“The barrier of visibility and respect as an African creative has been hard, but the emergence of organisations that advocate for African creatives has been important.”

South African painter and digital artist Mpho Jacobs creates work that seamlessly bridges traditional and digital artistic practices. Her journey exemplifies how Web3 technologies can transform an artist's career trajectory, particularly for creators from regions historically underrepresented in global art conversations.

“My work has always been about integrating traditional art with technology through animation and AR.”

Mpho began her artistic practice with traditional mediums before expanding into digital creation during her university studies in 2021. This educational exposure transformed her understanding of art's possibilities, particularly regarding audience engagement.

A pivotal moment came during a 2023 internship where she observed artist David Griessel using the AR app Artivive to animate his ink illustrations. “This made me realise that I can still use technology alongside my traditional art to bring it to life through animation.”

This hybrid approach, which Jacobs calls "tradigital", became possible when she finally acquired an iPad after years of saving. “Before I used to use Photoshop and a mouse,” she recalls. “It was hard manually adjusting opacity etc, but once I got an iPad and Procreate, I took a few tutorials and my style began to emerge.”

“The skills I learned through the space began to apply in every context as an artist and led me to where I am today.”

For Jacobs, the Web3 space provided crucial structural lessons about creating cohesive bodies of work and articulating her artistic vision. “This came from the time in the space where you had to create a collection in order to mint works in 2022,” she explains.

Her first collection, “Love Was Never Enough,” taught her to develop narrative arcs within her series “a beginning to an end”, an approach she continued in subsequent collections like “Purple Bathtub.” Perhaps even more valuable were the communication skills she developed through the platform's social dynamics.

“Because of Twitter spaces, and having to ‘shill’ my work in collector rooms, I learned how to speak about my work,” she notes.

This journey from Web3 to traditional art spaces manifested in her debut solo exhibition at the South African State Theatre.

“My work is heavily inspired by those I don't feel were represented enough in media while I was young.”

As a Black woman artist, Jacobs centres representation in her creative practice. “My work is heavily inspired by those I don't feel were represented enough in media while I was young, particularly Black people and women,” she explains. “That has become an important aspect of the art I make, and a conscious decision.”

This commitment to representation extends to her participation in exhibitions like the Usurpa Gallery x After Paradise Womxn's Month show, which featured 27 women artists during South African Women's Month in August. Jacobs describes this as "an incredible opportunity to be showcased in one of the first digital fine art galleries in the continent."

“The world still has a belief of what African art is and should look like and might not warm up to different perspectives.”

Despite Web3's promise of borderless creative exchange, Jacobs acknowledges that African artists still face significant barriers in the space. “The barrier of visibility and respect as an African creative has been hard,” she shares while noting the importance of organisations specifically supporting artists from the continent.

“Ancurated has been a major aspect within my journey that has aided African and diaspora creatives in being included and heard in the Web3 space,” she explains. “From being involved in some of the major conventions like NFT Paris and NFT NYC, they have been an integral component in ensuring African creatives do have a seat at the Web3 table.”

Jacobs points to persistent stereotypes as a continuing challenge: “We thought Web3 would be a space different from that, but it's hard to shake off stereotypes that have developed over centuries.” She hopes that through “creatives continuing to create work authentic to them, we can bring forth new narratives and perspectives.”

“The hype of the exclusivity of the space was helpful during the earlier stages but isn't sustainable.”

Jacobs highlights how digital art creation and exhibition significantly lowers barriers to participation for artists with limited resources. As “someone who was a full-time student during my beginnings in Web3 in 2022,” she found that “having the ability to digitally send my work and have it showcased made things easy for me, as I wasn't in a space to afford to ship my works overseas all the time.”

This perspective informs her thoughts on how Web3 could evolve to better serve artists and audiences. “We need to find a way for people who aren't in Web3 to have access and easier accessibility to the perks that come with the ecosystem,” she suggests.

She envisions simplified systems for audience support, suggesting something “like those TikTok reward stickers people send to users they support” as an alternative to complicated wallet setups with “12-24 word passcodes.”

“I believe in the power of storytelling.”

Jacobs' approach to audience engagement centres on narrative. “Every piece of mine has a story behind it and I do my best to communicate that story through my audience, especially using social media.”

She particularly emphasises the value of “short video content” as “a great way to give context behind works,” allowing both local and global audiences to “understand and connect to my work.”

This storytelling approach extends beyond individual pieces to encompass broader conversations about digital art exhibitions. Jacobs advocates for more integration of digital showcases beyond conference environments, asking, “Will traditional art galleries increasingly incorporate digital exhibitions as a significant part of their programming?”

“Consistency is key.”

When asked about women in art and technology who have inspired her journey, Jacobs points to several fellow African digital artists, including Juliet Nneka, Lethabo Huma, Zee Feels and Qew Doodle. She highlights how these women of colour demonstrate “the possibilities of where digital art can be in this world,” giving her “hope that my art someday will also find new paths beyond the easel and the screen and inspire others too.”

Her advice to women entering digital art is straightforward but powerful, “Keep going, creating and applying to opportunities. There might be some rejections but the opportunities that do involve you will aid in your journey.”

As Mpho Jacobs continues to develop her “tradigital” practice at the intersection of traditional painting and digital animation, her work represents the exciting possibilities that emerge when artists embrace both technological innovation and cultural heritage, creating pathways for more inclusive and representative visual storytelling.

Mpho Jacobs is a South African painter and digital artist whose work integrates traditional art with technology through animation and AR. Follow her on Instagram @mphojacobsart or explore her links at linktr.ee/mphojacobsart.