A few days ago, the first NFT, or “non-fungible token,” digital home was sold for 288 units of the cryptocurrency Ether (more than $500,000) on SuperRare, a marketplace for single-edition digital art. The piece, called Mars House, is an experience in augmented reality, a digitally enhanced version of a real home designed as a modern, glass-walled structure. A 3D tour of the house features a combination of sound and visual effects intended to create a feeling of calm and well-being. Krista Kim, the creator of Mars House, who came into the NFT space in 2020, describes her record-breaking sale as a demonstration of a near future where art will be displayed as virtual 3D pieces, sold in order to be projected in homes and outdoor spaces, or even made to float in the sky.
“Mars House is a sneak peek into the future, as the first 3D digital home that can be experienced as an immersive experience in augmented reality,” says Kim. “Artists are expressing what it means to be human in the digital age through NFTs. Soon we will adorn our lives with NFT art, fashion, poetry, music, collectibles, and interactive experiences using A.R. technology.”
The sale is a harbinger for additional reasons as well. In the last few months, the internet has been buzzing nonstop about non-fungible tokens, more commonly known as NFTs. But what are they? Basically, an NFT is a unit of data representing a unique asset—such as an art, music, or video file—that can be traded like any other piece of property, only in this case, they’re bought and sold in a non-tangible form. The seller puts a single, original piece up for sale in a process called minting, and the buyer gets exclusive proof of ownership through the NFT. Anyone could take screenshots, download or create copies of the item, but the original file remains the only valuable piece, because it’s represented by the non-fungible token that can be tracked on a digital ledger known as the blockchain.
Like Kim, a number of women are successfully carving out a niche in the exploding NFT art scene. Still, as the market has grown, the trend of male dominance has also become more apparent. Although the decentralized NFT marketplace gives artists equal and direct access to collectors, side-stepping some of the traditional barriers that have historically disadvantaged female artists, most of the artists making the biggest sales on the market are predominantly male. Digital artist Beeple’s piece Everydays: The First 5000 Days sold for almost $70 million. Pixelated cartoon characters called CryptoPunks, created by Larva Labs cofounders John Watkinson and Matt Hall, are going for as high as $7.5 million. The Nyan Cat meme, created by Chris Torres, made about $590,000 when it was auctioned off.
“What I’ve noticed in the NFT world is that a lot of the top artists are men, especially on exclusive platforms that are application-based,” says Isabel Malia, a photographer and 2D hand-drawn animator who came into the NFT space recently. “Historically, opportunities in tech have been kept from women. I do see women in the industry, but it seems like other men hold off on sharing and supporting artists that aren’t men,” she adds.
According to the graphic designer and digital artist Alycia Rainaud, who goes by Maalavidaa, the lack of inclusivity in the art market as a whole has also become part of the NFT industry. “Identifying as female might come with a cost in pretty much all industries, and the NFT space is no stranger to such phenomena,” she says. “It’s no secret that the industry has a huge male presence that makes it more difficult for females to be seen, to be heard, and for their work to prevail.”
“From my perspective and understanding, it seems that women are having a hard time being represented and valorized across the NFT landscape,” Maalavidaa explains. “A number of females in the space have reported being concerned about how few of us have been given the opportunity to access curated platforms.” There is a noticeably lower percentage of women and minorities involved in the community, as opposed to male representation. Already, research shows that women make up only about 15% of crypto users. The effect of this exclusion could be long-lasting, preventing women or other minorities from getting into this field. “With little or no representation” says Malia, “I’m sure a lot of women and other minorities feel overwhelmed and discouraged to try.”
But as more artists transition into the NFT industry, women are creating communities to advocate for gender inclusivity by amplifying and promoting art by artists who identify as women. One of such communities is Women of Crypto Art (WOCA), which was formed in 2020 by NFT artists and collectors Etta Tottie, Angie Taylor, Stina Jones, GiselXFlorez, and Sparrow. WOCA welcomes women from all over the world to come together and share ideas on all things crypto art, and encourages collectors and supporters of women in the industry to join the community, regardless of gender identity. The group plans to experiment with multiple avenues of autonomy for women in the NFT space and provide a safe space to learn blockchain/crypto art dynamics, while communicating in multiple languages.
“We recently obtained our own parcel of land in Cryptovoxels,” says GiselXFlorez, an experimental still life digital artist and a cofounder of WOCA. Cryptovoxels is a virtual world where users can buy land to build stores and art galleries. The group is building a WOCA museum, which will house a collection of the best in women’s crypto art. “The first exhibition, titled ‘She Art,’ took place in the Cryptovoxels metaverse in September 2020, and featured crypto art from over 30 women,” says GiselXFlorez. “It was a huge success, and created a stir in the crypto art community with over 1,000 visitors attending.” In addition to this, WOCA recently launched a website to showcase art created by women, and applied to speak at events like NFT NYC, a leading annual event for crypto artists, collectors, and investors, where only about 20% of applicants speaking are women. The community is also on a mission to train traditional artists on how to transition into the crypto art market.
For new artists, the fast-paced, evolving world of NFT art can be a tough space to navigate, and without a community to offer emotional support, it tends to feel isolating. To provide a safe and inclusive space, Maalavidaa created Heal the Deal in January. This community hosts weekly clubhouse sessions on crypto art and NFTs, and welcomes artists, newcomers, and collectors to reach out to gain or offer support. “We’ve been compiling more and more resources on NFT support, mental health care, and charities,” she explains. “From technical knowledge to meditation and social causes, Heal the Deal aims to spread as much positivity as possible, radiating in all social fields.”
According to Kim, the NFT market holds endless possibilities for creatives. “With greater adoption,” she says, “NFTs have the potential to create a new cultural renaissance.” In this new, evolving phase in the digital age, there’s a price tag on everything: Memes, tweets, Instagram posts, and even music can be bought and resold. Many skeptics believe it’s only a passing phase, but for some creatives, NFTs represent a better future where they can sell their work to eager collectors independently, and receive royalties upon future resales. With the efforts of communities like WOCA and Heal the Deal, other female artists can be encouraged to sell their work digitally and become part of the moment.