*/ Revisit the 20th Athens Digital Arts Festival through a virtual tour.
*/ Explore the highlights from ADAF 2024 here.
The Athens Digital Arts Festival concluded its anniversary edition with great success, celebrating 20 years of digital revolution over eleven vibrant days in the heart of Athens with 9.500 visitors. Under the theme “TECHNO(S)CENE,” the 20th Athens Digital Arts Festival transformed the Former Santarosa Courthouse, Justice Square, and National Theatre – REX Theatre into a vibrant hub for digital innovation in contemporary art, impressing the audience like never before.
ADAF 2024: TECHNO(S)CENE showcased an impressive array of 350 works by 305 artists from 76 countries, selected from more than 3.000 submissions received through the open call for participation, as well as invited artists chosen by the festival’s curatorial team, creating a multidimensional program.
The audience experienced immersive experiences through interactive installations, VR/AR/XR works, digital images, web art, and video installations. The festival also presented collections of video art and animation with various themes, screenings of standout works from the world’s largest digital arts festivals, such as Ars Electronica and The WOW at The New Museum of Networked Art, and a wide program of live events, including performances, concerts, DJ sets, workshops, and talks. As part of its academic collaborations, ADAF highlighted emerging artists from Chengchi University in Taiwan and the Athens School of Fine Arts.
One of the most significant events at ADAF 2024 was the video mapping competition featuring some of the most important artists in the field. Paying homage to the festival’s foundational medium, video art, in its contemporary form of mapping, viewers were immersed in a show of light, color, and moving images projected onto the façade of the Former Santarosa Courthouse every evening at sunset. The competition winner was Panagiotis Tomaras, determined by audience vote.
One of the most iconic works was the large-scale outdoor installation FLUX 2024 by Ksawery Kirklewski (PL), which premiered in Athens as part of the festival. Residents and visitors interacted continuously with the work, leaving their digital imprint as a sensor transformed them into a digital image, participating in the artist’s commentary on the hidden algorithms rapidly shaping our online interactions.
A highlight that equally captivated the audience was the special tribute to Women in Video Art, honoring some of the most significant video art and digital arts creators from the 1980s to the present, including Shigeko Kubota, Pipilotti Rist, and Judith Barry. By highlighting aspects of artistic creation that have been marginalized for years, the 20th Athens Digital Arts Festival underscored the impact of the female perspective in art.
Another standout moment was the Uncanny Valley performance by Rimini Protokoll, a work exploring the complex relationship between humans and machines. The performance made its Greek debut as part of ADAF 2024 at the National Theatre – Rex Theatre – “Eleni Papadaki” Stage, opposite the former courthouse, on May 24 and 25, with two sold-out shows.
Children and young visitors also enjoyed a unique experience, with interactive installations and a parallel program of activities specially designed for them, including animation screenings and workshops, as part of ADAF KIDS, ensuring the festival was educational and inclusive for all age groups.
Finally, the festival’s closing event featured a musical concert by pioneering pop artist TAMTA. In the courtyard of the Former Santarosa Courthouse, TAMTA performed songs from her new album and covers of some of the most beloved international hits in a experimental audiovisual show with a techno dimension, entertaining and captivating the audience.
ADAF 2024: TECHNO(S)CENE was a grand celebration of digital culture, honoring the festival’s rich history and the broader digital art scene while looking forward to the future of art intersecting with technology and science. Viewing technology as a pervasive force shaping art, creative expressions, perceptions, and ultimately our existence, the 20th Athens Digital Arts Festival was a landmark event for digital arts, encapsulating the evolution of digital culture and offering a glimpse into what lies ahead.
“We are thrilled with the success of the 20th Athens Digital Arts Festival and deeply grateful for the overwhelming response from both artists and audiences,” says Ilias Chatzichristodoulou, founder and director of the festival. “This edition stands as proof of the transformative power of digital art and its ability to inspire, challenge, and envision a future where technology and creativity intersect in myriad ways. This power was more evident than ever in this edition, showcasing digital art in dialogue with the architecture of the unique Former Santarosa Courthouse, highlighting this historic building in Athens. We thank everyone who participated in this experience and look forward to the next edition, promising to continue pushing the boundaries between art, technology and science, always supporting and highlighting contemporary creators.”
20th Athens Digital Arts Festival “TECHNO(S)CENE”
May 16-26, 2024
Former Santarosa Courthouse
Justice Square
Rex Theatre – “Eleni Papadaki” Stage
2024.adaf.gr
#ADAF #ADAF2024
The event is organized within the framework of the Action “20th and 21st International Digital Arts Festival of Greece – Athens Digital Arts Festival”, which is expected to be included in the Operational Program “Attica” NSRF 2021-2027, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and national resources.
The 20th Athens Digital Arts Festival is implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Development, the Ministry of Tourism, the Municipality of Athens, the Greek National Tourism Organization, and the Athens Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the Region of Attica and in collaboration with the Athens Culture, Sports, and Youth Organization (OPANDA).
