0xCollection

The 0xCollection is a private contemporary art institution based in Basel, Switzerland, founded in 2023 with the support of philanthropist and entrepreneur Karel Komárek, under the direction of curator and cultural strategist Elle Anastasiou.^[1] The collection is dedicated to the development and preservation of new media artworks, dating from 1960 to the present.

In September 2023, the collection presented its inaugural public exhibition in Prague, displaying a commissioned work by Refik Anadol and a show of 8 leading contemporary artists.^[2]

In 2024, the 0xCollection partnered with the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, USA to present the federal institution's first digital art exhibition.^[3]

History

Directed and co-founded by curator and cultural strategist Elle Anastasiou, the 0xCollection was created as a permanent institution for an expanding collection, with the intent to bring exhibitions to the public through international exhibitions and via digital platforms.^[4]

Pronounced 'hex collection', the name 0xCollection comes from shorthand for hexadecimal code, a system used to signify colours in digital files.^[5]

The first artwork to be acquired by the collection was by Turkish-American artist Refik Anadol. The data sculpture, Dvořák Dreams, followed a 2 year commission process including research supported by the 0xCollection.^[6] Its initial presentation was on the occasion of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival, at the UNESCO-listed Rudolfinum in Prague, Czech Republic.^[7]

The inaugural exhibition by the 0xCollection, Synthetic Immersion, included additional artists, including Ryoji Ikeda, Carsten Nicolai, LuYang, Libby Heaney, Nancy Baker Cahill, Sougwen Chung, QUAYOLA, and Daito Manabe.^[8] The exhibition was curated as an examination of synesthesia, the neurological state in which one sense is perceived by another, and the possibility of new media art to provide immersive experiences for art audiences.

The 0xCollection produced a landmark collaboration with the federal John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in late 2024 - marking both the collection’s US debut and the Center’s first digital art exhibition.^[9]

Collection and exhibitions

The 0xCollection specialises in the collection and display of new media art, including video installations, sound installations and multimedia sculpture. Works in the collection include contributions by both blue-chip and emerging artists.^[10]

Each of the museum's exhibitions feature a select capsule of works, grouped around a curatorial theme. Pieces from the collection are also loaned to public institutions, including the Kennedy Center in 2024.^[11]

The institution's staff is made up of an international network artists, technologists and curators, in addition to support personnel.^[12]