NFT supporters claim that they are revolutionizing the digital art market, but I think the exact opposite. With the rise of NFTs has come the rise of plagiarism. Because the platform is decentralized, meaning there is no one singular entity managing the system and its operations, and there are no laws regulating the sales and interactions of NFTs, it is far easier to get away with plagiarism.

Sitting in my freshmen year art class, I wrote down my thoughts of the artwork on the screen. We were looking at the Luluwa Helmet Mask, made by the Luluwa people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Time to discuss, students debated the meaning of scarification patterns and the symmetry of the piece.

Since the beginning of time, humans have used art as a catalyst in the healing process. Art allows us to better understand, evaluate, and accept. What was once challenging to think through, may just be easy to create.

Being a Southasian in the art field, I have felt that art history has been predominantly viewed through the eyes of westerns. The rubric at which we analyze art has been derived from Eurocentric constructs.

An afternoon at the Blanton Museum of Art remedies a bad day. Putting on certain textured fabric changes your mood. A piece of marble shaped into sculpture makes you believe life is limitless.

A few days ago, July 5th, I received my scores back from my AP Drawing portfolio. I logged into my Collegeboard account, eager to see the outcomes of my work, and was disappointed to find that I had received a 3 out of 5.

This was my fifth and final piece that directly corresponded to my portfolio theme. It resembles the understanding I had after the years of religious turmoil: both religions can coexist and have many of the same overarching ideas.

Taking inspiration from a traditional Catholic piece done by Theodore S. Gorka, I created a Hindu version of repenting. Depicting in my art are two white men shocked by the presence of a Hindu Goddess. I wanted to showcase the power of realization: the same realization I had when I discovered that the two religions can coexist.

Kali is the Hindu Goddess of destruction and chaos. She is the most fierce form of the Goddess Shanti. Kali determines the “expiration date” of all things, hence the necklace of skulls.

Saraswati is the Hindu Goddess of education, music, and creativity. She is known for bringing the calm out of chaos and centering one's personality.

Lakshmi is the Hindu Goddess of Wealth and Good Fortune. She is the wife of God Vishnu, and like many Hindu deities, is often seen taking many forms.