HOFA Gallery and PhillipsX launched their inaugural Digital Art Awards ceremony on May 15, where a total prize fund of $40,000 USDC was awarded to commission new works. The works of all 32 finalists are on display at Phillips London through May 22.
From immersive theatre and climate data-driven sculptures to generative code and animated narratives, this year’s awardees reflect the cutting edge of digital creativity.
The awards, which were financially backed by Hivemind’s newly launched Digital Culture Fund, recognised innovation across four categories – Innovation, Experiential, Still Image and Moving Image – alongside a Special Industry Award for a cross-cultural collaboration.
Innovation Award: Maja Petrić for Specimens of Time: Hoh Rain Forest.
Moving Image: Deekay for Hands of Time.
Experimental Award: Operator, comprising Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti, for Human Unreadable.
Still Image Award: Zach Lieberman for the Ripple Study series.
Industry Award: Refik Anadol and The Yawanawá Indigenous community for Winds of Yawanawá.
When accepting the Innovation Award on behalf of Operator, Ania Catherine championed the indispensable role of digital art, stating, “Contemporary life is digital, therefore, the sidelining of digital art from ‘the contemporary art world’ is an expiring capability. Digital art is contemporary art and it is the art of our times.”
Ania's speech highlights the outdated notion of excluding digital mediums from the artistic mainstream, affirming their relevance in a technology-driven era. This finds a powerful echo in the mission of the Digital Art Awards which Elio D’Anna, Co-Founder of HOFA, states, “represent an important recognition of the artists shaping the future.”
He continues, “Through our partnership with Phillips, we are committed to championing innovation and providing a platform for visionary talents to redefine art and technology. The Digital Art Awards have showcased an extraordinary breadth of talent, vision and experimentation. From hundreds of international submissions, we are excited to celebrate not only the five outstanding winners, but all the 32 finalists whose work now sets a new benchmark for digital creativity.”
Finalists:
Ana Maria Caballero
Agoria
Botto
Cem Sonel and Ramazan Can
Damien Bénéteau
DeeKay
Emily Xie
Gordon Cheung
Hugo Johnson
Ivona Tau
Kat Austen
Kevin Abosch
KEKE / Silk art house
Krista Kim
Lyès
Maja Petrić
Mia Forrest
Niceaunties
Operator
Owen McAteer
Pindar Van Arman
Romina Ressia
Sasha Stiles
David Sheldrick
Six N Five
Sougwen Chung
Stanza
Tyler Hobbs
William Mapan
Yawanawa & Refik Anadol
Zachary Lieberman
