Art Dubai Digital 2024: Expansion/Diffusion Focuses on Digital Art and Global South

Art Dubai Digital returns for its second edition from March 1-3, 2024, under the theme Expansion/Diffusion, inspired by Edwin Hubble's theory of universal expansion. Curated by Auronda Scalera and Alfredo Cramerotti, the section features galleries and collectives including Italian entities Cinello (Florence), Immaterika (Rome), and Holy Club (Carnate, Monza and Brianza). The curators aim to survey present and future directions of digital art with a focus on the Global South, identifying trends such as spirituality, holistic approaches, and re-embedding the physical body into digital spaces. They note a growing interaction between contemporary artists adopting advanced technologies (e.g., dynamic NFTs) and digital artists engaging with traditional market institutions like fairs, galleries, and museums. The selection emphasizes diversity, particularly female voices from non-Western contexts, with artists like IX Shells, Genesis Kai, Vakki, Florencia Bruck, Krista Kim, and Sougwen Chung. Works explore spirituality and technology, such as Stephan Breuer's blurring of virtual reality and divine consciousness at Galerie Espace, Shirin Abedinirad's metaphysical installations at Galleria Sanji, and Krista Kim's light and sound pieces. The curators describe their role as 'magnetic field detectors' prioritizing energy intensity over direction.