At the beginning of his career, Chinese artist Jiannan Huang spent almost a decade walking over 23,000 miles across China, looking to draw inspiration from the world around him for his art. It should come as no surprise then that in his genesis NFT collection, “Orbit,” he takes art fans to the ends of the universe to paint the perfect pictures.

Each rainbow-colored digital art piece speaks to our solar system's chaos, beauty, and vastness. Huang, known for his interstellar paintings, minted the collection in June 2024.

While the collection does pull from his past physical works, each NFT offers a special utility that will spark excitement for any web3 art lover.

Below are three things about Huang and his NFT collection, “Orbit.”

His voyage into the NFT world is one more world he is conquering with his art 

Huang has led multiple lists as one of the top modern artists both in China and globally. In 2023, the world’s leading website on European and American art, ArtPrice, named him 33rd on the “Top 500 Contemporary Artists.” The list was based on art auction turnover. Since 2015, Huang has also topped the Hurun Global Art List year after year.

While his current works are all explorations of the universe and new technologies as Huang sees them — full of color, endless boundaries, and majestic night skies — his early works focused on a more narrow view of the world, the landscapes around him. His oil paintings tied together the modern world with elements of traditional Chinese art after an apprenticeship early in his career that encouraged him to meld both styles. Huang's expertise in both Western oil painting and traditional Chinese ink painting has been showcased through various exhibitions and recognized with significant awards.

In 2012, when reflecting on how he has developed his artistic style, Huang shared:

“If an artist simply mimics the work of great masters, his artwork will simply be a repeat. The nature of art is to be original and creative. But this talent must be based on hard work and persistence.

His genesis collection revisits many of his highly acclaimed works 

Huang’s 500-item collection is as creative and masterful as they come. Each “Orbit” digital art piece is a replica of an original, physical art piece. For instance, “Mining Pool” or “Orbit #2 Abstract 48” was originally auctioned in 2020 for 22 million Chinese RMB (or over 3 million USD at the time of writing). But, even though it was originally sold as a physical artwork off-chain, its on-chain connection is uncontested.

In a post on X, the "Orbit" artwork is described Huang’s interpretation of a scene of a blockchain mining pool, adding, “[the piece is] not only reflecting the characteristics of the digital age but also symbolizing the boundless potential of blockchain technology.”

Throughout the collection, Huang also painted into existence his take on a quantum burst, with microscopic blue, red, and green molecules circling each other and the “splendors and mysteries of the universe” in pieces like “Cosmic Column.”

He plans to expand the art collectors' membership world through his NFT’s utility

In addition to metaphorically inviting art lovers to step into his cosmic world, Huang is also inviting all NFT holders to a membership-only art collectors club, BW3. While the platform has yet to release any public details, its X page has begun posting welcome tweets for its members. Join the BW3 art collectors' club to connect with a vast network of art lovers and collectors.

By owning one of Huang’s NFTs, all holders will also retain commercial rights to their NFT. In a tweet, the BW3 X account encouraged holders to unleash their creativity with the world Huang has passed along to them. The collection follows in the footsteps of other NFT collections and artists like the PFP collection NOUNS and artist XCOPY, who invite holders to embrace their creativity and exercise commercial rights to the art. 

While more is still to be unveiled in Huang’s art universe and BW3 club, if his work so far indicates what fans and collectors can expect — everyone is in for a cosmic ride.