Many African creatives are very excited about the growth of NFTs. Some of the reasons are the very same reasons Afrofuturism is gaining traction within the Black creative community since the term was coined in 1993.

Àsìkò’s art is a self-exploration of his own identity, and he’s graciously allowed us to come along for a ride.

Using a tapestry of cloth dipped in voodoo potions as his canvas, he tackles one of the biggest problems in Western art history: the objectification and fetishization of the Black body

Held at the temporary Grand Palais Ephémère, Paris Photo 2021 shows us why photography is worth collecting.

South African art director and illustrator Rendani Nemakhavhani first created the persona PR$DNT HONEY during the 2019 South African national elections. Under this moniker, she continues to create works celebrating the lives of Black women.

For their sixth edition of the AKAA fair, the committee decided on the running theme of Against The Flow TIme to reflect on the difficult year we all had to go through. What results is the display of resilience from artists, especially African artists, when faced with the difficulties of the past year.

Like many artists, David Shrobe look to his past and his home to inspire his creations. Unlike many artists, Shrobe physically incorporates parts of his history into his creations. With a family history that can be traced almost a century back, Shrobe has inherited some items rich with stories. In turn, he incorporates these historical items into a similarly charged artwork about identities and history. 

For artist Tariku Shiferaw, the mark is a concept that he constantly grapples with. A mark is a way for humans to leave behind their presence. When used purposefully, it becomes a storytelling tool that’s utilized as early as the presence of the cave marks. When simplified, a mark becomes a line. It’s a feature that’s heavily repeated in Shiferaw’s works. It’s present in the painted lines he creates or the shipping crates he utilized.

With his bright and bold strokes of color, Nkoth brings to life the humanity and the stark reality they have to go through.

With her sculptures, artist Murjoni Merriweather aims to highlight and celebrate the natural features of Black bodies.

There is an avant-garde quality to Samuel’s photographs. True to his mission, Samuel utilizes whatever he could get his hands on to create his highly conceptual works.

By protecting their IP, artists are still getting paid every time their NFT is sold. To help show the best artists on their marketplace, Alpha Quirk curated a digital gallery of the best they have to offer.

Both in grandness, color, and composition, Ballon’s works evoke the same aura as Christian arts of yore. Mixed with the contemporariness of Ballon’s subjects, his work becomes a powerful message of the lives and plight of the modern Black people.

Palito’s work is bright, bold, and most importantly, it tells a story. Taking inspiration from Brazilian and African culture, his works imagine a utopia where humans can seamlessly co-exist with nature.

After six decades, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's dream of wrapping the Arc de Triomphe was finally realized posthumously.

As vibrant as his paintings can be on screen, it is the three-dimensional aspect of his paintings that truly makes them special.

Having spent years as a professional dancer, Djeneba Aduayom spent her life thinking about movement and the human body. After an injury caused her to rethink her life and career, she picked up a camera and began exploring the human body in another way.

From painting to sculpture, photography to performance, music to poetry, Baala will not hesitate to use whatever medium is available to him to satisfy his creative needs.

Growing up in the village of Kwangcolosi in Kwa Zulu Natal to a spiritual healer mother, artist Wonder Buhle Mbambo’s works are greatly influenced by the spiritual side of his culture.

Inspired by his diverse hometown, Michie's collages explore the intersection between different identities.

Like many photographers before them, Darryl DeAngelo Terrell has used the camera to create a different, and at times opposing, narrative from what the media depicts.

Brown tells his stories through the intimate portrayal of Black bodies and how they interact with and occupy the space around them.

Inspired by fashion and Black culture, Dawn Okoro creates compelling images of Black bodies.

Artist Nina Chanel Abney’s abstract paintings capture the frenetic contemporary culture of today, combining her signature bold colors and abstractions with the representation of diverse subjects.

Brittany Tucker's doodles both reverse the racist narrative and emphasize them.

Alekhuogie takes items and iconography that are often associated with Black culture and examines their existence and why we see them as they are. 

With nothing but her charcoal, she captures contemplative moments of the woman in her work

Whether it’s through playing with her materials or by performing in front of an audience, Gale breaks apart and dissects the political, social, and economic systems we’re all a part of.

As a queer, biracial woman, Quarles reflects a sense of ambiguity in the flowing figures within her paintings

The contextual backbone of her works lies in revealing the violence, both visible and invisible, in society

Within his works, many of which are self-portraits, he turns the Black queer body into a sensual, ethereal being, whose existence is desired by all.

With distorted figures, Chase defies the binary gender structures in society, blending different characteristics within one singular body

Packer often asks the people in her life to be subjects in her works. By depicting them in paint, she’s creating a message that the people in her work deserve to be recognized and deserve to exist.

Artist Greg Breda creates portraits that are grounded in reality but with a whimsicality and softness to them.

At the end of her life, she was beloved by many and instilled the belief in the power of art as a tool of social justice.

His technique involves tracing the contour of the subject’s face as if mapping every part of the figure’s presence.

As a fiber artist, she’s created many story quilts that tell the tales of African Americans.

Though he started his career in painting, he began experimenting with fabric as another way of telling the stories of labor and slavery.

Mitchell’s softly rendered portraits convey emotions and feelings that are achieved by contrasting the photorealistic details of the figures with acrylic swaths of flat colors.

Artist Alex Gardner is known for his oil paintings of faceless silhouettes with as few identifying details as possible.

Quaicoe’s stunning paintings always touch upon his experience as an African entering the African American community.

There’s a child-like sense of play that comes from his use of colors and shapes.

Set in front of a single bright colored background, Sherald would only paint her figures in shades of gray.

Hailed as one of the most innovative artists from Africa, Victor Ehikhamenor creates stunning visual masterpieces inspired by his African roots.

When the world was in turmoil, he wanted to create calm.

Boafo’s distinctive style began developing once he ditched the brush and used his fingers instead. Boafo’s large, almost raw streaks of paints create a striking image.

Beneath the chaotic lines lie the heart and soul of the work, the people of Baltimore themselves.

As a Nigerian artist, Barry Yusufu has one main goal: to tell the stories of his people

With techniques both seen in graffiti art and abstract expressionist paintings, Jansen’s paintings are full of colors and textures.

Her abstract, impressionistic paintings captured our imagination. Artist Omoyeni Racheal Arogunmati talks about her works and the amount of work she does before putting paint on canas.

He started his craft with a smartphone camera, and even though he's since upgraded to a better camera, his photography still carries the same "make do with what you have" spirit. We chatted with Awuku Darko Samuel to find out more about his photography and more.

Her series with fellow photographer Loïc Hoquet, titles Malaïka Dotou Sankofa, won the Leopold-Sédar-Senghor Grand Prix, the top prize for the Dakar Bienalle of Contemporary Art. It’s a stunning series that comments on how the media portrays Africa. The series is built with layers upon layers of symbolism finished with an impeccable aesthetic sheen. An androgynously-dressed model bears wings made of fabrics created by the Baye Fall Muslim religious community in Senegal. It is a poignant commentary on how the African body is often hidden or manipulated to fit the mold of Western society.