Token of art

A Bahraini multi-disciplinary creative has launched her first collection of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) with further crypto art to come.

NFTs are unique computer-generated codes that are embedded into assets, like art pieces, music, in-game items and videos, enabling them to be traded and verified for authenticity.

Around the world, including Bahrain, which hosted its first NFT MENA exhibit in March this year, artists are integrating NFTs into their work and Khawla Kellie Danar is no exception.

The 28-year-old self-taught professional artist unveiled her NFTs earlier this month on SolSea, the biggest platform on Solana that introduces NFTs with embedded licences, lowest trading fees and real-time analytics from on-chain data. Solana is a high-performance blockchain that supports builders around the world in creating crypto apps that scale today.

“I myself have been investing in Solana art since 2021,” said Khawla from Hamad Town.

“Creating my own collection of NFTs was naturally the next step of my journey as a professional artist. I never want to limit myself or my art and becoming digital was definitely a goal I wanted to accomplish.

“I believe NFTs and digital artwork is the next chapter and evolution for collecting art.”

Crypto art is digital art that uses blockchain technology to verify ownership and blockchain is a digital ledger that is distributed across a network.

Khawla’s series was inspired by her original oil paintings called The divine feminine. After editing them on Photoshop, she turned the ‘in-real-life’ painting into 12 unique digital artworks which she dubbed HER.

“I chose to name the collection HER because to me it’s a powerful word,” she added. “HER is strength, empowerment, fierceness and also kindness, caring and empathy.

“HER is all those things to me, but it also can be whatever you take from it. Everything including art is subject. The collection is made up of 12 NFTs of the same ‘in real life’ painting with different colour traits that make them unique and one of a kind, yet cohesive.

“I wish all my NFTs find new owners and I’m hoping this collection will be the first of many artworks that I will create on the Solana NFT blockchain. This collection is an experiment in preparation for more impressive fine art to come for the Solana blockchain.”

Khawla chose to use Solana because she says it is more environmentally friendly and charges lower gas fees than similar Ethereum platforms.

Ethereum is a decentralised, open-source blockchain with smart contract functionality. Ether is the native cryptocurrency of the platform and is the second only to Bitcoin in market capitalisation.

As Khawla continues to create, she is also preparing for her first solo art exhibition that will be staged at the British Club Bahrain on October 13.

For details, follow @khawlakellieart on Instagram.