1-54 in collaboration with Christie’s presented in 2021 an auction of Nigerian crypto-artist Osinachi’s NFT series Different Shades of Water. The digital artworks associated with the NFTs were on view at 1-54 London 2021, curated by Daria Borisova.
The online NFT auction marked the first NFT by a contemporary African artist offered by Christie’s in Europe and is the first NFT collaboration for 1-54. The digital artworks associated with the NFTs in Different Shades of Water were exhibited at Somerset House during the fair. Christie’s partnership with 1-54 demonstrated the auction house’s commitment to showcasing contemporary African art to their global client base.
Considered Africa’s foremost crypto artist, Osinachi (born Prince Jacon Osinachi Igwe, 1991), is a Nigerian visual artist whose work explores personal experiences within a technological environment. Aesthetically and procedurally, Osinachi’s work explores visible existence as protest by depicting and reimagining how individuals and collectives engage in advocacy for freedom of identity by thwarting societal expectations. This could be through the things they wear, the paraphernalia they adorn themselves with, or simply by being and existing in a form that society frowns upon. He was a finalist for the Bridgeman Studio Award 2019.
The five NFTs from Osinachi’s ongoing series Different Shades of Water, are inspired by David Hockney’s Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972). In this series, Osinachi imagines what the pool would look like with different shades of water, playing with the position of the subject’s body, and exploring how daylight can change our perception of water in a pool. He builds on his signature style to emphasise the relationship between person and water in a world where people have adapted to recreating nature and the natural body. Each piece is a commentary on the endless prioritisation of work and achievements over the wellbeing of the human body. From a technical point of view, the series is a triumph for Osinachi in his quest to digitally create a believable water body across multiple digital paintings. He exclusively uses Microsoft Office to produce his work, pushing the programme’s limited design capabilities. Osinachi believes each piece he creates is a challenge that empowers him to become an even better artist.