Everyone is in search of the breakaway crypto that affects all software. The NFT space has provided quite the getaway for some investors, and women in crypto are no exception.
Many artists are clamoring to the newfound space and doing whatever they can to get their pieces minted in hopes of some quick loot. We sat down with Alexandra Grounds – a prolific visual artist, and woman in the crypto world, to get her take on the entire movement.
Alexandra’s stance on the NFT world is similar to many of ours’: “what in the world is it and just how volatile is the market?”
Considering the fact that ownership only occurs in certain contexts, this woman in crypto is making sure that the NFT market is sturdy enough. This way she would be to be able to sell the work that she has spent much of her life developing confidently.
Rather than trying to liquidate all of her tireless efforts, she is maintaining patience and ensuring that all proper protocols are completed prior to committing to the NFT art space.
Alexandra Grounds is a visual artist focused on oil paintings from Scottsdale AZ. She has been stationed in a New York studio for the past few years. She studies visual art at Columbia University and has had her work displayed at the WTC and in galleries countrywide.
Her work focuses on femininity and the over-sexualization of women. She enjoys the large-scale sculpture – 8×6 feet being her favorite canvas with paintings that serve up photorealism and pop art mixtures.
Dipping her toes in the NFT wavepool…
Kulture Hub: What has your experience been like selling your artwork as an NFT digital asset?
Alexandra Grounds: I’m in the beginning phases of creating a digital gallery. There I will release a couple of different drops of my work. Space is totally taking off right now – I feel like I’m in the middle of an art movement.
There is a ton of clutter in the space as everyone is making everything in NFT right now. I think when this bubble ends what is going to be left is actual real quality work that people have created.
I think NFT creates a new movement that puts the agency back into the artist’s hands. Before it was just going through art galleries and having a middleman totally eliminates that. Not everyone has the ability to walk into an art gallery and purchase something whereas NFTs open that space.
The angle that I love about it – the reason that I am interested in this — is the merging of the physical and the digital. I think that’s a pretty incredible concept with visual arts that hasn’t been possible before.
Alexandra Grounds
So I’m actually taking NFCs and putting them into the paintings themselves. They will go underneath the paint so that when you scan the QR code it blows the painting up into the digital world.
[On NFT platforms] I am considering Open Sea. Charged Particles is the new one that is interesting. A lot of artists on there are pushing boundaries which is my goal. I’m not totally sure yet.
Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame. But Alexandra Grounds is in it for the long game
KH: How do you think the NFT space has flipped the attention economics? How has the standpoint flipped in the NFT space in terms of garnering attention?
AG: These prices have never been seen before. The auctions are going insane and a lot of this is people trying to money grab and make as much cash as they can. I think will cause it to crash at some point.
Visual art specifically has a value that rises steadily throughout the years. That’s how it has always worked. Right now, there are no rules and things are sort of popping off everywhere.
On the other hand, it is interesting because it’s bringing attention to artists. People that have never had this much attention before and digital art has never been in the spotlight like it is. I think that they deserve the spotlight but I don’t know if it is going to last in the same way that it is right now.
I think for artists that are talented and making cool stuff that is a great thing and it is bringing attention to these people and hopefully, that lasts.
Alexandra Grounds
Alexandra’s work drives home the details with vigilance and nuance
KH: How does your work reshape the familiar contexts and concepts surrounding hypersexualisation of women in male-dominated spaces?
AG: In my experience, a lot of my work is reflective of myself, my friends and my own life experiences. I think embracing sexuality and femininity in a lot of women is what makes them feel empowered.
Some of my work is very direct so I try to embrace the bold side of empowerment. If a woman feels sexy and powerful that is an incredible thing so I’m trying to highlight that.
AG gets straight to the point about women in crypto
KH: I think that’s the only way to do it is to be direct in terms of the fact that the female body is an artwork. Yet, it can be seen as taboo in nature.
But, at the same time, we are so desensitized to war and violence and things that are much worse than the nude female body. So, we really appreciate what you’re doing over there.
AG: Thank you very much, it’s funny you say that. I am unable to post my work on some of my social media platforms and that in and of itself is a problem.
“That means the social channels are trying to silence the people who are embracing that and trying to bring it forward in a positive way so a lot of work has to be done.”
Alexandra Grounds
Whether you like them or not or whether you find them tasteful or not – you can’t ignore them. So it’s always going to be a topic that we talk about, because it’s the human body it is always going to be there.
The way that society talks about that is a shifting trend. Still, it will always be an issue that is spoken about. Inevitably, humans are drawn to anatomy so it will always be something that people talk about.
This young woman strives to make a difference for women in crypto
KH: How does your work symbolize limitless power?
AG: First of all, the most powerful woman that I know is who I try to put into the work. Also, women’s stories I want to capture and share, like the stances they are in or how they’re taking something that is looked down upon so often and fully embracing it. Being like this is who I am. This makes me feel strong.
The limitless power comes from within and how that person embraces who they are and uses that for themselves and the people around them.
Alexandra Grounds
I see myself as someone who is a catalyst for that. I’m just trying to capture power within a painting whether it be the glimpse of an eye or the stance of a woman. That is something that I always strive to do.
The importance of redefining roles and the significance of the male gaze
AG: The male gaze is the center of why I paint. Women have always dealt with the male gaze and I am trying to question whether or not women actually want to completely diminish or if they ever will be able to diminish it.
That is part of what feminists are trying to do. Shed light on the other side: like what is the female gaze? But, women sometimes find empowerment from the male gaze. So I am just trying to bring that up and talk about it more than anyone else is.
In conclusion…
Kulture Hub is thankful for Alexandra Grounds’ time. We strive to break the mold on traditional topics and provide the content that makes a difference.
We hope you enjoyed this NFT art space conversation. And, that you were able to learn directly from a woman in the crypto space and conclude a few nifty takeaways in the meantime.
Continue to follow and support Alexandra Grounds on her website here.