Julius Baer's new digital commission by Krista Kim to take the pulse of Art Dubai 2024

IranArt : As part of Julius Baer’s NEXT initiative – which explores megatrends across arts, science and technology – the Swiss Wealth Management Group will unveil a newly commissioned digital installation by the Canadian-Korean artist Krista Kim. The immersive installation ‘Heart Space’ مساحة القلب will allow guests to connect with one another through the universal language of the human heartbeat in an attempt to create conversations around longevity, wellness, and the power of the blockchain.

Housed within the Julius Baer Lounge at Art Dubai, the installation will be equipped with sensors that allow visitors to input their heartbeat and software that will translate their unique heart rhythm in real-time. A visualisation of the beat will be displayed through hypnotic patterns and meditative shapes across a dynamic LED canvas and further reflected across the room’s mirrored walls.The installation will shift to reflect each new guest’s energy.

“I’m profoundly thankful to Julius Baer for enabling such an ambitious vision as ‘Heart Space’ – one amplifying AI technology’s power to reconnect where social media algorithms have fractured. As individuals participate, I hope each participant feels inspired in their singular beauty yet leaves appreciating a greater whole. If just one person grasps our shared social fabric’s sanctity after engaging with this work, I’ll consider it a success. My deepest wish is that from the micro – encoding each distinctive rhythm – to the macro tapestry those strands weave by exhibit’s close, visitors rediscover how alike our heartbeats sound when truly heard,” shares Krista Kim of her debut with Julius Baer at Art Dubai.

Based in Los Angeles, Krista’s practice explores the concept of digital consciousness and the creative potential of screens as digital instruments of wellbeing. Having developed her signature language of shifting gradients using digital software since 2012, her works on glass and plexiglass aim to hypnotise viewers into a trance of tranquillity while her immersive video works provide meditative experiences of colour and light.

In 2014, as a response to society’s over-reliance on technology, Krista started the Techism Movement: “A philosophy that recognises technological innovation as an artistic discipline, encouraging artists to promote digital humanism for our digital culture,” she says. She will present her work Continuum at the World Economic Forum at Davos in 2024 as one of the conference’s cultural leaders.

Julius Baer has been a partner of Art Dubai since 2015 as a part of its long-term commitment to the UAE’s emergence as a business, arts and cultural hub. In 2024, Julius Baer in Dubai will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the UAE with a focus theme of ‘Longevity’ running throughout the year. The theme is also reflected in Krista’s art installation for Julius Baer. The work is the second major digital commission by Julius Baer to debut at Art Dubai, following its acclaimed collaboration with Refik Anadol in 2023.