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3D Artist Andre Oshea
Over the past year, Atlanta-based 3D artist, animator, and world builder Andre Oshea has achieved a string of notable accomplishments leaving a mark on the digital art space. His extensive portfolio encompasses album cover art, logos, illustrations, social media assets, and NFTs in collaboration with Adult Swim, The Grammys, The Oscars, John Legend, and many more.
Originally from Minneapolis, Oshea later moved to Philadelphia and transitioned to a career working as a music producer and DJ. After several years working in music, he moved to Atlanta and embarked on a career as a graphic designer, creating album covers and logos for friends in the music industry, quickly transitioning to 3D motion design. NFTs were a natural step for Oshea, whose first collection was released in March 2021, and whose connections with fellow Black artists in the Web3 space gave him the community and support necessary to break through and find success. Characterized by clean lines and smooth aesthetics reminiscent of classical fine art, his pieces work with muted colors that blur the lines between realism and surrealism.
Photo: Kevin Abosch. Graphic: Daphne Hsia
Kenny Schachter On the Transformative Power of “NFTism”
Kenny Schachter has made a significant mark in the global contemporary art world over the course of a three-decade-long career. With a penchant for curating exhibitions that resonate and provoke, Schachter’s portfolio boasts a myriad of showcases in the world’s top museums and galleries, while his academic pursuits have seen him lecture at the University of Zurich, the School of Visual Arts in New York, and New York University. Beyond the confines of the classroom, Schachter has made literary contributions to works on art stalwarts like Paul Thek and Zaha Hadid.
After decades based in London, the Long Island-born Schachter’s return to New York has been nothing short of eventful. Often dubbed as “the art world’s enfant terrible,” his art critiques, laced with wit and candor, have never shied away from ruffling feathers. Yet it is Schachter’s more recent foray into the realm of NFTs that has garnered him a newfound spotlight, positioning him as the art world’s inside man in an evolving digital frontier.
Image courtesy Accademia delle Arti del Disegno
Bjørn Okholm Skaarup on his Bronze Bestiary
The Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence has transformed into a paradoxical bronze circus, or a “Carnival of the Animals,” thanks to the imaginative work of New York-based Danish artist Bjørn Okholm Skaarup. His exhibition, “Un Bestiario in Bronzo – A Bestiary in Bronze,” is on view through Aug. 31, offering visitors a unique journey into the world of anthropomorphized animals as allegories of human aspirations and follies.
Skaarup’s sculptures and drawings are rooted in the animalier tradition, which dates back to classical antiquity and even beyond to prehistory. All of Skaarup’s sculptures were cast in Florence, and the city’s unrivaled legacy in the arts and sciences is evident in his work. His bronze bestiary draws heavily on inspiration from late Renaissance masters from Florence and Tuscany.
Vueltta co-founders Bay Backner (L) & Adrián Martínez. Photo by Alex Baker
Web3 Producer and Artist Bay Backner
Pioneering Web3 producer and artist Bay Backner is making waves in the digital art world with an innovative blend of metaverse installations, immersive technologies, and traditional oil painting. The founder and director of MESH, an art fair dedicated to creators in the realms of 3D, metaverse, and virtual reality, Backner is also the co-founder of Vueltta, an international art collective known for producing immersive installations in the Decentraland metaverse.
In addition to her leadership roles at Mesh and Vueltta, Backner is the curator of this month’s Metaverse Art Week 2023, and as an artist, boasts a portfolio that spans a variety of mediums and platforms. Backner’s recent work includes “The Muse Headdress” (2022) and “Muses 2 Metaverse Performance” (2022), which underscore her unique ability to merge the time-honored art form of oil painting with the latest technologies, resulting in a distinctive style that pushes the boundaries of digital art.
Agnieszka Pilat. Photo: Aaron Richter
Unveiling the Power of Machines in Art With Agnieszka Pilat
Polish-American artist Agnieszka Pilat redefines the intersection of art and technology by placing machines at the heart of her work, drawing from her European figurative painting background. Her creations, deeply imbued with philosophical undertones, portray machines not just as tools but as entities with their own narratives, reflecting the evolving power dynamics between humans and technology.
Infusing her art with insights gained from her residencies at tech innovators like Boston Dynamics and SpaceX, Pilat’s paintings challenge traditional perspectives, envisioning a future where intelligent machines transcend their roles as mere objects to become dignified protagonists in art, potentially even evolving into art connoisseurs and societal influencers.
