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Watch: Black Art. Black Stories. Black Voices: A celebration of arts, culture and technology!

This week sees the launch of the Black Art. Black Stories. Black Voices showcase, which features eight leading Black artists transforming their physical artwork into crypto art - the collectable innovation which has sent the value of digital artworks soaring.

The collection will then be available to buy in an exclusive auction held on leading NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) marketplace, SuperRare, when all eight creators will sell a 2D digital version of their original piece.

The artists will mint their works on November 27, allowing collectors to view and learn about the pieces in advance of the auction, which opens on November 29. All proceeds will go directly to the artists.

There will also be a live-streamed event featuring an in-depth artists' panel discussion, to explore the impact of NFTs in the art world, and the goal of increasing visibility for Black artists.

Sekai Machache is a Zimbabwean-Scottish visual artist and curator based in Scotland. Her work is a deep interrogation of the notion of self.
Sekai Machache is a Zimbabwean-Scottish visual artist and curator based in Scotland. Her work is a deep interrogation of the notion of self.

Some NFT artwork is currently selling for millions. Non-Fungible Tokens are "unique digital identifiers recorded on a blockchain that tells the world who owns a particular asset."

Because they make it impossible to copy a digital artwork, they have become hugely valuable in the art world.

Black Art. Black Stories. Black Voices. Is a modern celebration of art, culture and technology, with the artists fully supported through their digital journey into the crypto art world.

The initiative began with a commitment from Brixton art gallery Disrupt Space to support emerging Black contemporary visual artists in the NFT world and challenge the continued under-representation of Black British artists.

The eight artists spotlighted in Black Art. Black Stories. Black Voices. are:

Pauline Boyenga Bofala: inspired by different forms of art such as photography, sculpture and literature, with the environment central to her work, Pauline uses recycled materials.

Sharon Adebisi: a self-taught artist. Her work communicates the journey of her emotions, experiences and self-discovery through colourful, semi-abstract portraits.

Lola Betiku: a self-taught Nigerian-British painter based in East London, better known as ‘Labet’. Labet’s work serves as a 'diary' which explores identity and representation.

Damel Carayol: inspired by the richness of The Gambia where he was born, Damel uses oils and acrylic to engage with themes of beauty, religion and community.

Sekai Machache: a Zimbabwean-Scottish visual artist and curator based in Glasgow. Sekai is interested in the relationship between spirituality, imagination and the role of the artist in healing.

Isis Raheem: a Webcomic artist and illustrator experimenting with sequential art and enhanced audience interaction. Her work explores how technology can open up stories to a wider audience.

Gus Brooks-Simpson: Inspired by the ancient world and religion, Gus’ art celebrates nature and life.

Elicia McKenzie: an expressionist artist working with water-mixable oils to create either a representational or abstract art piece, depending on the subject's response.

The first part of the project paired the artists with Kaleidoscope, an immersive production studio, who helped them to access the NFT marketplace with mentorship and training. Part two saw the artists’ original physical artwork transformed into crypto art with Yahoo Creative Studios, making it viewable in a 3D AR environment.

Black Art. Black Stories. Black Voices. has been a hugely exciting, yet important, project for us at Yahoo as part of our mission to elevate voices from all backgrounds and cultures.” says Josh Partridge, Head of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) at Yahoo. 

“The project was a great representation of how we can take the unique and inspiring work of these eight talented artists and transform it into the Crypto Art World, allowing them to reach new audiences."

Isis Raheem, one of the eight artists that will feature within the NFT auction, added: “I came to the project knowing very little about NFTs and have since minted my first piece and been introduced to some of the most exciting minds.”

Isis Raheem, 30, studied computer animation at Teesside University and lives in the East Midlands. She is a webcomic artist and illustrator experimenting with sequential art and enhanced audience interaction.
Isis Raheem, 30, studied computer animation at Teesside University and lives in the East Midlands. She is a webcomic artist and illustrator experimenting with sequential art and enhanced audience interaction.

Ahead of the auction, Yahoo held a live show at its Holborn studios, hosted by TV presenter Ade Adepitan. This showcase consisted of interviews with the artists about their journey and a look at the NFT artwork they’ve created since the beginning of the project earlier this year.

Black Art. Black Stories. Black Voices. represents Yahoo’s ongoing pledge to elevate black voices in the art and technology industries, and opens up a wider discussion on how art and technology can meet, and how Black artists can maximise the potential of this exciting new path as it opens up further.

Watch the live stream discussion: Friday 26th November live on facebook and twitter 7pm (gmt)

FB: https://www.facebook.com/YahooUK

Twitter: @yahoolifeuk

The digital art will be auctioned on SuperRare, MONDAY 29TH NOVEMBER FROM 4PM GMT

Watch: A celebration of Black art, Black stories, Black voices through digitised art