Diana Velasco, the curator of the Art Program of Enter Art Fair 2024, has had a compelling journey into the art world marked by cultural diversity, academic exploration and a passion for integrating technology with traditional art forms. Born with dual Spanish-Danish nationalities, Velasco's early exposure to different cultures sparked a lifelong curiosity about diverse perspectives and ways of thinking. It led her to study anthropology and communications, deepening her understanding of human interaction and societal development. Her academic background, combined with her artistic and curatorial pursuits, has driven her continuous exploration of new ways to interpret and make sense of the world.

Now in its sixth edition, Enter Art Fair stands as Scandinavia's largest international art fair, showcasing 96 galleries worldwide. Since its inception, it has served as a platform for collectors and institutions to discover new digital artworks. This year marks a significant step in enhancing this focus by championing digital art through an expanded Art and Talk program. Curated by Velasco, the program aims to foster dialogue and innovation at the intersection of art and technology.

For the past seven years, Velasco has dedicated her career to the field of digital art. Her work examines how these emerging digital infrastructures and artistic expressions are essential in shaping an art history that reflects contemporary experiences. Velasco's anthropological perspective fuels her interest in understanding the societal impact of new technologies within the art world, particularly those that explore themes such as face recognition, diversity, cyber-feminism and digital infrastructures.

From an early stage in her career, Velasco travelled extensively to explore innovations in art and moving images, becoming an active participant in the evolution from Web1 to Web3. These experiences have left her a 'critical optimist', as she defines herself. With a background in fine art photography, Velasco aims to bridge the traditional and digital art worlds. Her multifaceted roles include serving as a curator, and exhibiting artist - with an ongoing exhibition at Centre Pompidou Málaga, co-founder of Radar Contemporary and Artistic Director of the Museum of Nordic Digital Art (MoNDA). MoNDA is known for its innovative approach, operating without a physical location and creating pop-up exhibitions and digital showcases. The museum's initiatives include the Augmented Reality Sculpture Park and collaborations with renowned institutions like the Lumen Art Prize and The Finnish National Gallery.

This year, Velasco brings her expertise and visionary approach to the Enter Art Fair, curating an ambitious program that promises to blend the physical and digital realms of art. The program will offer an engaging experience that challenges traditional perceptions of art and embraces the transformative power of digital technology. In this exclusive interview for STIR, Velasco provides a detailed look at her vision and plans for the Art Program at the Enter Art Fair.

Zeynep Rekkali Jensen: What can people expect from the Art Program at Enter Art Fair this year? 

Diana Velasco: I'm thrilled to present this year’s Art Program at the Enter Art Fair! Located at Lokomotivværkstedet, our new spot highlights the fair's commitment to blending digital and traditional art. The exhibition will feature both AR and physical sculptures in the Sculpture Garden and Art Program area.

Over four days, the fair will host museum professionals, collectors and art enthusiasts, offering a chance to explore cutting-edge art and discuss key issues. Highlights include performances, installations and talks on AI, AR, NFTs and digital consumption. We’re excited to host discussions at the French and German Embassies, featuring insights on art collection and performance. The program is non-commercial and free, showcasing the intersection of digital and traditional art in an engaging and impactful way.

Zeynep: Can you briefly explain the concept behind ‘Betwixt - Analogue and Digital Realms’ and what inspired this theme for the Art Program at Enter Art Fair? How do you envision the intersection of physical and digital art enhancing the overall experience for visitors?

Diana: The Art Program explores the increasing significance of digital elements in our daily lives, which is also reflected in art. With new terms like "phygital", a combination of physical and digital, we focus on artworks that exist at the intersection of these realms, bridging the gap between classical and digital art. Viewers often find themselves in this transitional stage, hence the name "betwixt," signifying a space between two worlds. "Betwixt" is an old word for "between" and is used in anthropology to describe transitional rituals, where one is between two eg. life stages, creating a temporary third space.

The Betwixt program seeks to create a unique experience where digital and physical elements blend seamlessly through performances and exhibition talks. By focusing on hybrid works, we aim to challenge traditional perceptions of art experiences. We believe that this not only creates a space for artistic experimentation but also appeals to a broader audience, including those who do not typically attend art events and younger visitors. By embracing technology, we hope to bridge the gap between the digital and physical, as well as the classical and digital worlds and create an inclusive art experience accessible to all.

With new terms like "phygital", a combination of physical and digital, we focus on artworks that exist at the intersection of these realms, bridging the gap between classical and digital art. – Diana Velasco

Zeynep: What criteria did you use to select the artists and works, particularly those focusing on AI, AR, NFTs and digital interventions?

Diana: I do a lot of research, visit exhibitions around the world, talk to collectors, artists and curators and use my intuition. For me, it is a combination of using my heart and head. I am mostly interested in art that somehow addresses critical issues and at the same time has an artistic nerve. It is hard to define specifically, but many years of experience allow me to identify good, long-lasting art pieces. I am mainly interested in digitally-born art and art that combines multiple disciplines, physical and digital in a new way.

