Art Basel and UBS Launch Series Exploring Digital Art Evolution

Art Basel and UBS released the first episode of their documentary series, Decoding Art in the Digital Era, on September 30, 2026. The series examines the evolution of digital art and its relationship to technology, focusing on how artists have historically adopted and responded to new tools and mediums.

The inaugural episode, titled “What is Art in the Digital Era?”, traces the development of digital art within the broader context of artists’ engagement with technological innovation. It emphasizes that digital art did not originate with NFTs, artificial intelligence, or the internet. Instead, artists have been experimenting with computers and code since the 1960s, continuing a much longer tradition of integrating new technologies into artistic practice.

The episode highlights the diversity of contemporary digital art practices. These include generative systems, artificial intelligence, immersive environments, and decentralized networks. Such approaches demonstrate the wide range of possibilities that digital tools offer to artists today.

A variety of voices contribute to the episode. Featured artists include Beeple, Manfred Mohr, Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, and Sougwen Chung. Their perspectives are complemented by curator Christiane Paul, gallerist Sofia Garcia, critic Shumon Basar, and UBS art advisors Matthew Newton and Carola Wiese.

The episode explores how digital tools have challenged established ideas about what art can be. It reflects on a culture in which technology increasingly shapes how people communicate, create, and experience the world. The discussion suggests that the distinction between digital art and art itself is becoming more difficult to maintain and may eventually disappear.

Production credits for the series include Art Basel Producer and Senior Editor Alicia Reuter, Editorial Assistant Lama Yaghi, and Head of Brand & Creative Jeanne-Salomé Rochat. The production team also features John Gatapia as Editor and Animator, Ryle Newo Torres for Animations, Studio Manager Yulia Piskuliyska, and Producer Rissy McGrath.

Additional contributions come from Art Basel Partnerships Senior Creative Strategist Caitlin Britton, Partnership Manager Ingrid Wendeling Soares, and UBS Project Manager Content and Design Marketing Excellence Lab Sarah Edelmann-Norton. Special thanks are extended to Hayley Jones, Founder of Rose Social.