OBSCURA LAUNCHES “WHO WE ARE” PROJECT, AWARDING $100,000 IN GRANTS TO NFT PHOTOGRAPHERS

100,000 worth of grants were given to 100 photographers to create the first-ever worldwide NFT community portrait project which launched this week.

‘Who We Are’ is currently one of the top trending projects in the Foundation marketplace and, after their auction ended, entered into the #5 all-time selling collection on the platform. Read on to find out why.

With a grant from Paisano DAO, the artist-created Obscura is mounting a massive body of new photographic portraits by a global group of photographers working in the NFT space that document the diverse faces and stories of creators, collectors, and members of the new web3 metaverse. The NFT community is often represented by cartoon avatars.

WHO WE ARE seeks to show the real people behind the avatars, and each individual portrait tells its own unique story of how web3 is changing lives and creating new opportunities. The artists involved thrive creatively in their respective countries, share their creative visions, and collectively build a new, diverse, and truly global creative community. The project currently encompasses 6 continents, 33 countries, 93 cities, and over 170 portrait subjects so far, and will be an ongoing project with Obscura as it grows over time.

Obscura was created to fund fine art photographers and set free their creative possibilities. Many photographic stories are left untold for lack of funding. This platform is an opportunity to bring back the photographic commission and to support photographers pursuing their projects through the sales of their NFTs.

“Obscura is building the photo land we always wanted: fair, horizontal, open and with opportunities for many.” – Alejandro Cartagena, Obscura Founding Member.

“I can’t stress how grateful I am for Obscura and the possibilities they’re opening up for photographers through this.” – Kamau Kamau, Who We Are grant recipient, from Nairobi, Kenya.

“Incredibly proud to be involved with this historic project.” – Felix Denomme, Who We Are grant recipient, from Ottawa, Canada.

(Left) Pedro Vasquez photographed by Chelsea Mealo in New York City, USA (Right) Mario Klingemann photographed by Priscillia Grubo in Munich, Germany

To elevate the work of the 100 grantees, Obscura is partnering with the NFT platform Foundation.app to showcase the first 200 images from WHO WE ARE minted as Non Fungible Tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. This will give photographers who participate in the grant an opportunity to generate NFT sales from the work they’ve produced. Artists will receive 80% of the sales proceeds, with 20% going to the Obscura platform to continue to help photographers tell their stories.

(Left) Frince Ruhffert de la Cruz photographed by Jake Verzosa in San Mateo, Rizal, the Philippines (Top Right) Aqil by Mehdi Nazeri (Middle Right) Krystall Schott photographed by Nate Igor Smith in Miami, Florida, USA (Bottom Right) Mia Van Rooy photographed by Wim Van Cappellen

Obscura is a new kind of funding collective that endeavors to build community and empower photographers to create their dream projects by bringing back the concept of the photographic commission. Obscura aims to provide grants, commissions, leadership, education, and partnerships by seasoned photographers to photographers in the NFT Photography space. Launching with the Who We

Obscura has funded 100 photographers, $1000 each to create a body of work that tells the story of the new creators, collectors, and builders of the web3 metaverse.

PaisanoDAO is a decentralized autonomous organization with a mission to onboard members of the Spanish-speaking community onto blockchain technology, crypto and NFTs, and the power of decentralization. The DAO provides and receives support from the NoTeDejes Media Foundation, a California registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization dedicated to the empowerment of the Latino immigrant communities in the Southern California region. PaisanoDAO was privileged and honored to provide the $100,000 DAI for ObscuraDAO’s “Who We Are” Grant.

Check out the collection here and visit their website to find out more about the project.

Support Us via our Sponsors