TRASH ARTIST TO GRAFFITI QUEEN: CRYPTOYUNA
Shape #22 by CryptoYuna
NOVEMBER 22ND, 2021
People often talk about Crypto Art Royalty. CryptoYuna, a pioneer for NFT Women’s Arts nicknamed the ‘Graffiti Queen’ definitely falls into this category. One of the first women in ‘Trash Art’ history, working alongside Robness Cyberpop and Max Osiris, she is considered an OG in the NFT community. Her list of contacts reads like a who's who of crypto art legends.
When Paris Hilton decided to 'go big' on NFTs, CryptoYuna was one of the first women artists she followed on Twitter when seeking advice on finding and curating an exhibition showcasing undiscovered female talent. CryptoYuna also created an iconic portrait of mysterious collector Whaleshark, now stored in his NFT vault.
A traditional artist from Missouri with a background of over 20+ years in painting with oils, CryptoYuna is an eclectic artist working in various styles and mediums who transitioned to a full-time digital creator. Her work has been exhibited worldwide in exhibitions including Tokyo and Beijing.
Many of the works have exotic themes from oriental locations. Such as Close Quarters, inspired by the architecture of apartments in Hong Kong.
Artwork from her series Anatomy Shapes has also been collected by other notable artists including Trevor Jones.
CryptoYuna is one of the founding members of the Women of Crypto Art (WOCA) community. We first met when I saw her artwork Rise Above It at the first ever SheARTExhibition in Cryptovoxels.
The artwork symbolizes leaving behind whatever drags us down. Letting go, learning to soar. After 6 months of lockdown, the hopefulness of this art inspired me, lifting me above the chaos of the world. I learned later that this piece is also very special to CryptoYuna.
But I have a confession to make. As a collector, I like to get the inside track on exhibitions and sneak into the London Gallery before the official opening to peek at the art on display. I resolved to buy this piece and made a bid as soon as the launch party was underway. I fully expected other collectors would counter bid before the party was over resulting in a bidding war. Little did I know, my bid would be accepted straight away, making this the first artwork to sell at the historic event.
After seeing the raft of generative profile pic projects, CryptoYuna decided to build a collection of handcrafted artworks. In collaboration with the Graffiti Kings and smart contract creator Arnold from Vrland, The Lost Avatars is a collection of 10,000 beautifully created NFT Avatars with rare traits, randomly generated.
The story goes that the Lost Avatars are an ancient civilization, forced underground during the Industrial Revolution dominated by mega machines. Relics of an Analog Age before digital 0101010101010101 overwhelmed epic myths and legends with cold hard scientific facts. The Lost Avatars were set free by GraffPunks who teamed up with the Lost Avatars to reveal the lost wisdom of the ages and the secrets of Avatar immortality. Joining forces, prismatic paints in hand, they covered virgin surfaces with coded clues tagged within Graffiti on the gritty back streets of London in the darkness of night.
Big on community involvement, CryptoYuna donates many hours to helping promote crypto art and lift the whole community. Asked if she has any words of wisdom for other artists, she says, ‘When you believe that your work is good enough, you don't have to chase people, let them come to you.'
After meeting Darren Cullen of the Graffiti Kings on Twitter and discussing ideas around creating art freely, CryptoYuna was inspired to curate an art exhibition with NO RULES. The two then headed up the largest and most historic all-female art exhibition to ever be held in the Metaverse, entitled GRAFFITI QUEENS. This showcased over 200 artists across 8 locations including Pranksy's Palace in Decentraland.
After the phenomenal success of the first exhibition, CryptoYuna is now planning the 1st-anniversary GRAFFITI QUEENS exhibition in early April 2022. This promises to be bigger and better with more artists, more locations in the Metaverse. The show may even extend to physical art galleries in the US and the UK. No rules to minting, no curation, artists liberated, true graffiti style like Graffiti Babe. The event will be hosted by the Graffiti Kings with DJs and parties throughout the Metaverse and in real life.
Save the date. GRAFFITI QUEENS 2022 is going to be a weekend party you do not want to miss!
For more art from CryptoYuna be sure to check out her website.
