Black artists deserve a larger commission check, straight facts. They are on the rise as we look to make our favorite fashion and art pieces more personal. And celebrities are putting in new orders daily.
From superstar athletes to world-renowned rappers, clients are willing to dish a bag for a super customized art piece or super rare fashion collectible.
These days it’s all about one-of-ones. And black artists are making sure they are there for every single come-up opportunity they can get.
Here’s our list of five young black artists on the rise that we think deserve a big ass commission check for their work and creativity.
1. Al-Baseer Holly
Al-Baseer Holly is one hell of an artist. Taking his talents off the canvas it seems as if creative obstacles have become a thing of the past.
Using his connections, Holly has made a tone of movements outside the comfort zone of your regular customization artist. Self-taught, the recording artist, turned contemporary visual artist recently made a move in the right direction.
Meshing the trends, ABH was able to take his creativity to another level by welcoming Bobby Shmurda back home with custom hand-painted Louis Vuitton briefcases.
The Shmurda Kit is getting quite the buzz it deserves since they’ve hit the internet. But there’s more to ABH than just the briefcases. Making a name for himself, ABH’s works have been featured in numerous collaborations.
From his “I see flowers” exclusive drop on NTWRK to his exhibition “2 sides to every story” there a lot in store for the contemporary painter and customization artist.
2. Sierato
Sierato aka Cory Bailey is well-known, unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock. The young black artist has come a long way in his career and is constantly getting new commissions in from superstar athletes.
From James Harden to Trae Young, Sierato creates insane customized sneakers for all his athletic homies.
Customizing sneakers isn’t his only forte and Sierato’s most recent collab with Round21 proves it.
Together, they created an exclusive “Rec Set” that dropped on NTWRK of ping-pong paddles and mini basketball hoops that bring art directly into the realm of play.
Although 2020 was a down year for most of us, some black artists took advantage of the situation and used the time at home to think of new ideas and ways to keep those commissions coming in.
That includes Sierato:
“BEING IN THE HOUSE ALL THE TIME, WITH NOT MUCH ELSE GOING ON JUST KIND OF REALLY GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO REEVALUATE WHAT I HAD GOING ON CONTENT-WISE. I CAME UP WITH NEW SHOW IDEAS, NEW SKETCH IDEAS, JUST A LOT OF NEW CONTENT STUFF THAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE ROLLED OUT.”
– Sierato for KultureHub
3. Destiny Wilson aka The Artvst
The Artvst is on the come up… At 18, her custom sneakers have paid homage to history, Breast Cancer Awareness, even Taco Bell. If anyone deserves a bigger commission check it’s this young black artist.
In her youth she would create wallets out of duct tape and draw so well her teacher though she was tracing images. She would eventually go on to design the cover of her middle school’s yearbook.
Eventually she would pick up a stylus and get “nice” at digital drawing. and then at 15 she would doodle on a pair of sneakers to customize her first pair.
And the rest is history…
Her bag is well overdue.
“As Black people, we’ve faced and continue to face years of oppression. Systems against us that were never intended to work in our favor. We’re tired, but we won’t stop fighting.”
– Destiny Wilson via Instagram
4. Club Bum
I met Club Bum a couple of years ago. Back then he was painting on an enormous canvas for an exhibition. FYI: The canvas was f*cking wild. But to see how far he’s come has been an honor.
His artistic style blew my mind and it still does. The way he manipulates the paint on canvas to distort our favorite cartoon characters into something out of this world is something that can’t be mimicked.
It was no surprise, to me at least, when news came through that he was chosen for Overtime’s Paint Wars web series. What did surprise me we’re how fire his custom sneakers came out.
Who wouldn’t commission the young black artist?
5. Creating Luther
Someone tell this man to put the images back on his gram! We’ve been following Luther for some time and what brought us to his page was his crazy take on sneaker customization.
Creativity and originality are always in style. Designer Odessa has one of the most original and creative IG accounts on the platform right now. He posts original designs for kicks but with a twist. They’re visibly made with outlandish materials.
To be honest, I wouldn’t really know what a commission from this young black artist would look like, but I know that I would absolutely love it.
From a Shmurda Kit to customized sneakers that look so good that you wanna eat em, these five young black artists are destined to get higher commission rates as we continue to body 2021.
Keep your eyes peeled and who knows if you hit em up early you might get your hands of a one of a kind piece someone else will want to invest in later.
Stay creative.
