Art Dubai 2022, the art fair’s largest edition and one of the few major international art events to take place, will welcome in March over 100 exhibitors from 44 countries, including over 30 first-time exhibitors.
This year’s event is unique as it will demonstrate that Dubai has become a significant destination for art and culture worldwide and that it’s a big part of the discussion about modern art.
Pablo del Val, Art Dubai’s Artistic Director, told TRENDS that Campus Art Dubai has also gone digital this year, with an exhibition of NFTs comprising 12 artists from the UAE and beyond.
“This will be the first time we have a dedicated digital part of the exhibition, bringing together 17 galleries to provide a full, 360-degree picture of the digital art environment”.
“Dubai is home to a diverse group of collectors and entrepreneurs, and it is quickly establishing itself as a worldwide crypto hub,” he noted.
He went on to say that they expect people to accept this new art form given the fact that a lot of people, if not all, use smartphones with an internet connection already.
Alongside the 17 galleries and platforms and the over 100 galleries in the fair in total, the event will also include the Global Art Forum, which will discuss the impact advancements in digital technologies are having on artists and artistic production, and a new series of talks in partnership with Bybit, that take a more introductory view of how to define crypto, what NFTs are, etc.
For his part, Chris Fussner, Art Dubai Digital Curator, stated to TRENDS that digital, as a space, became a place to make exhibitions for people all over the world could access.
“We’re seeing a whole new group of collectors emerging, who have spent a significant time with the internet. New media as art is becoming more important because the medium is more relatable. It’s an art form that will continue to grow, and the NFT explosion has accelerated the amount of digital collecting,” he said.
Wooing new generations
Art Dubai recognized that digital exploration and activation are important due to events that have transpired over the last two years.
“Digital, as a space, became a place to make exhibitions for people all over the world could access,” says Fussner, adding that Art Dubai Digital is an exploratory section that aligns with the transformation of our home city that is future-facing.
“Through the crypto world, we have seen a great opportunity to attract new generations of collectors and entrepreneurs to the UAE,” he said.
On the other hand, del Val believes that there is an appetite for digitally focused showcases because they are immersive, accessible, and entertaining.
“People are eager to see artistic content, and particularly content that pushes the boundaries of technology in new and innovative ways. This kind of content is particularly relevant here in Dubai, being a city with a focus on the future, and as it positions itself as a crypto hub and embraces innovation and technology at all levels of society.”
Digital and physical art
With the shift in demographic spending power and habits, as well as the rise in NFT sales in the art market, there is a growing demand for digital artworks.
According to Fussner, digital art is art, but converting tangible arts to digital is a matter of documentation. It relies on how the artist wants to conserve or translate artworks digitally.
According to him, we see these in many areas, such as video games, where they may be incorporating some iconic artworks as part of the design. Virtual reality (VR) museums are another example, where works are photographed, archived, displayed in VR simulations, or where visitors can put on a headset to view a work.
According to Fussner, digital art includes a wide range of technologies that deal with the idea of digital – whether it’s computing, using programs to create artwork on computers or physical objects that perform tasks connected to the internet or computers.
“Digital is a norm. It’s not too far to think that maybe in the future, instead of hanging a painting in the room, there could be an extra TV screen playing digital artwork.”