Get Inspired By These 5 Malaysian Women-Led NFT Projects
by Natashya Khoo on Feb 26, 2022
Raise your hand if you’ve heard the term NFT pop up a lot lately but don’t know what it really is. Complicated as it sounds (what in the world does non-fungible token mean?), imagine that you are buying a receipt to own a piece of artwork. You don’t get to take it home, but the receipt proves it’s yours. That’s essentially what owning an NFT is!
While you’d think that it sounds like a male-dominated space when it comes to NFTs, the movement locally has been spearheaded by strong, talented women. Here are 5 Malaysian women who are dominating the NFT scene!
1. Nicole, 8SIAN
8SIAN is the brainchild of Nicole who’s passionate about NFTs. It was launched to celebrate and showcase Asian art and culture, as well as represent Asians in the NFT space. Upon launched, it had built a strong community of Asian women in NFT and it had since continued to strives to foster community in what can feels like a male-dominated, Western space.
8SIAN aims to build a space in the metaverse where 8SIAN owners and community from all around the world can connect and engage in fun activities together. Just recently, 8SIAN had purchased a land in Decentraland for 8SIAN Town and its community. We can't wait to see how it unfolds!
2. Visithra Manikam
Visithra’s story is one that completely turns around, starting off with people telling her that her art wasn’t good enough. Long story short, celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Snoop Dogg and Jimmy Fallon own her NFT art!
Her customer base has expanded to Europe and the US, and her art has accumulated 91 ETH (Ethereum, one of the cryptocurrencies used to purchase NFTs), which is approximate RM1.58 million.
3. Red Hong Yi
One of the bigger names on the list, Red Hong Yi is no stranger to the art scene locally and internationally. She was one of the first artists to delve into the scene, minting Doge To The Moon. The NFT drop consisted of six designs and were what she called meme bank notes.
She also ‘founded’ Memebank, an interactive exhibition where visitors could witness and purchase printed bank notes that she had designed. The exhibition ended when Memebank was ‘closed by the authorities’, where Red Hong Yi hoped to shed light on modern-day corruption.
4. Mumu The Stan
Mumu The Stan is the pseudonym of Munira Hamzah, an artist from KL. A big fan of Linkin Park, it was a dream come true to have Mike Shinoda, Linkin Park band member, stumble across her artwork. He encouraged her to keep going and now, they have a collaboration together.
Also known as Moon, Mumu has sold over 1,800 NFTs so far, with Shinoda owning some pieces too. She is currently working on a series on mental health, incorporating her medication into her art.
5. Vivian Ng Suet Yuan
Vivian is the brain (and hands) behind Niuniu’s Gallery- a space for her art to reside. Her speciality is speed painting, which she does live on YouTube and now mints as NFTs. For Vivian, NFTs are simply another sphere for her art to exist.
During the pandemic, she produced a series to tell stories of the pandemic, and donated part of the proceeds to the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO). Now being involved with local NFT projects, we can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.
Are you into NFTs, fam? Learn along with us!
