Art Basel and UBS Launch Series Exploring Digital Art Evolution

Art Basel and UBS released the first episode of their five-part film series, "Decoding Art in the Digital Era," on September 30, 2026. This episode, titled "What is Art in the Digital Era?", examines the evolution of digital art and its place within the broader history of artists engaging with new technologies. The series highlights that digital art did not originate with recent developments such as NFTs, artificial intelligence, or the internet. Instead, artists have been experimenting with computers and code since the 1960s, building on a longstanding tradition of integrating new technologies into artistic practice.

The episode explores the wide range of practices that now fall under the umbrella of digital art. These include generative systems, artificial intelligence, immersive environments, and decentralized networks. By tracing these developments, the film situates current digital art within a continuum of artistic innovation that responds to technological change.

A diverse group of contributors appears in the episode. Artists featured include Beeple, Manfred Mohr, Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, and Sougwen Chung. Their perspectives provide insight into the creative possibilities and challenges presented by digital tools and platforms.

In addition to artists, the episode includes commentary from curator Christiane Paul, gallerist Sofia Garcia, critic Shumon Basar, and UBS art advisors Matthew Newton and Carola Wiese. These voices offer a range of viewpoints on how digital technologies are reshaping the art world and the ways in which art is produced, exhibited, and experienced.

The film discusses how digital tools have challenged established ideas of what art can be. It reflects on a culture in which technology increasingly shapes how people communicate, create, and experience the world. The episode suggests that the boundaries between digital art and art more broadly are becoming less distinct, and that this distinction may eventually disappear.

The production of the episode involved a team from Art Basel, including Producer and Senior Editor Alicia Reuter, Editorial Assistant Lama Yaghi, and Head of Brand & Creative Jeanne-Salomé Rochat. The production team also included John Gatapia as Editor and Animator, Ryle Newo Torres for animations, Studio Manager Yulia Piskuliyska, and Producer Rissy McGrath. Partnerships were managed by Caitlin Britton and Ingrid Wendeling Soares, with UBS Project Manager Sarah Edelmann-Norton contributing as well.

Special thanks were extended to Hayley Jones, Founder of Rose Social. The collaborative effort behind the episode underscores the multifaceted nature of digital art and its ongoing dialogue with technology, as explored through the perspectives of artists, curators, critics, and advisors.