Osinachi (digital artist)

Osinachi
Born
Aba, Nigeria
EducationUniversity of Nigeria Nsukka
Websitehttps://osinachi.com

Prince Jacon Osinachi Igwe Listenⓘ (born in 1991), commonly known as Osinachi, is a Nigerian visual and digital artist.[1][2][3] Described as "Africa's foremost crypto artist,"[4] he often uses Microsoft Word as his medium.[5] Osinachi was the first African artist to have his work digitally auctioned as an NFT by Christie's in Europe.[6]

Early life

Growing up, Osinachi occasionally wrote poems and short stories before discovering his artistic voice while practicing on his computer's Microsoft Word.

He briefly worked in the Civil Service before committing fully to arts career.[7]

Education

Osinachi gained admission in University of Nigeria Nsukka to study library and information science.

Career

Osinachi entered the crypto art scene in 2017.[8][9] In 2020, he held his debut solo show, Osinachi: Existence as Protest, at the Kate Vass Galerie in Zürich, Switzerland.[2] In 2021, Osinachi garnered attention for selling $75,000 worth of NFTs in 10 days.[10]

Osinachi partnered with the Mohamed Amin Foundation to release NFTs for a catalog featuring 2.5 million photographs and over 5,000 hours of video content. The project launched $Afrofuture, an Ethereum-based social currency.[11]

In 2021, 1-54 and Christie's collaborated in an online auction of Osinachi's series Different Shades of Water, making him the first African NFT artist to be featured. The series was inspired by David Hockney's 1972 painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures). The artworks were displayed at Somerset House.

Work and reception

Osinachi's work has been described as "engagingly political, drawing from conversations on political matters, gender, tradition and race."[12] Writing about the art market in 2020, curator Jason Bailey called Osinachi "the best of what the coming generation of artists has to offer."[13]

Osinachi: 'The other Pool Day'

In 2023, Osinachi's, The Other Pool Day an accompanying print of the Non-fungible token bearing the Nigerian artist signature was published by Taschen a German art-book publishing company as a book titled On NFTs: Art Edition No1-100 documenting profiles of 101 key artists in the NFT space, 10 academic essays on arts and the first of its kind survey in the arts contemporary medium. The print was available for purchase at $2,500 in crypto.[14]

Abitt: The Second Renaissance is Coming

In 2023 Toledo Museum of Arts, Ohio announced that it will host the inaugural digital artist -in-residence as part of a strategy to integrate digital arts. Osinachi will be named as digital artist-in-residence affording him with an opportunity to explore stained glass and other physical materials. After eight months in Ohio, he completed Abitt: The Second Renaissance is Coming a characteristically vibrant portrait of a figure outside in a city with highway signs opposite a street art mural which was auctioned by Christie's.[15][16] Osinachi during an art event said:

The artist served as the digital artist in residence at the Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio, for a nine-month period concluding in December. This marked the artist's first time in the United States. The museum initiated the residency as part of a deliberate effort to engage with digital art, rather than responding to trends, while also supporting local artists.[16]

In my work, in particular in Toledo, I make 1/1 art. ABITT is the model we go by; it stands for “Art Brings Toledo Together.” I do all my work using Microsoft Word. It is all about Toledo's past, present, and future. This quiet city is working together for the upliftment of Toledo. I had the pleasure of making a stained glass artwork during my residency here. At the residency, what we hope will happen, is that museums across the world see what we’re doing here and want to do things with digital artists, too.[16]

Collaborations with Afrobeats

A record label, Mavin Records collaborated with Osinachi in 2021 going on to merge and mint animated digital arts with Afrobeats music produced by record label executive, Don Jazzy.[17]

Exhibitions

Solo

  • 2020: OSINACHI: Existence as Protest at Kate Vas Galerie, Zurich
  • 2025: Iconoclast, Kate Vas Galerie, Digital Art Mile, Art Basel Week, Basel, Switzerland

Group

  • 2019: Daydreaming, Artoja, Lagos, Nigeria
  • 2021: Reloading...., Art x Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
  • 2021: Different Shades of Water at Somerset House with Christie's and 1-54, London
  • 2023: Postcard, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
  • 2023: Breadcrumbs: Arts in the Age of NFTism, Nagel Draxler Galerie, Berlin
  • 2023: Block Party: Encountering NFTs in the Middle East at Art Dubai
  • 2023: The Next Wave: Miami Edit, Christie's, Faena Forum, Miami, USA
  • 2023: How High the Moon, Elsewhere ( The NFT Gallery), New York, USA
  • 2023: A Digital Transcendence: The Intersection of Art and Tech; SuperRare, O×17 Gallery, New York
  • 2023: Peer-to-Peer, Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo, USA
  • 2023: Africa Here, MakersPlace, SCOPE Art Show, Miami, USA
  • 2023: Web to Verse, Modal Gallery, the School of Digital Arts, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, England
  • 2024: SuperRare × CoCollectors, LUME Studios, New York, USA
  • 2024: Untitled Art Fair, Kate Vas Galerie, Miami, USA
  • 2025: MASCULINITY, Quantum Galerie, Berlin
  • 2025: Neo-Techne: Art in the Age of the Machine, Museum of Art and Light, Manhattan, USA

