This Week’s Artist to Watch: @Vakseen
NFT News: Ukraine uses NFTs to save its cultural DNA, MasterCard implements payments with Web3 platforms simplifying purchases, Convicted scammer Anna Sorokin aka Delvey sells NFTs, and more
To all the incredible Dads out there, wishing you an incredible Father’s Day!
Here’s a Deep Dive into the art of: Otha Davis III aka Vakseen
@vakseen
I chose @vakseen as the featured artist to watch this week, as I have been following his career for a long time and his work continues to astound me!
Otha Davis III aka Vakseen, was born in Athens Georgia, and now lives and works in Los Angeles. Over the years, he has honed his skills as a master artist. Vakseen predominantly exhibits two art styles which both celebrate African American culture: Legends Only and Vanity Pop.
Vakseen’s Legends Only collection portrays his favorite entertainment icons. Due to his childhood influences listening to Miles Davis, and Prince among others, Vakseen launched a portrait series depicting sports, music, and entertainment legends alike. The list of icons includes some of the biggest stars ranging from Muhammed Ali to Venus and Serena Williams. His portraits keep the legacies and culture thriving while connecting people worldwide. His strong, dynamic, and colorful portraits speak to a global audience in celebration of popular culture.
Vakseen’s vibrant portraits of instantly recognizable figures contrast from his Vanity Pop collection which fuses photorealism, cubism, and fashion design, into abstract portraits. His work mimics collage art or mixed media; however, each of his pieces are meticulously hand-painted; it’s truly unbelievable that the images are not scraps cut out from magazines and pasted on the canvas. It’s even more impressive when seeing his art in person. Vakseen comments “by juxtaposing my subjects with diverse “perfect” features, my work speaks to the fragmentation within us all as we strive for acceptance in a world full of unrealistic standards.”
Most recently, Vakseen’s paintings are being displayed at MOCA Cleveland at their annual benefit entitled “Game On”. Both of Vakseen’s portrait styles have been made available as digital art, physical art, prints, and swag. To learn more about Vakseen, visit Vakseenart.com and find his NFTS on MakersPlace.
NFT News Bites:
Ukraine to Use NFTs to Save Its Cultural ‘DNA’ Amid Russian Invasion: "Right now, museums and cultural sites are being destroyed by rockets," said the President of the Blockchain Association of Ukraine-Coindesk
Mastercard to Implement Payments for NFT and Web3 Projects: Payments giant Mastercard has announced it is working to bring direct payment support for a number of NFT and Web3 platforms with its cards-Bitcoin.com
Convicted scammer Anna Sorokin says she is now selling NFTs: “I’m trying to move away from this like, quote unquote scammer persona," Sorokin said in an interview with-NBC News
"Now United", the global pop group launched by American Idol creator Simon Fuller to Star in Musical Film on the OP3N NFT Platform: The film falls under a $100 million initiative to fund and support the development of arts and entertainment projects on the Avalanche public blockchain-Billboard