Art Dubai Digital's Gonzalo Herrero Delicado on ‘rethinking art and tech'

Gulf Business

15-04-2025

Image: Supplied
As technology continues to shape how we experience and interpret the world,
Art Dubai Digital, launched in 2022, is a unique curated section of Art Dubai* that is dedicated to the pioneering artists, collectives, galleries and platforms influencing the digital art world today.
Curated by Gonzalo Herrero Delicado, this year's edition explores the theme
'After the Technological Sublime'
, offering a timely reflection on the power — and the consequences — of technological advancement through the lens of contemporary art.
From large-scale installations fed by climate data to kinetic sculptures interpreting global energy use, Art Dubai Digital invites artists, collectors, and audiences to pause and reconsider not just the tools, but the questions they provoke.
In this conversation, Delicado unpacks the curatorial vision behind the theme, shares insights into the evolution of the digital section, and highlights the galleries and projects redefining what it means to create and engage with digital art today.
'After the Technological Sublime' has been chosen as the theme for Art Dubai Digital 2025. Could you provide more insight into its significance and meaning?
The concept of the sublime, originally revived from ancient Greek thought by European intellectuals in the 17th century, embraces the aesthetic of the exalted—the experience of witnessing the beauty of grand and dangerous nature.
The technological sublime extends this idea, evoking awe and wonder, but also fear, in response to monumental technological innovations. It broadens the traditional notion of the sublime — once used to express amazement and fear toward vast natural forces — by including human-made creations.
Today, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, and other technological advancements are progressing at an unprecedented pace. While they inspire admiration for human achievement, they can also feel overwhelming, as these systems often surpass our control and divert attention from pressing environmental, social, cultural, and political challenges.
Art Dubai Digital 2025 invites visitors to explore how artists are using technology to address and interrogate these challenges. While technology may help meet future needs, what questions are artists asking of it today?
This edition shifts the focus back to art and the critical questions it raises about our present, examining how technology as a medium can reflect the challenges facing society and the planet.
How has Art Dubai Digital evolved since the first edition? Are there any major shifts in focus or presentation this year?
Art Dubai was the first international fair to create a dedicated section for digital technologies and art. It remains a uniquely curated part of the fair, with a new guest curator invited each year. In its first edition, the section focused on the NFT boom, which sparked exponential interest in digital art. That emphasis feels less relevant this year, as the section now features a broader range of media, including videos, installations, sculptures, and even paintings —highlighting the richness and diversity of media art.
One major development over the four years since the Digital section's inception is the launch of the Digital Summit in 2024. The summit was introduced to reflect on the themes emerging from the section and returns this year with a robust programme. It brings together some of the brightest minds leading conversations around art and digital technologies, with a particular emphasis on ecology.
What also sets the digital section apart is the wide-ranging profile of its participants. Alongside traditional physical galleries from around the world, it includes digital galleries, collectives, and advisors — each playing a role in shaping the digital
A new addition to this year's programme is a series of specially commissioned installations by different artists.
Which key galleries are participating in Art Dubai Digital? What makes them noteworthy, and how does their participation enrich the overall programme?
London-based GAZELL.iO returns to Art Dubai to celebrate its 10th anniversary, presenting works by CROSSLUCID, Primavera de Filippi, and Sougwen Chung. Also from London, TAEX makes a return with a distinctive selection of works by acclaimed artists Krista Kim, Alper Derinboğaz, and Tatsuru Arai.
Among the new galleries I'm particularly excited to see are Sevil Dolmaci, featuring works by Fuse*, Can Büyükberber, and Sara Ludy; New York-based Nguyen Wahed, presenting Sarah Meyohas, Lu Yang, and FAR; and Danae from Paris, showcasing pieces by artist and musician Agoria, along with French digital artist Louis Paul Caron, whose contemplative scapes explore the tension and quiet response to the ongoing climate emergency.
Will any Dubai-based galleries or artists be part of this year's Art Dubai Digital?
We will feature a number of Dubai-based galleries showcasing compelling works by emerging artists. Mondoir Art Gallery, led by renowned collector Amir Soleymani, will present one of the largest booths in the section and will also debut his latest book,
Fools & JPEGs
, which explores NFTs and what went wrong. I'm especially excited about the booth from Koshta Collective and the opportunity to experience FLOWGARDENZ's media sculptures in person.
Other participating Dubai galleries include Inloco Gallery, presenting a selection of stunning photographs by Filippo Minelli, and Espace, which will exhibit works that combine the sculptures of Andrés Anza with augmented reality.
Image courtesy: FLOWGARDENZ
Tell us more about the new digital installations that will debut at Art Dubai.
One of the featured works is MotherEarth by Ouchhh Studio — the world's first sculpture to combine cross-continental, real-time climate change data with artificial intelligence (AI).
This digital sculpture is connected to two others in Beijing and Mexico City, all of which display visuals generated from NASA's network of 20 climate-monitoring satellites.
Another highlight is from New York-based kinetic artist BREAKFAST, who will debut Carbon Wake, a seven-meter-long kinetic installation. This dynamic piece blends AI, data visualisation, and motion-tracking mechanics, transforming real-time energy data from cities around the world into a responsive, ever-evolving sculpture.
Image courtesy: Breakfast
The third installation is a commission by Italian artist Jacopo Di Cera, supported by the digital art platform CIFRA. Titled Retreat, this four-meter-high structure is composed of cable bundles and more than 30 upcycled screens. It documents the rapid destruction of the Brenva glacier in the Italian Alps and prompts reflection on what will remain as nature disappears.
Finally, there is AIM – Dream Machine by HX Collective, which uses AI to transform visitors' dreams into a kaleidoscopic visual experience.
What are some of the most innovative media formats or experimental techniques we can look forward to in Art Dubai Digital 2025?
We are going to see a lot of artificial intelligence applied across very different formats, particularly video, as well as in virtual environments and augmented reality. But this year, what matters most is not the latest technological developments applied to art — it's reflecting on the message these works are trying to convey and how they represent the turbulent times we live in.
As Cedric Price said, 'Technology is the answer, but what was the question?' We are often captivated by the technology itself — especially when it intersects with art — and forget to ask what that technology, which is ultimately just another artistic medium, is actually trying to address.
* Visit Art Dubai 2025, see details below
Art Dubai, the Middle East's leading international art fair, opens next week at Madinat Jumeirah. The fair will present over 500 leading international and regional artists across 120 contemporary, modern and digital gallery presentations. The programme is drawn from more than 65 cities and 40 countries and is the region's largest and most important annual art event. Art Dubai is an important gateway for discovery, learning and exchange, and the gallery programme is complemented by an expansive programme of immersive and site-specific installations, daily live performances, talks and events.
Dates & Timings
VIP opening on Thursday, April 17
Public dates: Friday, April 18 – Sunday, April 20
Tickets available online and at the venue
○ One-day ticket: Dhs100
○ Three-day ticket: Dhs200
Entry is free for children aged 18 and under, and for university students.