Technological innovation has paved the way for digital advantages across several industries, laying the foundations for modern trends like cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Since NFTs broke out into the mainstream last year, many people quickly jumped in on the hype. Although brands generally utilize NFTs as an investment opportunity, artists have found a platform that allows them to introduce their works to the world.
Fhatuwani Mukheli is a South African artist who dabbles in both traditional and digital art pieces.
As an artist in the digital space, Mukheli shares his works on The Tree, an online market for South African artists where other artists can put their works up for sale as NFTs.
Mukheli also talked about the metaverse, a virtual reality space that allows people to socialize with an entirely new experience.
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“There’s a virtual world where people are buying land in it,” said the artist. “People have properties there, and your art can be on these walls.”
Throughout his artist career, Fhatuwani Mukheli has given his clients both works on the canvas and the NFT. Meanwhile, other artists on The Tree sell up to five limited editions of NFTs apiece, which are equivalent to digital prints.
Since using The Tree, Mukheli has generated thousands of dollars.
However, since making waves, NFTs, blockchains, and digital ledgers have earned criticism for the dangers it poses to the environment.
Compared to other platforms, The Tree runs on Polygon, a blockchain that uses a fraction of the power that others use, saving energy. Polygon also offsets each transaction by sending profit to an environmental organization that plants trees across Sub-Saharan Africa called Greenpop.
“It’s not just about art and artists and the story,” said The Tree co-founder Dan Portal. “It’s about making sure that this growth in technology for artists doesn’t come at a cost to the planet.”
