KOCHI: NFT being an emerging platform,especially one that thrives on technological sanctity, bringing a whole community of artists on board is not easy. Anantha Krishnan Nadamel, a 23-year-old self-taught digital artist and designer, took it up as a personal responsibility to educate and mobilise more artists to showcase their art and created the community NFT Malayali, which holds extensive sessions on Clubhouse and other social media platforms about monetising art digitally. His co-founder, Texas-based NFT artist Melvin Thambi extensively sells on the creative platform Foundation.
Nadamel started his NFT tenure in March after hearing about it from a friend. He entered the selling space on Twitter and made four sales in two days on International platforms. So far, he has made around 25 sales worth approximately H20 lakhs, the most number any Indian NFT artist can claim. “The best part is, even after I sell an artwork, for every secondary sale made, I receive a certain amount as royalty,” he says. But after having sold so many pieces, he admits to having reached a level of saturation. “NFT in artworks similar to any other industry — there is a strong demand and supply concept. Once you have hit a ceiling in terms of your brand as an artist, you have to wait for demand to grow organically,” says Nadamel, who is a multi-disciplinary creator specialising in 3D artworks.
“Most collectors are not very aware of what to buy at this point. They collect and resell in secondary markets based on a whim. Coming from a fine arts background, I am attracted more to a certain kind of aesthetic, while someone else might love 3D. I have sold four artworks and bought 14 so far. Through our NFT Malayali community, we are trying to get more people equipped to understand and deal on the platform,” says Melvin. The duo believes NFT’s current state to be similar to that of the Internet’s reputation in the 90s. “Nobody knew it is going to be this huge. Likewise, what we see now in crypto art is the beginning of something huge, and this is the right time to invest,” says Melvin.
By conducting active sessions on Twitter, Clubhouse and Discord, the duo is now helping many local artists digest the technology and know-how of presenting themselves as NFT artists. The venture that started with less than 10 members a couple of months ago, now has around 600 artists under its fold. Adeeb Abdul Salam, a blockchain expert offers the community necessary tech support while Shaarif Nazir is the moderator and host. Mahesh Krishnan is the content creation expert for NFT Malayali.
@nftmalayalai on Instagram