As non-fungible token (NFT) sales continue to explode to new heights, experts and aficionados across the world of art and finance agree: NFTs are here to stay. Though the burgeoning market just came into its own during the first quarter of 2021, the digitized collectibles keep making history, with a massive $88.9 million in registered NFT sales taking place over the 24 hour period from Oct. 17 to Oct. 18 alone. Now, following the launch of Miami-based artist Maria “Masha” Tokareva’s own NFT project this past Oct. 26, with her signature ‘Miss Frais’ collection finally taking itself digital on the Solana-powered blockchain, Tokareva looks to bring her own success in the NFT space to bestow mentorship and educational opportunities to other burgeoning artists, beginning with a list of number of high-profile events at the 2021 iteration of Art Basel.
As a fixture within the Miami art scene, Tokareva’s own palpable paintings have received their own global acclaim, landing the pieces into renowned art fairs like Art Basel. Now, her talked-about ‘Miss Frais’ collection, which takes a colorful and women-centric spin on Tokareva’s personal interpretation of the range of human emotions, has been made available for purchase online in a limited run of 6,969 NFTs. Long-time fans of Tokareva’s work and newfound connoisseurs of the digital art space alike have been buzzing about the NFT project since its launch, touting the premier chance to own a reputable piece of art from the physical world within the fast-growing NFT space, which is only estimated to continually increase in value over time.
With more than 6 years under her belt of working as a professional artist, Tokareva’s widespread esteem for her physical pieces throughout the international art world adds an extra dose of credibility to her online project. Indeed, this is not Tokareva’s principal jump into the blockchain and crypto space, as the artist’s participation in the North American Bitcoin Conference, Art Decentralized Nikki Beach, and Blockshift Mana Wynwood have helped establish Tokareva as one of the premier experienced female artists bridging the gap between NFTs and real, tangible art, a void she now hopes to help other artists fill underneath her deft direction.
Now, Tokareva has major plans to take half of all income earned from her personal Miss Frais NFT project and reinvest it into qualifying the NFT space. Acting as a mentor to three specific artists, Tokareva will help bring them into the novel tokenized digital art space, with the craftsman being carefully selected by a jury committee, well known figures in the contemporary art sphere and top professionals within the crypto industry.
Partaking in Loading Festival, a Miami-based event at the onset of Art Basel on Nov. 30, Tokareva and the Miss Frais NFT collection will contribute in amplifying digital creativity, encouraging others to follow in her footsteps. Tokareva will then participate in DCentralcon, one of the most important NFT and DeFi events of the year that takes place in the massive Miami Airport Conference Centre (MACC) the first weekend of December, simultaneously securing a place for the Miss Frais collection in one of the first 100% NFT art galleries of its kind within the convention.
With the goal of transcending beyond an NFT collection and into a bona fide movement, all eyes are peeled on Tokareva and her team for the educational opportunities they aim to provide the general public and other burgeoning artists alike entering the world of digital art, making this once-exclusive space accessible and understandable for all.