Art is the best way to create and experience a new reality.
September 27, 2023
How the NFT Community Is Uplifting Ukrainian Artists
Extreme events can bring the best or the worst of people. There will always be mixed opinions in critical situations, like political disputes—Who's right? Who's wrong?
Recently, with the military operation in Ukraine, there has been a notable economic impact. Then, why did we choose to talk about art today? How can NFTs become a topic of discussion? The answer tackles more than one matter; however, we'll focus on the community.
Art allows a new perception of things and events occurring. NFT art has become more than just an aesthetic asset, more than a digital token, more than something to hold or appreciate—more than something to brag about. The NFT community has joined to help support those in need, beyond races, borders, or wars.
Donations with a message
People from all around the world got involved in helping Ukraine citizens however they could. NFT creators and artists got together, started different fundraisings, and destined their NFT sales to help the country. These are some examples:
RELI3F
RELI3F is a humanitarian aid initiative founded by NFT/web3 artists. In February, they deployed 185 ETH to three different founds, which collectively supported medical and psychological help for soldiers; local journalism combating disinformation, health and medical supplies; and protective and technical equipment.
Artists for Peace
TIME launched a web3 community and NFT initiative called Artists for Peace. More than 60 global TIMEPieces artists helped create a collection of 1 of 1 NFTs to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. All artists involved generously donated their work.
Some of the featured artists include: Alessandro Gottardo, Allison Dayka, BAEIGE, J.N. Silva, John Knopf, John Mavroudis, Julie Pacino, Kendall Chambers, Kwame aka DarkMythst, Lethabo Huma, Marc Burckhardt, Mariana Pedroza, Pablo Stanley (CEO and founder of Bueno), Parin Heidari, Peter Arkle, REO, Raul Munoz, Showdeer, Steve Warner, Tim O'Brien, Toppy Eton, among others. It is essential to mention that 100% of proceeds are destined to support humanitarian & relief efforts for Ukraine.
1:1 artworks from TIMEPieces artists.
UkraineDAO
UkraineDAO is an autonomous decentralized organization created by Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot, PleasrDAO and Trippy Labs' members. Its purpose is to donate all the funds from selling a 1 of 1 Ukrainian flag.
To put it simply, they used web3 to give a voice to those in need. UkraineDAO has fully disclosed how the funds will be distributed for nonprofits that help those affected by the conflict with Russia to keep all the processes and transactions clear and transparent.
Discover more: Nadya is a political activist and advocate for women's equality. Learn more about her artwork in this article of women thriving in the NFT industry.
Worldwide, people are still joining to help Ukraine, creating new NFT projects to gather funds and finding other ways to support the country. At the same time, Ukrainians are raising their voices, expressing themselves through art, getting together, and fighting back.
How the NFT community responded to the geopolitical crisis represents that the creators and artists are getting together for something more than the art itself. They recognize the struggle of others, in this case, of a whole country. But in times like this, web3 is a huge opportunity to get funds for people in need and contribute to making a change in real life.
4 Ukrainian NFT artists you can support
It is crucial to uplift artists who are going through adversity. We hope that gestures like the ones described in this article take us closer as a community and further as artists.
1. Yura Miron
Based in Kyiv, Ukraine, Yura found his medium for art through music, virtual and augmented reality, and generative art. He works with themes such as science fiction, consciousness and reality, and the future of technology and nature. He's considered to be one of the OGs in the NFT space.
2. Lisa Bukreyeva
Lisa is a photographer that recently launched her first NFT collection. She's been sharing her experience on Twitter each day since the invasion started. She tries to create consciousness around how this is affecting everyone's life. For Lisa, her photos are a way of capturing the essence and changing perspective of her life in Ukraine.
3. Mykola Dosenko
Mykola has been an independent artist since 2007. Some of his clients include A24, Coca-Cola, Nickelodeon, Tumblr, and EA Sports. He's currently growing presence in the NFT community and he recently collaborated with other local NFT artists to help raise funds for Ukrainian charities.
4. Waone Interesni Kazki
Waone is a well-known contemporary artist. He is now selling some of his most famous paintings as NFTs. From all the money collected, 50% will be for Ukrainian charities, defense, and medical supplies.
The role of NFT art in bringing people together
We are grateful for having such an amazing NFT community who care about each other and support one another. This is just an example of how the whole world can unite under a single cause.
From our side, as the team behind Bueno, we're proud of having the opportunity to contribute to this industry, creating a no-code tool to help others make their ideas a reality, and use their art in so many different ways, that now creators can even support people in other countries!
We'd love to know, in your opinion, what's the best part of the NFT space? What do you think of the new doors web3 is opening for all? Drop us a line @buenonft and share your comments!
