The Sigg Art Foundation has announced the launch of the 2024 Sigg Art Prize, an initiative aimed at redefining the boundaries of artistic creation through the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The award ceremony will take place at Asprey Studio during Frieze Week on 10th October 2024, where one of the shortlisted artists will be awarded €10,000 for their innovations in the integration of AI in their practice, centred around the theme “Future Desert.” Selected from over 300 applicants spanning 70 countries.
The seven finalists for the Sigg Art Prize 2024 are: Obaid Alsafi, Dana-Fiona Armour, Léa Collet, Agnieszka Kurant in collaboration with John Menick, Harrison Pearce, Aaron Scheer, Sasha Stiles.
The prize is based on three key criteria: the integration of technology, innovation and creativity, and artistic impact. Artists were encouraged to present works that seamlessly fuse technology and AI with traditional visual arts. Submissions were evaluated on how effectively these elements were combined, with a focus on originality, creativity, AI integration and relevance to the theme “Future Desert.”
Additionally, each submission’s impact on contemporary art and culture was considered, including engagement with social issues and representation of cultural diversity.
The Sigg Art Prize brings together an esteemed jury composed of leading figures in art, technology, philosophy, and cultural management.
The jury members include: Nicolas Bourriaud – Curator and Art Critic; currently Artistic Director of the 15th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea, Joseph Fowler – Head of Art and Culture at the World Economic Forum, Anna Longo – Philosopher, Writer, and Program Director at the Collège International
de Philosophie, Dominique Moulon – Independent Curator & Art Critic (President of the Jury), Seedphrase – NFT & Digital Art Collector, Antonio Somaini – Professor at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris, Anne Stenne – Independent curator, co-founder and Artistic Director at The Feral & Gediminas Urbonas – Director at MIT Program in Art, Culture, and Technology
A unique addition to the jury is an AI that analysed the artistic projects both textually and visually, using machine learning models and vision. The AI evaluated the submissions quantitatively and qualitatively, with an emphasis on originality in tackling the theme, use of technologies, and historical art references. The AI’s findings were presented to the jury by a voice clone of its author, Grégory Chatonsky, who chose to give the AI his voice for this process.
2024 Sigg Art Prize October 10th, ASPREY STUDIO GALLERY 1st Floor 11 Bruton Pl Entrance via: 34-36 Bruton St @siggartfoundation
About
The Sigg Art Foundation posits that AI is a transformative force, as profound as the emergence of photography during the industrial revolution. AI is reshaping the representation of reality, the construction of memory, traditional practices, and language innovation on a global scale. Committed to fostering new ideas, facilitating knowledge exchange, and building cultural bridges, the Foundation introduces the Sigg Art Prize, a 10,000-euro award for an original contemporary AI project. The 2024 theme, “Future Desert,” invites participants to explore its dimensions through innovative AI approaches.
The Selection Committee, comprising globally recognised experts and an AI counterpart, will evaluate projects based on their innovation, engagement with the theme, and conceptual and technical quality, ensuring intellectual rigour and diverse perspectives. One of the jury members, an AI, will analyse the artistic projects from textual and visual perspectives using large language models and machine vision. This AI will evaluate submissions both qualitatively and quantitatively, making its criteria as explicit as possible, particularly focusing on the originality of the proposals in their treatment of the theme, technologies, and the history of art. The AI’s results will be presented to the other jury members through the cloned voice of its author, Grégory Chatonsky, who chose to give the AI a voice to mimic the
judgement of a jury and express an average perspective.
The Sigg Art Foundation empowers emerging creatives, with a special focus on artists challenging history and its artistic heritage through the lens of digital and technological innovation. Their mission is to create an environment that nurtures artistic development, fosters cross-cultural connections, and provides a platform for the exploration of new ideas. Applicants represent over 70 nationalities, highlighting the Foundation’s goal of creating bridges between cultures.
