Five to watch in March 2023
In 2021, a new creative 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 completely transformed time and time again. Yet the most inspiring thing about the NFT space is the number of artists of all faiths and mediums who have found community and support by embracing this technology.
In line with our mission to empower creators, we present Next — our monthly franchise dedicated to showcasing new artists. Although the NFT space has changed significantly over the past few years, one thing has remained true: the sheer volume of creative talent in Web3 only continues to grow. In our March issue, we’ve compiled a list of five rising talents who have made significant waves through Web3.
Empress Trash
Drea Jay, known in Web3 as Empress Trash, is a nomadic, multi-talented visual artist currently based in Mexico City. She earned her BFA in Painting, Drawing and Animation/Design in 2014 before moving to the Bay Area and becoming immersed in a multitude of local artistic endeavors. Empress Trash, who first ventured into crypto art in 2021, has since been exhibited worldwide, becoming an ambassador for Tezo’s NFTs and a curator of glitchy trash art.
Helena Sarin
Helena Sarin, known professionally as Neural Bricolage, is a visual artist and software engineer who is constantly seeking new opportunities to work with cutting-edge technologies. After starting out at Bell Labs designing commercial communications systems, she has since become an independent consultant. At the same time, she also carries out commissioned work in watercolor and pastel, as well as in applied art such as fashion, food, styling and photography. In the NFT space, Sarin is known for combining traditional art forms with AI to create unique 1/1s. She also prides herself on making pottery decorated with images generated using GANs, which she calls Pottery GAN.
Overnight
Oveck Reyes, who simply passes by Overnight, is an interdisciplinary artist based in New York City. He began his career as a musician, but in 2009 he fell in love with photography while working in a studio performing tasks such as sorting negatives and retouching photos. Over time, he began experimenting with artistic portraiture, earning accolades through his work with Sony, Amex, Holdfast Gear and others. In 2020, when an infection left him half-blind, he entered painting and began experimenting with oils on canvas, which later led him to move into digital painting, animation and, inevitably, crypto art.
0xdgb
0xdgb is an anonymous digital artist who only recently started gaining traction in the NFT area. He works exclusively in Adobe Illustrator and approaches his work through the framework of minimalism. With over a decade of experience in illustration and graphic design, his works aim to capture the subtle beauty of the everyday and often revolve around art and storytelling. Recently, his signature surveillance camera – which he says is the personification of the constant surveillance of our digital lives – has inspired conversations through Web3 and comparisons with artists with similar visions, such as Rip cache and Willard.
Roope Rainisto
Roope Rainisto is a designer, creator, photographer and writer based in Helsinki, Finland. Rainisto’s 25 years of experience creating and leading user experiences for a wide range of devices and services speaks to his desire to strive for excellence. In Web3, Rainisto uses artificial intelligence to create fascinating, evocative 1/1s through a process he calls “enslaving computers to create art.” Recently, he has been propelled to the forefront of the AI NFT sector through his collection “Life In West America” presented by BrainDrops.
