Running from October 19 to 23, this year’s fair features an inaugural Pioneer Award, which sends the winner to an artist residency in Bali.
Digital Art Fair’s Asia edition returns to Hong Kong from October 19 to 23. This year’s edition will take place at K11 Musea’s art and cultural centre, The Kunsthalle, and will focus on art created by artificial intelligence (AI). The fair will feature an exhibition zone dedicated to AI and generative art, curated by the fair’s manager of art and technology Herman Rahman, as well as panel discussions on the impact and scope of AI in art.
The fair will also feature four other sections: the Immersive Zone, where visitors can enjoy optical illusions created by 3D animations; the Inspire Zone, which brings together global and local artists working on Web3 technologies; the Prestige Zone, which showcases the works of leading digital artists such as David Ariew from New York, Andrea Bonaceto from Italy; and Henry Chu and Genesis Kai from Hong Kong; and the Pioneer Zone, which spotlights five rising digital artists shortlisted for an inaugural Pioneer Prize. This prize, which will be announced on October 20, includes an art residency programme in Bali, as well as mentoring and exhibition exposure opportunities.
Talking about the future of digital art, Gillian Howard, the fair’s co-founder and director, says, “A lot of people have been asking me if digital art will disappear [after the NFT crash in 2022]. But I ask them in return, ‘Do you think art will ever disappear?’ At the end of the day, digital art is art. Digital artists ‘paint’ with a computer instead of a paintbrush. As a long-term advocate of the potential of technology to advance possibilities in the creation of new art, [I am excited] to see the adoption of digital art continue to expand in 2023.”
Oriental Watch Company joins the fair for the first time this year as the lead partner. The watch retailer has commissioned a site-specific and multi-sensory installation, Take Your Time, created by Hong Kong artist Jonathan Jay Lee and inspired by neon lights, specifically the watch company’s own neon sign that used to be installed over its showroom in Des Vouex Road Central in the 1980s.