Zeynep: The new performance piece The Invisible Party by the French multimodal artist group sounds fascinating. How did this collaboration come about and what can spectators expect from this AR performance?

Diana: Audiences can look forward to The Invisible Party, a mixed reality (AR) dance performance by the French group including Natacha Paquignon, Kynsie Serre, Maxime Touroute and music by Odalie. This performance blends physical dance with AR technology, exploring the relationship between the body, environment and technology. At Enter Art Fair, it will challenge perceptions of reality and space, pushing the boundaries of performance art. I’m excited to see it live in Copenhagen and discuss it at the French Embassy.

Zeynep: Could you share more about the interactive webcam piece heartsleeves by LoVid and the generative motifs in Human Unreadable by Operate? What makes these pieces significant in the context of 'phygital' art?

Diana: We are honoured that the artist duo LoVid from New York will be part of the Art Program. They have been working together since 2001 and are known for creating art that addresses how technology blends into human culture and perception.

[Their latest work] heartsleeves (2024) stems from LoVid's long-standing practice that includes video, participatory performance, generative video, textile and net art. The project is a natural evolution of their work, integrating diverse forms to create a multi-sensory, interactive experience. By leveraging Web3 technology, heartsleeves shows a new way to explore and interact with art, making it a fascinating and participatory experience. One’s own face literally interacts with the artwork. It is playful and at the same time serious since it reminds us of how the industry is seeking more insights into people’s biometric data. 

Another very interesting artist group joining the Art Program is the American duo, Operator, based in Madrid, who use motion data of on-chain generative movement to create the pioneering work Human Unreadable. What is fascinating is that the artwork is experimental and divided into three acts, [beginning] with generative artwork and NFTs and, ending in a live performance. Imagine algorithmic-inspired dance – in this way, physical and digital expressions come together and create a blurred line. I like the intimacy of the dance in opposition to the algorithmic generative forms.

Zeynep: The Talk Program this year includes speakers like Madeleine Pierpont, Web3 project lead from MoMA and artist Jonas Lund. What key topics or trends will their discussions focus on?

Diana: It is interesting to follow MoMA’s new Web3 initiative such as Refik Anadol´s Unsupervised displayed in the foyer with complimentary NFT mementoes, and the MoMA Postcard initiative [which] engages the audience in a new and participatory way. I am interested in learning from their experience and hearing what their next step will be. Madeleine Pierpont, who leads the Web3 projects at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, will be in conversation with the Swedish artist Jonas Lund, whose Web3 work has recently been acquired by the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Lund is a conceptual artist whose work often engages audiences and even collectors giving them instructions on how to behave with the artwork or exploring artwork that constantly changes. At the exhibition, Lund will present an AI piece entitled The Future of Something (2023). This work features AI-generated human support groups, each addressing various forms of addiction.

Zeynep: In the Art Program you also show immersive AR artworks in the outside Sculpture Garden and indoors in the Art Program area by the artists Auriea Harvey and Cibelle Cavalli Bastos. Can you tell me more about their work?

Diana: We would like to show that digital art can be shown anywhere and that particularly augmented reality (AR) can be displayed anywhere - in this case side by side with physical artworks in the Sculpture Garden. We are happy to show AR works by the American artist Auriea Harvey, based in Rome, who has worked with digital art since the early ‘90s and is showing four AR art sculptures from the Adventures of Minoriea series and the Brazilian artist Cibelle Cavalli Bastos who will show two interactive pieces from the same series, A Picture Can’t Take Me II (2024) with custom sound and A Picture Can’t Take My Elan Vital, (2023) with custom movement that the audience can change in real-time. Cavalli Bastos is a non-binary artist whose multidisciplinary approach has seen them perform and exhibit globally. The augmented reality (AR) platform exclusively for phones turns participants into creators of dynamic soundscapes. By touching the artwork on the screen, visitors can engage in a unique musical interactive journey, shaping music through gestures and interactions in their surroundings and in the other piece you can make changes to the image, with your fingertip, as you wish. You take part in the artwork creation.

Zeynep: You will also show an art installation by Honey Biba Beckerlee. Can you tell us more about what we could expect to see?

Diana: We are thrilled to show the talented Danish artist Honey Biba Beckerlee’s work Cu in Circuit which is a large physical installation. Cu in Circuit examines the relationship between copper, time and memory since copper plays a significant role in computer technologies. The weavings are attached to five large server racks—storage units used at the giant data centres—which hold the internet’s memory. The work will be exhibited physically in the Art Program and is a reminder of the physicality and often neglected impact of consumption and creation of digital components and storage of data in big server factories.

STIR is a media partner for Enter Art Fair 2024, which runs from August 29 - September 1, 2024, in Lokomotivværkstedet, Copenhagen.