sale.
Among Wong’s key private collectors are HSBC and Samsung.
Abdul Hafiz Abdul Rahman
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Known as graffiti artist Katun, Abdul Hafiz Abdul Rahman recently made headlines when he sold two of his NFT collections for 127.6 ETH, which amounts to about RM 1.6 million (approx HKD 2,966,488), within 24 hours.
While Mystical Fruits is about “waiting for the fruits of our labour to blossom into something spectacular, sweet and rewarding, a mirror of us evolving into something extraordinary,” Apes Stand Strong — sold within 30 minutes — is about standing united in a volatile world.
Al Jazeera quoted Katun in a 2021 report as saying: “It’s very clear to see that, if done properly, the money gained can truly make a difference for any Southeast Asian artist, as crypto is growing exponentially on a daily basis.”
Munira Hamzah
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Going by the pseudonym Mumu The Stan, 32-year-old Munira is another rising Malaysian artist who creates NFT art. She has sold almost 1,800 of them, which include pixel art GIFs, digital paintings and other drawings.
Hamzah is an ardent Linkin Park fan, so much so that the news of lead vocalist Chester Bennington’s death in 2017 devastated her, and she went into depression.
After several therapy sessions and a few years later, she attended a concert by the band being helmed by lead vocalist Mike Shinoda, where she “fell in love with their music all over again,” she told Malay Mail in a 2021 interview.
Hamzah found an instant connection with other Shinoda fans, also known as Stans, and went on to create pixelated art GIFs.
She started her NFT account in May 2021 after being encouraged by Shinoda himself. He even bought one of her NFT art on Zora, an NFT marketplace, for RM 7,400 (approx HKD 12,552).
She is currently working on creating artwork around mental health awareness.
Shavonne Wong
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An international fashion photographer based in Singapore, Shavonne Wong launched a virtual modelling agency, named Gen V, with a team of five models. She decided to do so because she is of the view that it will “help to further digitise the fashion industry.”
Wong began as a self-taught photographer about ten years ago and went on to work with several clients such as Asia’s Next Top Model, Sephora, and HBO. She is also one of the established artists with her work published in Vogue Germany, Marie Claire Lower Gulf and Cleo Malaysia.
Stepping into the NFT arena, the artist trades on OpenSea and SuperRare, among other NFT platforms. Currently, I Am (Not) Zen is on sale, while her earlier works include The Hug, Uplift, Glow and Suspense.
Wong’s website describes her NFT artworks as “virtual models that juxtapose realism and surrealism together, placing the virtual models in scenes that cannot be done in real life.”
Collaborating with digital fashion house The Fabricant, she created an NFT cover — The RenaiXance Rising — for Vogue Singapore’s September issue as part of the magazine’s global theme, New Beginnings.
The magazine’s Instagram post from November 2021 said the cover “explores the creative renaissance born out of digital innovation with an issue dedicated to NFTs.”
Shin Oh
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Shin Oh is a Malaysian Volumetric Pixel (Voxel) artist. The unique and modern aesthetics in her digital artwork bring forth empathy as a strong human experience.
Her NFT creations can be identified by their single lego-like rooms created on plain backgrounds, as well as short videos themed on melancholic emotions of loneliness, isolation, solitude and emptiness. While some of her works depict work-life imbalance and scenes from a hospital during the pandemic, others include characters reminiscing memories of lost love and nostalgia.
Among Oh’s artworks up for sale are A Bowl of Comfort and Childhood Happiness.
Through her thoughtful depiction of emotions and subtle animation, Oh hopes to inspire people to prioritise self-love while tending to others when they see her work.
(Main and Featured Images Credit: Shin Oh/Makersplace)
Moyena loves exploring personal development and spirituality. She believes in the power of words. She is also passionate about food, dancing, finance, and her family.
