In 2021, a new creator economy was born on the blockchain. Since NFTs took center stage, artists have achieved NFT superstardom, billion-dollar brands have been forged in just a few months, and many lives have been utterly transformed time and again. Yet, the most inspiring thing about the NFT space is the number of artists of all creeds and mediums who have found community and support by embracing this technology.
In celebration of the diverse range of talents across the nft now community, this gallery features works from trailblazing artists who have been recognized by the publication for their work in pushing the Web3 space forward.
nft now is committed to providing a platform for rising creators via the Next Up franchise, and its exhibition at The Gateway: A Web3 Metropolis features a number of ascendant talents who are poised to make significant waves in 2023.
BERYL
Beryl Bilici is a self-taught 3D artist focused on character design and animation. Through her futuristic and cyberpunk-inspired crypto art, she aims to create alternate bodies and worlds that speak to her own personal experiences. A staunch supporter of the new creative economy being built via NFTs, Bilici has been quickly gaining popularity not only for her own works but as a major proponent of artists creating independent wealth through blockchain technology.
Crux
Crux is a multidisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia who, for the last 15 years, has been pushing the boundaries of movement art. She has been classically trained in Hip-Hop, African, ballet, modern dance, jazz, contemporary, tap, musical theatre, and acro/gymnastics. Crux teaches, performs, and choreographs both local and virtual performances in her day-to-day life. In the NFT space, she is one of the most prominent artists minting dance and movement art on the blockchain.
Lana Denina
Lana Denina is a Montreal-based painter of Beninese and French origin. Her art explores human relationships, morphological diversity, and body movements. Through a combination of digital art and painting, Denina illustrates the different cultures (particularly black culture) present in her own life, taking a unique and personal approach to representing people of color in contemporary art. With an aim to promote a world where people can own their sexuality without feeling afraid or even ashamed, her 1/1 NFTs on SuperRare and Foundation, as well as her small batch collection, The Mona Lana, Denina has gained widespread acclaim throughout the NFT community.
jstngraphics
Justin Bodnar, known by the mononym jstngraphics, is an 18-year-old digital artist based out of Seattle. In 2021, Bodnar quickly made a name for himself in the NFT space with surreal, dreamy landscape scenes. Bodnar’s seven-plus years of experience in graphic design have earned him impressive accolades in the NFT space. His NFTs are usually minted via SuperRare. According to CryptoArt, his pieces have brought in more than $500,000 in sales.
Jenni Pasanen
Jenni Pasanen is a multidisciplinary artist who has quickly become known for her highly-detailed GAN (generative adversarial network) NFTs. Through a mix of AI coding and her own general creativity, Pasanen hopes to create a new medium where machines and humans can unite as one to create both fascinating and unprecedented digital works. Her pieces can be found on a variety of marketplaces both the Ethereum and Tezos blockchains.
Ben Skaar
Ben Skaar, who goes simply by Skaar at times, is an 18-year-old photographer and videographer based in Massachusetts. When not in school, he spends his time outside, capturing the beauty of nature as a travel photographer and crypto artist. Having first picked up a camera at the age of eight, Skaar’s photography has since taken him around the globe, even winning him the accolade of being named a 2020 Youth Travel Photographer of the year.
Stonez The Organic
Stonez The Organic is a multidisciplinary artist who, through music, photography, graphic design, and 3D modeling, seeks to communicate messages of love, divinity, and truth. His vibrant, emotional works have led him to become a staple of the NFT ecosystem. In 2022 he’s seeking to combine his service-centered soul mission with his passion for art and is currently building out his own NFT platform as well as a gallery and recording studio to help uplift the NFT art and music community in his hometown of Philadelphia.
Bruno Urli
Bruno Urli is an eighteen-year-old digital contemporary digital artist from Germany who is best known for his dreamy scenarios. Through photography and audio/visual NFTs, he pushes the boundaries of traditional art and photography. Before releasing A Florist’s Dream, Urli dropped his first-ever collaboration with Jacob Riglin entitled Blossoms Below, which sold for 4.62 ETH.
Zoe Winters
Zoe Winters is a professional animator from Seattle, Washington. She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Digital Arts and Japanese Language, and each one of her art pieces is supported by this education and research. Her major influences come from East Asian art and culture. Winters is also a pioneer in the space of augmented reality, creating AR characters for her collectors. She plans to be one of the leading builders of the metaverse over the next decade.
Yinkore
Yinkore is a self-taught digital artist from Nigeria. Her art focuses on her lived experiences as a Black woman, highlighting her own personal struggles navigating mental health issues, sexuality, and activism through artistic defiance. After walking away from her job as a lawyer, Yinkore found success in the NFT space early on. Her collections sold out, she worked on group exhibitions, she engaged with brands like ConcenSys and Blockworks, and she also became aware of the need to reinvest into the NFT ecosystem, becoming a prominent voice in the push for inclusivity.
