Themed “Myths & Memes,” the exhibition, which Vimal Chandran, an artist, edited, was Kochis’s first art exhibition at the NFT. Put together by 101 Indian NFT creators project, Myths and Memes features works from 14 NFT artists. Artist Vimal Chandran has gathered works from top artists of the Indian NFT Scene. The 14 prominent NFT artists included are Reshidev RC, Vidya aka Vabyvel, Archan Nair, Vimal Chandran, Rima Kallingal, Ajay Menon, Prasad Bhat, Sachin Samson, Satish Acharya, and the board of Merkabah.
The artists in various genres are digital artists working in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional, artists working in the field of generative art, and editorial cartoonists. Myths & Memes showcases 101 artists who have worked with the collaboration, including Indias Shazi Umar, Fahad Hussain, Rajni Gadhvi, Varun Desai, and Jybin Joseph. Content related to the artists and the arts will be uploaded to the 101 India Social Channels and YouTube Channels.
Jaydeep Singh, founder and MD, 101 India, along with the Offbeet Media Group, who organised Myths & Memes, said their project, NFT Creators, tapped into the narratives of emerging advancements, created bridges between the ancient myths and the digital memes, reached cultural touchstones and celebrated the meme. The goal is to bring the NFT art into the mainstream and reach out to people, educating them on the same, while at the same time creating a space for emerging artists to explore the medium and realise its potential, said Jaydeep Singh. Ajay Menon had been playing around with the idea of film-related NFT projects and discussing the scene with Vimal Chandran, an Indian NFT artist, when he met Jaydeep Singh, the founder of OffBeet Media Company, which 101 India is part of, and the 101 India NFT creators project took shape after a few conversations.
With Sotheby’s and Christie’s handling the auctions for the NFTs, says artist Vimal Chandran, the art from NFTs is here to stay. Vimal Chandran, the exhibition curator, says that through NFT art, artists with visual effects get a chance to showcase their creative work and earn their livelihood. Hundreds of young and emerging artists are making names for themselves, trading their artworks through NFT platforms, with no curators or galleries to assist.
The representations of mythology, folklore, and modern-day representations in Sachin Samson’s art, as well as that of Berlin-based digital artist and illustrator Archana Nair, are multilayered and complicated. While not all works adhere to the rigid definitions of mythology as defined by 101 Indian Stories, this is a role for every individual artist, in which contemporary mythology is merged with mythology to create.
