Nishant
CURATING THE COOL
“I could never follow a trend or try to appease somebody because that’s not what art is like as an artist. I’m supposed to tell them what’s cool. I’m the one that’s curating the cool.”
”I push the boundaries of art; I have my own style and push my aesthetic. I don’t follow any trends – trends will die. I could never follow a trend or try to appease somebody because that’s not what art is like as an artist. I’m supposed to tell them what’s cool. I’m the one that’s curating the cool.”
Nishant is a hugely popular NFT artist with incredible works of art. This first-generation Indian-American’s move from the traditional art scene into NFTs will blow your mind. As a San Francisco native – with a Bachelor of Science degree in Visual Communication Design from the San Francisco State University – he never searched for a job after graduating college. Instead, he packed off to live on his brother’s New York City apartment couch to make it as an artist.
As these stories go, when Nishant arrived in New York City, he met a ‘crazy restaurateur who also owned an art gallery.’ The gallery owner/restaurateur and Nishant immediately struck a deal: he could hold a solo exhibition in his Manhattan gallery, provided he did all his own promotion and catering. And he gave Nishant a day job as a dishwasher.
His show was successful: 300 people attended, and he sold several of his pieces straight off the gallery’s walls. After the costs of promotion and catering, Nishant realized he only barely broke even. The traditional art scene was insular, secretive, and in many ways exclusionary; it shattered his dream of becoming a professional artist. Deflated, he returned to San Francisco.
He befriended a group of up-and-coming rappers and became engrossed in the music scene. They introduced him to NFTs. He joined Twitter in November 2021 and soon after minted his first NFT.
“Web3 art space is the total opposite of the traditional art space. In web3, you build genuine bonds with collectors; they always look out for my best interests. They feel more like investors – they want to see me grow.”
He reflects: “My art is a result of my existence. It is a by-product of my existence. The money is a by-product of that – not my aim. And they get that. “I believe NFTs are the future of the fine art world, breaking barriers and empowering artists. I am forever grateful for the barriers that the NFT space has helped me dissolve and the communities it has led me to form.”
