5 Asian Pacific Americans to Follow in the NFT Space
With non-fungible tokens (NFTs), artists have a platform to express themselves, create communities around their work, and perhaps most importantly, have sustainable careers.
Emily Yang, an artist who goes by Pplpleasr, expressed this sentiment recently to Coindesk: “I would say every creator’s dream is that they can work for themselves, whether you are a writer or filmmaker or artist. Instead of executing somebody else’s vision, you want to make your own.”
NFTs create opportunities for artists whose work falls outside the reigning gallery and museum system — the art industrial complex, if you will — to earn a living. Unsurprisingly, many of these artists are non-white and women. According to a 2019 study published in PLos One that looked at a sample of 18 U.S. art museums, more than three-quarters of the works featured were by white men, with art by white women making up about 11 percent, Asian men 7.5 percent, and Hispanic/Latinx men 2.6 percent. All other groups made up less than 1 percent each.
It’s no wonder that NFTs are shaking up the art world — some of the most prominent NFT artists are Asian women and black and brown people. So in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, here are five Asian Americans to follow in the NFT space:
1. Emily “Pplpleasr” Yang
After Apple rescinded the job it had offered Yang, the Tawainese-born artist started to sell her art to decentralized finance projects. Some of her work went viral, catching the attention of Uniswap. She ended up producing a video for Uniswap that went on to sell for $525,000, cementing Yang as an NFT artist to watch. Her success led to the creation of a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) to support her work, a partnership with Fortune, and a web3 interactive short film.
2. All Seeing Seneca
Perhaps you may not know the artist known as All Seeing Seneca by name, but you’ve definitely heard of her work: she was the lead artist of the Bored Ape Yacht Club, a collection of 10,000 NFTs held by the likes of Mark Cuban and Snoop Dogg. Although Seneca didn’t get much recognition (or profits) from BAYC, she said her “biggest win out of beginning my web3 life is just having the chance to meet such able and talented people I wouldn’t have otherwise crossed paths with.” In December, she debuted a collection of NFTs at Art Basel Miami.
3. Jasper Wong
A renowned street artist in Honolulu’s Kakaako, Wong followed up his participation in Hawaii’s “NFT for Good” project with FOMO MOFOS, a collection of 8,008 unique digital collectibles. The collection sold quickly, netting more than $8 million. Wong is also the founder of Hong Kong art gallery ABOVE SECOND, and the creator and lead director of POW! WOW!, a “non-profit organization of contemporary artists committed to community enrichment through the creation of art outreach programs, educational programs and engaging the community in the creation and appreciation of art.”
4. Drue Kataoka
The work of Japanese American artist Kataoka has been part of collections in 30 countries, and as Techcrunch reports, “even the International Space Station.” Her face has been Clubhouse’s app icon. Last May, Kataoka launched her first NFT, “In The Club: #StopAsianHate” to raise money for Asian American communities when racist attacks against them were on the rise. It sold for $35,000. A follow up NFT, “Will Your Heart Pass the Test?” a collaboration with Industrial Light & Magic ILMxLAB, sold for $252,000. All of the proceeds went to The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) and Stop AAPI Hate.
5. Curry Sicong Tian
“Aiming to bridge the gap between eastern and western culture,” NFTs in Tian’s collection on SuperRare have sold for thousands of dollars. The artist was tapped by recording company 88rising and Coachella to create three NFT collections described by Coachella as “a surreal visual statement of eternal optimism, duality and a belief in the boundless power of Head in the Clouds Asian music culture.” The NFTs came with both physical and digital perks including dedicated entry lines and early access to merch and NFT drops at the music festival.
Who are your favorite Asian or Pacific American NFT creators? Let us know in the comments! Visit Anatha to sign up for our newsletter, The Practical Idealist, and join the conversation about creating tangible solutions to systemic global problems.
