Expensive doesn’t always mean better, but in the rapidly-growing world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) it’s certainly a way to stand out.
NFT collections entered wider public awareness as they began to sell for eye-watering sums, with the digital collection sold by the artist Beeple through auction house Christie’s for $69 million gaining particular attention.
As the market has expanded, a fair amount of attention has been given to the gender split in NFT creation and ownership. An often-quoted report from ArtTactic found that only 16% of NFT art is by women (based on sales through Nifty Gateway). Though few studies have been done into female NFT ownership, male-dominated cryptocurrency ownership levels suggest a skew may exist in the NFT world too.
Nonetheless, some incredible female-created works have already been sold, and while men are still making the majority of the money (77% of the primary and secondary sales market, according to the same ArtTactic survey), some have also gone for hefty figures.
Here are 5 you should know about this International Women’s Day.
Boss Beauties collection
Market cap: Circa $63.5 million (source: World Coin Index)
When: From September 2021
Founded by: Lisa Mayer
What: A collection of 10,000 digital artworks, showcasing women in roles such as astronauts, chefs and doctors. Boss Beauties is run by a 10-year-old female collective that aims to create opportunities for girls and women through various partnerships. It will display a special collection at the United Nations for International Women’s Day.
Credit: Boss Beauties via PR Newswire
World of Women collection
Market cap: Circa $237.5 million (source: World Coin Index)
When: From July 2021
Founded by: Yam Karkai
What: Another collection of 10,000 unique artworks of women on bold-coloured backgrounds. The collection has been a massive hit, attracting the attention of celebrities including actor Reese Witherspoon, who has not just bought several artworks but partnered with the collection’s founders to make films and TV shows based on it through her media company Hello Sunshine.
Mars House NFT
Sold for: $512,000
When: March 2021
By: Krista Kim
What: The first-ever digital house NFT, created as a ‘3D’ digital file that can be experienced through virtual reality. The open-plan house overlooking a mountain range has floor-to-ceiling walls and a light sculpture and was designed in collaboration with an architect.
WomenRise
Market cap: $12.3 million (source: Rarible)
When: October 2021
Founded by: Maliha Abidi
What: Again – a collection of 10,000 female avatars on various backgrounds (there’s clearly a market here!), a mix of artists, coders and activists. The collection was sold during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence to raise money for NGOs (its website says 7.5% of proceeds go to charitable causes), and the collective behind it supports women working on blockchain-based projects.
WarNymph
Sold for: $6 million
When: March 2021
By: Grimes
What: The musician sold a variety of digital artworks in March 2021, just as NFTs were gaining popularity. They included videos called ‘Death of the Old’, ‘Earth’ and ‘Mars’, all in her signature ethereal style, set to original songs (and because of the nature of NFTs, you can see several of them on YouTube).
