9 black artists on their way in the NFT space

by James · July 22, 2022

In recent years, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have been painted as the next frontier in the art world, with pieces selling for millions and NFT art exploding in popularity. The concept has shaken up the art industry, and with so many people fighting to get their (metaphorical) hands on the digital files, artists are brainstorming new ways to enter the digital market. But this market offers so much more than just the monkeys you might have seen – it has given a new opportunity to many cutting-edge artists. Since the traditional art world is unfortunately not an inclusive place historically (for example, between 2008 and 2018, the combined aggregate auction value of works by African-American artists represented only 1.2 percent of the global total), a new frontier is a welcome place for opportunity for up-and-coming artists, especially those from groups that are chronically underrepresented.

As part of their Artist Spotlight series, elf Cosmetics has partnered with four talented Black NFT artists, Alana Simone (@TheBlackGirlNFT), Vanessa (@NessyFTee), Audrey Udemba (@ArtbyAudrey444), and Philip Kaiten (@vacuART) to highlight their work across the brand’s social channels and share their stories as well as their art. You can check out #elfartistsspotlight on Instagram for introductions to the artists, including short interviews. But these are just a few names you definitely want to watch out for in this space. Read on to check out these artists and more innovative Black creators, whether you’re looking to buy NFTs or just learn more about them.

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@TheBlackGirlNFT

Alana Simone is the graphic designer, illustrator, and visual artist behind The Black Girl NFT Collection, which is “2,500 hand-drawn works of art depicting Black women with diverse features.” Her work is available on OpenSea.

@NessyFTee

Vanessa is a Nova Scotia-based artist behind the brand MxSe, producing weekly NFT doodles from the art medium of acrylic and digital. Nessy’s latest collection “Muse” depicts black experience and expressionism. Each individual piece uses form, movement and purposeful deconstruction of function to project the shifting thought and creativity of the mind.

@ArtbyAudrey444

Audrey Udemba aka “Audrey the Artist” is a Georgia-based artist who creates traditional paintings as well as digital work. Their ethereal NFTs are made from oil and acrylic paintings.

Philip Kaiten is a 22-year-old self-taught digital artist from Brooklyn, who has been creating art digitally since he was 11 years old. His art often focuses on stylized portraits, which you can even commission.

@PhiaWilson

Sophia Wilson is a New York-based photographer who created the first-ever NFT post on the Instagram app. Sophia has previously played for Guess, Opening Ceremony, Fenty, Juicy Couture, Pepsi, Depop, Swarovski and more.

@LanaDenina__

Lana Denina Cohen is an interdisciplinary visual artist based in Montreal. Combining digital art and painting, her art explores human relationships, morphological diversity and body movements. A fan of bright colors, she strives to highlight faces and stories that are rarely told.

@4ur3lia

Aurélia Durand is an illustrator who celebrates her Afro-descendants through proud and powerful colors. She recently launched her first NFT collection with The Black Arts Project, a curated NFT project that celebrates and supports black creativity.

@grelysian

Gossamer Rozen is a fine artist and tattoo artist in New York. Gossamer is the lead artist and art director for Woodies NFT and the creator of Mrammau NFT and Tigerbob. Gossamer creates art to understand their identity and connect to the world around them.

@TheBlackArtist_

@TheBlackArtist is a visual artist and model with a number of NFT collections. Their “Real life x” collection is a documentation of their personal experiences and struggles originally rendered in pencil and ink.