'Africa's Foremost Crypto Artist' Osinachi Announces African Creator Accelerator Program on MakersPlace

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Sep 22, 2022, 12:00 ET

Program incentives include premiering artworks in an online MakersPlace exhibition and display at a booth during Art Week Miami

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Osinachi, the self-taught Nigerian digital artist, establishes his own accelerator program on MakersPlace, the premier marketplace for rare and authentic digital fine art, to onboard African creators and establish an enriched community in the NFT art world. Artists of all levels currently residing in Africa are eligible to be accepted into the program, and if selected, their artwork will be featured in an online exhibit on MakersPlace that will be announced on November 3, timed to coincide with the opening of Art X Lagos. Six accelerator winners, curated by Osinachi, will also be invited to exhibit two additional artworks at the SCOPE art show during Art Week Miami in December.

Osinachi, born Prince Jacon Osinachi Igwe, grew up in the commercial city of Aba, Nigeria, and has been meddling with computers and utilizing his personal experiences to create digital images since he was 13 years old. Since his first entrance into the crypto art scene in 2017, Osinachi's work has also been displayed in several exhibits around the world including Zurich, London, and New York.

"I was born in Aba, Nigeria, with limited access to a computer, let alone any exposure to digital art. I feel so honored to have risen in the space so quickly, and I want to return the favor to leading digital artists in Africa. I know from personal experience how challenging it can be to be creative with limited resources, and I want to highlight these talented artists in Africa to show the world how gifted these designers truly are. MakersPlace is helping me provide the opportunity to shine a light on Africa's talent and raise awareness for my fellow gifted designers," said Osinachi.

As the first African NFT artist to auction his work at Christie's Europe, Osinachi has been described as "Africa's foremost crypto artist." He has transformed the industry by utilizing Microsoft Word as his medium to illustrate beautiful, colorful, figurative portraits that consider masculinity, homophobia, gender roles, and other topics.

Osinachi is looking to inspire other African designers and artistic creators to help cultivate an enriched crypto art scene and build awareness for arts in Africa with his newest accelerator program on MakersPlace. Whether they are emerging artists or premium-level designers, Osinachi is looking to promote these African digital creators to help accelerate their professional artistic careers.

Applications are open for three weeks and the submission deadline for all participants is Oct. 12. After Osinachi selects the winners, MakersPlace will feature the six artists' pieces on its homepage. The MakersPlace Exhibit will launch Thursday, Nov. 3, to coincide with Art X Lagos, Africa's largest art fair. Osinachi will also launch his newest artwork on Nov. 10 on MakersPlace.

Art Miami is America's leading contemporary and modern art fair. This year, the six creators will have the opportunity to exhibit a second and third mint at Art Miami, presented by Osinachi.

"Osinachi is truly a gifted artist and we're honored to help him cultivate awareness for the emerging and premium-level artists in Africa. Our combined vision will help create a new appreciation for talented African artists and we're honored to help accelerate their professional careers," said Craig Palmer, CEO of MakersPlace.

About Osinachi

Osinachi (born Prince Jacon Osinachi Igwe) is a 30-year-old digital artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. The first crypto artist out of Africa, he has been in the NFT space for about five years now, making artworks that mirror his personal experiences through a unique visual language that he has perfected over 15 years. His practice has led to conversations around NFTs and how works produced in the space speak to a larger humanity.

In addition to numerous collaborations with big players in the art world, Osinachi auctioned five unique NFTs last year in Europe. The project which was a three-way collaboration between him, Christie's Europe and 1-54 Art Fair marked the first time the auction house would present NFTs in Europe, the first exhibition of NFTs at the art fair, and made Osinachi the first African to achieve such a feat, among other milestones.

More recently, he launched the widely successful pfp/avatar project Across the Face which marked the first time we would see two NFT platforms form a partnership for the launch of a singular project.

About MakersPlace

MakersPlace is the premier NFT marketplace for digital art. Launched in 2018, MakersPlace utilizes blockchain technology to facilitate the sale of authentic, original digital artwork, ensuring rarity and ownership for both creators and collectors. MakersPlace has emphasized accessibility since its inception, and has attracted a large mainstream audience as the first NFT marketplace to accept both cryptocurrency (ETH) and non-cryptocurrency (USD) payments, which it facilitates through crypto wallet and credit card transactions, respectively. MakersPlace helped catapult digital art and NFTs onto the global stage, with the historic sale of Beeple's Everydays: The First 5000 Days for $69.3 million in partnership with Christie's auction house in March 2021 – the record price for any digital artwork. Our mission is simple: to enable a vibrant future for digital creativity.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE MakersPlace