Visithra Manikam Beats Discrimination & Makes RM1.5 mil from NFT

by Idlan

30 November 2021

in Tech

Reading Time: 3 mins read

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Before we get into Visithra Manikam innovative method to share her art, let’s dive into a short intro for cryptocurrency. A few techies and anarchists were the only ones who gave Bitcoin considerable attention when it was initially released more than a decade ago. Nevertheless, cryptocurrencies have taken the world by storm in the present day.

Over 10,000 alternative ‘coins’ are currently in circulation, and it has many uses. And one of them is aiding artists in selling their work more fairly.

Mixed-media artist Red Hong Yi and street graffiti artist Katun are two examples of Malaysian artists getting on board with Non-Fungible Token (NFT).

Presently, another Malaysian musician named Visithra Manikam has risen to the top of OpenSea’s Non-Fungible Token (NFT) marketplace rankings.

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Struggles in Kuala Lumpur’s Art Scene

Visithra’s struggle to enter into Kuala Lumpur’s art scene attributes to the discrimination Indian artists encounter in Malaysia.

Despite her participation in numerous exhibitions, the gallery artists and fellow artists have shown a lack of respect for her.

“Very few Malaysian Indian artists get opportunities in the top Malaysian art galleries, nor in government-funded exhibitions… I’ve been in shows where I’m the token Indian. Between January and September 2019, there were 71 exhibitions in the top nine galleries – only six shows featured Malaysian Indian artists.

“When I brought this up, I was told my art wasn’t good enough; it was too ‘Indian’. However, at the same time, we see those who culturally appropriate our art and culture getting solo exhibitions with these galleries,” Visithra recounted to The Vibes.

Non Fungible Token to the Rescue (feat. Snoop Dogg)

To date, she has sold more than RM1.5 million (91 ETH) worth of her artwork in the form of NFTs. Which she began selling online earlier this year.

“The NFT community is really welcoming. I started off as a stranger in late June, made friends, and then started building my collector base,” said the artist.

Snoop Dogg, a multi-hyphenated celebrity mogul and NFT collector, has also shown an interest in her work.

“Snoop is really the sweetest. He came into the community as an anonymous collector, and only after gaining traction, he revealed who he was,” she said.

Visithra continues, “He sent me a DM (direct message), and we had a conversation about my art. He wanted to know which were significant, and I shared pieces that I hadn’t minted (put up for sale), and he picked three.”

Other celebrities who have shown an interest in her work include Reese Witherspoon and Jimmy Fallon.

“I now have more than 190 collectors are from the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Poland, China, Latin America, Europe, and more. Today, I’m one of the top Malaysian NFT artists and on the journey to being verified by OpenSea.”