Collections

  • Museum of Art and Light, Manhattan, USA
  • Museum of Modern Arts (MoMA) Post-Card Project, New York
  • Museum of Crypto Arts (MoCA)
  • Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio
  • Buffalo AKG Art Museum, New York
  • Batsoupyum
  • Artnome

Art Residency

  • 2023: Digital Artist-in-Residence at Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio
  • 2025: Artist-in-Residence at Rockefeller Belliago, Lake Como Italy

Recognition

Osinachi was named one of the 100 most influential Africans of 2022 by New Africa for "breaking Africa's crypto boundaries".[18] He was a finalist for the 2019 Bridgeman Studio Award.[19]

Personal life

Osinachi is Igbo .His studio is based in Lagos.[20]

Influences

When asked in an interview about artists that have influenced his process and style of work, Osinachi mentioned Nigeria visual artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby, American trio Tschabalala Self, Devan Shimoyama, Kehinde Wiley.[21]

Publications

  • Lorenz, Trish (2022). Speaking Out: Osinachi on Art and Nigerian Identity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781009211857.
  • Alice, Robert (2023). On NFTs. Art Edition No. 1-100, Osinachi 'The Other Pool Day'. Taschen. ISBN 9783836596756.

References

  1. ^ Onukwe, Alexander O. (19 March 2021). "How Nigeria's leading crypto artist makes and sells NFTs". TechCabal. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b Badewa, Collins (13 February 2020). "Meet Osinachi, The Crypto artist Fronting The Tokenized Artwork Movement In Africa". Morebranches. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  3. ^ Ables, Kelsey (5 May 2021). "Beeple digital art sale doesn't reflect the underground crypto community". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  4. ^ Ume, Lydia. "How Africa's Foremost Crypto Artist Is Changing The Way We Perceive Masculinity". A Nasty Boy. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  5. ^ Sarlin, Jon (30 March 2021). "NFTs have completely transformed these digital artists' lives". CNN Business. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  6. ^ Ndukwe, Ijeoma (13 January 2022). "Nigerian NFT artist Osinachi: The work created by using a word processor". BBC Business. Lagos. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  7. ^ African, New (1 October 2021). "Osinachi's work to be first NFT auction for African artist". New African Magazine. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  8. ^ "Nigerian NFT artist Osinachi: The work created by using a word processor". 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Nigerian NFT artist Osinachi: The work created by using a word processor". BBC. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  10. ^ Gerlis, Melanie (30 September 2021). "Osinachi to offer first African artist's NFT at Christie's Europe". Financial Times. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  11. ^ Africa, Forbes (17 July 2021). "Why NFTs Are Having An Arty Moment". Forbes Africa. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  12. ^ Kwaifa, Aliyu (4 July 2021). "Nigerian Artists Bank On Crypto-Art". Daily Trust. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  13. ^ Bailey, Jason (27 January 2020). "2020 Art Market Predictions". Artnome. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  14. ^ "On NFTs. Art Edition, Osinachi 'The Other Pool Day'. TASCHEN Books". www.taschen.com. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Abitt: The Second Renaissance is Coming". emuseum.toledomuseum.org. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  16. ^ a b c Lee, Erika (28 November 2023). "Gateway Miami: Q&A With FVCKRENDER, Osinachi, Jenni Pasanen & Ryan Koopmans". nft now. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  17. ^ Esomnofu, Emmanuel (26 October 2021). "Visual Artist Osinachi on NFTs, Afrobeats, and Crypto Literature". Open Country Mag. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  18. ^ "100 Most Influential Africans". newafricanmagazine.com. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  19. ^ Eyimegwu, Ekene (20 April 2022). "Leading Artists In Nigeria's NFT Scene". Connectnigeria Articles. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  20. ^ Lorenz, Trish, ed. (2022), "Speaking Out: Osinachi on Art and Nigerian Identity", Soro Soke: The Young Disruptors of an African Megacity, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 42–44, ISBN 978-1-009-21185-7, retrieved 28 December 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  21. ^ Yates, Alex (30 August 2021). "Osinachi's Journey From Nigeria to NFTs". nft now. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
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