Osinachi (digital artist)
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Prince Jacon Osinachi Igwe (born in 1991 in Aba, Nigeria), commonly known as Osinachi, is a Nigerian visual and digital artist.[1][2][3] Described as "Africa's foremost crypto artist,"[4] he often uses Microsoft Word as his medium.[5] Osinachi was the first African artist to have his work digitally auctioned as an NFT by Christie's in Europe.[6]
Career
[edit]Osinachi entered the crypto art scene in 2017.[7][8] In 2020, he held his debut solo show, Osinachi: Existence as Protest, at the Kate Vasse Galerie in Zürich, Switzerland.[2] In 2021, Osinachi garnered attention for selling $75,000 worth of NFTs in 10 days.[9]
Osinachi partnered with the Mohamed Amin Foundation to release NFTs for a catalog featuring 2.5 million photographs and over 5,000 hours of video content. The project launched $Afrofuture, an Ethereum-based social currency.[10]
In 2021, 1-54 and Christie's collaborated in an online auction of Osinachi's series Different Shades of Water, making him the first African NFT artist to be featured. The series was inspired by David Hockney's 1972 painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures). The artworks were displayed at Somerset House.
On January 30, 2024, his artwork Take the Stares, previously owned by Three Arrows Capital, was auctioned at Sotheby's and sold for $20,320.[11]
Work and reception
[edit]Osinachi's work has been described as "engagingly political, drawing from conversations on political matters, gender, tradition and race."[12] Writing about the art market in 2020, curator Jason Bailey called Osinachi "the best of what the coming generation of artists has to offer."[13]
Exhibitions
[edit]- Osinachi: Existence as Protest at Kate Vasse Galerie, Zurich
- Different Shades of Water at Somerset House with Christie's and 1-54, London
References
[edit]- ^ Onukwe, Alexander O. (19 March 2021). "How Nigeria's leading crypto artist makes and sells NFTs". TechCabal. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ a b Badewa, Collins (13 February 2020). "Meet Osinachi, The Crypto artist Fronting The Tokenized Artwork Movement In Africa". Morebranches. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Ables, Kelsey (5 May 2021). "Beeple digital art sale doesn't reflect the underground crypto community". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Ume, Lydia. "How Africa's Foremost Crypto Artist Is Changing The Way We Perceive Masculinity". A Nasty Boy. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Sarlin, Jon (30 March 2021). "NFTs have completely transformed these digital artists' lives". CNN Business. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Ndukwe, Ijeoma (13 January 2022). "Nigerian NFT artist Osinachi: The work created by using a word processor". BBC Business. Lagos. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "Nigerian NFT artist Osinachi: The work created by using a word processor". 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "Nigerian NFT artist Osinachi: The work created by using a word processor". BBC. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Gerlis, Melanie (30 September 2021). "Osinachi to offer first African artist's NFT at Christie's Europe". Financial Times. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ Africa, Forbes (17 July 2021). "Why NFTs Are Having An Arty Moment". Forbes Africa. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Take the Stares GRAILS: Starry Night Contemporary NFT Sotheby's". Sothebys.com.
- ^ Kwaifa, Aliyu (4 July 2021). "Nigerian Artists Bank On Crypto-Art". Daily Trust. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ Bailey, Jason (27 January 2020). "2020 Art Market Predictions". Artnome. Retrieved 17 May 2021.