Since 2021, when NFTs caused a great stir in the world of art, many artists have adopted this technological development. It not only makes selling one’s works safer and more convenient, but also helps them reach a wider audience more effectively. Another advantage of the NFT technology is the freedom it gives to a creator. It is especially relevant for those who may have their work censored in the “physical” art world.
Today, we offer you to learn about three internationally famous female artists from the Middle East who successfully sell their NFTs and who call other female art practitioners to follow their lead.
Kristel Bechara (born in Byblos, Lebanon) studied Graphic Design at the American University of Technology, Byblos, where she graduated from in 2006. Since 2007, she has been living in Dubai. Her expressive paintings, photographic images, evoke a sense of joy and freedom of spirit. To create them, she employs a bold colour palette and dynamic patterned forms. Using oil, acrylic paints, and giclée printmaking media, the artist depicts complex emotions and portrays the human condition. The themes she is passionate about are innovation, empowerment, and individuality. Bechara draws her inspiration from travelling to other countries, including Italy, France, Spain, England, and Austria. There, she explores numerous art museums and galleries.
Bechara is the first Arab female artist from the Emirates and the Middle East who has launched and sold her own NFT collection titled Beauty in DeFi. The collection was inspired by the cryptocurrency subculture and theme-related online forums. After having delved into this online world, the artist attempted to visualise what the lingo spoken by the forums’ users would look like if put on the canvas.
When asked why she has opted for NFT to present her art to the world, Bechara answered that it has always been difficult for digital artists to have their work valued on the same scale as “standard” art. “With NFTs or Crypto Art being introduced, it has created a new market for digital art and has given it widespread recognition […],” she said.
Bechara has displayed her art pieces in multiple exhibitions and art events: Affordable Art Fair 21 (London, UK, 2021); Modern Expressions (Galeries Lafayette, 2020); Women In Art (DIFC, Dubai, 2020); Mostra Collectiva (Milan, Italy, 2019); Spring Art Awakening 19 (Barcelona, 2019); Dubai Design Week and A Cultural Flair (both in Dubai, 2018); La Tête D’or (Brussels, Belgium, 2018; and others. In 2018, she also won the UAE Resident Artist Award at World Art Dubai. Besides, the artist has collaborated with renowned brands: Glenfiddich, Lenovo, OnStar (General Motors), Meta (Instagram), Birkenstock, One Off (Quincy Jones), and WIO Bank.
Aya Tarek (born in 1989, Alexandria, Egypt) is a painter, illustrator, and a graffiti artist whose bold bright works with an aesthetic derived from comics evoke a humorous sense of controversy. She has been sharing her street art in Alexandria since 2008 and is well-known for her giant site-specific murals. The artist delves into the notion of urban communication and explores ideas concerned with the surrounding public spaces.
In 2021, Tarek became the first in Egypt to launch a collection of artworks as NFTs. This decision was inspired by her desire to see less control over an artist’s creation. Titled TOKEN, the collection was exhibited at Kodak Passageway, Cairo; the works on view comprised both physical and digital elements. The TOKEN series is devoted to our obsession with consumption and its influence on the Egyptian societal ideals dominating our digital and non-digital realms.
Tarek has showcased her artwork in different shows and events around the world: Omar A Sharif Mural, Antigel Festival (Geneva, 2018); Aya in America (Portland, USA, 2017); Afreaka Festival (São Paulo, Brazil, 2016); World Premiere of a New Mural by Aya Tarek, USF Contemporary Art Museum (Florida, USA, (2015); Djerbahood, Itinerrance Gallery (Djerba, Tunisia, 2014); Cityleaks (Cologne, Germany, 2013); and others. The artist has also received several residencies, which include the Cité Internationale des arts de Paris, France, and Artist in Resident Show at the Arnaldo Pomodoro Foundation, Italy.
Adra Kandil (born in 1993, Lebanon), known as Dear Nostalgia, is a Lebanese visual artist and designer living and working in Beirut. In 2017, she graduated from IED Barcelona, Spain, with a BA degree in Creative Advertising and Branding. In 2018, she received her MA in Coolhunting, Global Trends, and Innovation For Design from Elisava University School of Design and Engineering of Barcelona, Spain.
In her dreamy artworks characterised by vibrant palette, Kandil blends a retro aesthetic and bold modern typography. Juxtaposing vintage and present-day photos, she romanticises collective nostalgia while addressing various current social and trending issues. “My memories […] seem much better than they really were,” Kandil says. “I romanticise memories. That’s the thing with time passing: It glorifies what you once had. I construct from that feeling: the happiness, the melancholy; all of it.” The themes she is especially interested in are women’s rights, gender equality, high-end fashion, and social and political changes in the Middle East.
Kandil’s works have been featured in exhibitions held worldwide: in Lebanon, the USA, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Canada. In 2021, she took part in the region’s first NFT exhibition, NFT M.E. by Emergeast held on OpenSea.io. Her first NFT was sold in under 30 minutes. The same year Kandil became a Gender-Equal Future Finalist at IEMed and in 2022, was among Voice NFT Residency members.
The artist has worked with multiple non-governmental organisations and served as a resident artist for the United Nations Development Programme. Under her belt are collaborations with several famous brands, such as Gucci, Chanel, Roberto Cavalli, Adidas, Dana Hourani, Womena, Jamalouki Magazine, Ounass, and Nour Hammour.
We would also recommend you to read about the Utopic Arabia art duo.
