Artists nowadays produce contents for the art world using new technologies, their work and experimentation leading them to invent completely new formats, applications and contents which are often subsequently placed on the market. Engaging audiences through artistic content and educational paths using digital art practices make it possible to attract a greater number of people and above all young audiences for the organisations and curators working in this creative environment: a key model for cultural institutions that attracts new patronage and new funds.

The subject matter of the 2023 IKT Congress, and its symposium, about the dynamic uses of digital opportunities, will inspire and generate ideas for reaching audiences who are unable to travel to visit galleries or indeed to access the art world. New roles, jobs and functions are emerging and new possibilities for artists and curators are shaping. A digital culture capable of stimulating and enhancing existing professions has a great impact for society in general. This is particularly so with the development of the blockchain technology and NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) and crypto art formats, as this environment allows a much wider section of the creative population to actively produce arts and make a living out of it. Practitioners geographically located outside Western regions or from underrepresented groups, often from lower socio-economic backgrounds that may intersect with gender, race or sexual identities are those benefitting most from this enlargement and expansion of the world of art.

The new digital formats bypass the traditional gatekeepers of the art market (galleries, agents, curators, museum directors) and of academia (critics, editors, and publishers), connecting directly authors with collectors, artists with buyers, and providing a much-needed alternative lifeline for those who do not live in metropolitan art centres or art world hubs.

Join us at the IKT 2023 Symposium for an enriching exploration of contemporary and digital arts, unveiling the potential of advanced technologies, including NFTs and crypto art formats.

Key words for the IKT 2023 Symposium are:

1. Culture
2. Innovation
3. Research
4. New creative entrepreneurship
5. New artistic practices

Symposium Outline

I. Introduction

• Brief overview of the symposium’s theme and objectives
• Introduction of the speakers and facilitators

Convenor: Alfredo Cramerotti, Mostyn, Art Dubai Digital & IKT/AICA member

II. Keynote Address: The Intersection of Art and Advanced Technologies

• A prominent technologist or strategist in the field discusses the ways that art and technology intersect and the opportunities and challenges presented by this intersection.

Speaker: Luba Elliott, AI Art Curator.

III. Panel Discussion B: NFT and Crypto Art in practice:

• The nature, functioning, and opportunities presented by NFT and crypto art formats for creatives, curators and writers
• Highs and lows / opportunities and drawbacks of the application of advanced technologies to the creative industries of visual arts
• Key themes for these sessions include technological awareness, peer network, training and professional development and new artistic practices.

Speakers: Ivona Tau (artist); David Gryn (Curator, Producer and Founder & Director of Daata); Aleksandra Artamonovskaja (Curator, Creative Producer, Joyn.xyz ); Valentino Catricalà (Curator, Modal Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University SODA)

Moderator: Alfredo Cramerotti, Mostyn, Art Dubai Digital & IKT/AICA member

IV. Panel Discussion A: The Business of Art and Technology

• A panel of experts in the fields of crypto arts and the Metaverse discuss the current state of the industry and the potential for creative business developments.
• The general concept and functioning of the blockchain technology and the opportunities of its application to the creative industries of visual arts.
• Key themes for these sessions include culture, innovation, legal aspects and new creative entrepreneurship.

Speakers: Mimi Nguyen (Assistant Professor, Central Saint Martins, UAL & Curator, verse.works); Kimberly Babin (Founder Arts Advisory, Art Legal); Annka Kultys (Founder and Director of ANNKA KULTYS GALLERY)

Moderator: Alfredo Cramerotti, Mostyn, Art Dubai Digital & IKT/AICA member

V. Keynote Lecture Performance: The Future of Art and Advanced Technologies

• A prominent speaker presents their vision for the future of art and technology and the ways that emerging technologies will impact the creative industries with a lecture performance.

Speaker: Operator – Ania Catherine & Dejha Ti (artists)

VI. Closing Remarks

• Closing remarks and reflections on the symposium

Convenor: Elisa Rusca (Chief Curator, Museum of the Red Cross Geneve & IKT/AICA member)

The IKT 2023 Symposium is a collaborative project between IKT and Mostyn, organised as part of the International IKT Congress 2023.

IKT Congress has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Welsh Government, Pontio Arts and Innovation Centre, Tŷ Pawb, Mostyn Estates, Carol Bell, Brook Smith, Adam Prideaux, and Donald G. Wenzel Jr.