ABU DHABI ART SHEDS LIGHT ON THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY AND BLOCKCHAIN IN THE ARTS IN NEW EXHIBITION

Abu Dhabi Art is hosting a new digital art exhibition that explores the intersection between technology, innovation, and the arts. Comprised of two separate showcases, this curation by the digital art initiative, reimagined, unveils different examples of artworks that engage with the blockchain critically and conceptually, alongside a collection that leverages artificial intelligence in a pioneering way.

The main exhibition presented during the 17^th edition of the Fair, titled ‘Outliers’, comprises two showcases: the first, ‘Blockchain Native,’ is made up of a selection of artworks inspired by blockchain and crafted by international artists.

Aligned with the UAE’s Year of Community, and to be held until November 23 at the Auditorium in Manarat Al Saadiyat, each collection will explore different themes of community through blockchain-based art.

The exhibition will feature dynamic and visual-striking pieces of art that engage with blockchain technology.

The artworks to be on display are:

• Burner by James Bloom: Burner is a dynamic digital artwork that transforms live blockchain activity into an ever-evolving visual experience, using real images of gas to symbolize the intensity and unpredictability of network processes beyond human control.
• Gazers by Matt Kane: Gazers is a generative art series of 1,000 evolving works that mirror the lunar cycle, using algorithmic design to transform in rhythm with the moon—each piece acting as a living artwork that subtly shifts in color, pattern, and motion to reflect the passage of time and the cyclical nature of existence.
• Infinite Garden by Leander Herzog: Infinite Garden transforms collectors into digital gardeners, cultivating ever-evolving generative flora that grow, merge, and interact through blockchain technology, creating a living, real-time artwork that responds to its environment and reimagines the blockchain as an expressive, collaborative medium for art.
• Lifeforms by Sarah Friend: Lifeforms redefines digital ownership by turning NFTs into living entities that require ongoing care, each must be given away within 90 days to survive, transforming collectors from owners into caretakers and challenging the traditional art market’s notions of possession, permanence, and value.

• PXL DEX by Kim Asendorf: PXL DEX is a series of fully on-chain, real time animations, where each pixel is a token in itself. Each of the 256 works in the collection is an abstract 3D animation called a Deck that can be purchased as an NFT and augmented with additional PXL tokens purchased by the collector that manifest as pixels in the artwork.

• Salt by 0xmons and Loucas Braconnier: SALT is a generative NFT series that exposes the invisible world within digital photography—transforming raw camera sensor data and noise into shifting visual abstractions that cycle endlessly, erasing fixed ownership and inviting viewers to experience the pure, ever-changing essence of the digital image.

0xmons is a digital artist and developer who works at the forefront of what’s possible with onchain-artworks, games, and markets, often combining all three.

• Terraforms by Mathcastles: Terraforms features unique digital landscapes generated and stored entirely on the Ethereum blockchain. Each piece uses ASCII characters to create three-dimensional terrains within specific coordinates of a virtual

space, with appearances determined by parameters like elevation, position, and “moon phases.”

In addition, there will be a special presentation of Half Cheetah by James Bloom, a new collection that features a reinforcement learning AI agent that learns to control a quadruped body in a 3D environment.

A series of discussions will take place alongside the exhibition. Justin Gilanyi, Dr. Alfredo Cramerotti, Auronda Scalera, Ryan Koopmans, Giuseppe Moscatello, James Bloom, Stina Gustafsson, Pauline Foessel, and Basha will be sharing their expertise on blockchain in the art sector.

The digital exhibition and accompanying digital talks forum are among many features of this year’s Abu Dhabi Art programme, which continues to play a key role in advancing the UAE’s growing art market.

Abu Dhabi Art’s 17th edition is proudly supported by a distinguished group of partners, including Aldar (Presenting Partner), HSBC (Global Partner), BMW Group Middle East, Tadweer Group, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

For more information, please visit www.abudhabiart.ae.