Bridging Worlds | Digital Art Beyond Borders

As Innovation Advisor to Switzerland for UNHCR, I’ve been helping them tap into the power of Web3 for humanitarian aid for a couple of years. When I saw the theme of this year’s Venice Biennale, Stranieri Ovunque (“Foreigners Everywhere”), it resonated on so many levels. I was a refugee myself and know first-hand what it means to become a foreigner everywhere all at once. As someone deeply immersed in the digital art ecosystem, which, at its best, is an inclusive, borderless cultural economy, I am conscious of how digital artists are still regarded as foreigners by the global art world. 

Yet numerous members of the digital art movement were in Venice when the Biennale was opening back in April 2024 to celebrate the final leg of the Bright Moments journey. I got to share my ideas with Micol Ap, the curator of this special auction, Sebastian Sanchez of Christie’s, and a number of our participating artists, including Erick Calderon, who offered to launch an open call to reinterpret his iconic work, the Chromie Squiggle. After receiving 192 remarkable entries, the contest was ultimately won by Vinnie Hager, whose work, Handle with Care (2024), truly captures the message of this event. Bridging Worlds is a chance to come together to support the ultimate protector of foreigners everywhere, the UN Refugee Agency, as well as the artists of this brave new movement.

— Leila Khazaneh, Innovation Advisor to Switzerland for UNHCR

Vinnie Hager: “I drew two planetary forms in the upper corners that illustrate the idea of ‘worlds apart’ — whether it’s between nations, cultures, or personal identities. Connecting these forms are bridges that represent the potential for connection in a world increasingly fractured by boundaries, differences, and spaces.” ‍

Switzerland for UNHCR, the National Partner of the UN Refugee Agency for Switzerland, is a gateway to innovative projects within the wider organization. Our work in innovation in general, and blockchain in particular, focuses on three key objectives: fundraising, awareness raising, and connecting the challenges that UNHCR is facing to existing solutions in the tech sector. 

With the exponential increase in forced displacement worldwide and stagnating funding, we must explore innovative fundraising methods. This is particularly crucial for supporting operations in less-publicized countries or regions. Art is a powerful medium to convey our message. Auctions and art sales can generate significant funds and awareness for UNHCR’s operations and mandate.

Partnering with a renowned institution like Christie’s helps promote the refugee cause and UNHCR’s mission. This initiative allows us to connect with new audiences, particularly those interested in art and technology who might not be familiar with our organization. By embracing new fundraising solutions, we demonstrate our adaptability and capacity to explore innovative solutions that help address challenges and also improve the way we work.

— Alvaro Cosi, Head of Innovation for Switzerland for UNHCR

Sebastian Sanchez, Manager of Digital Art Sales for Christie’s: “We are thrilled to be hosting this auction and artist open call to benefit the UNHCR. The selection of artists and the works they each contributed speak to the importance of fostering a sense of unity across diverse artistic practices.”

The concept of the “foreigner” can be understood in various ways: from its literal meaning of being from a different geographical location to a more profound sense of feeling like a foreigner within one’s own body, identity, or creative practice. With this auction, we seek to broaden the perception of what digital art can offer, exploring its potential to connect worlds, bridge practices, and transcend borders both literal and metaphorical.

Digital art’s very nature defies traditional constraints as a space where artists and audiences can come together regardless of their location or background. In this shared digital ecosystem, practices emerge that transcend borders, fostering connection through culture and creativity. 

Our 11 participating artists reflect this expansive narrative by engaging in a global conversation through their work, one that speaks to the themes of unity, opportunity, and connection. Their diverse backgrounds and artistic practices create a dialogue that bridges cultural, social, and technological divides while also supporting UNHCR’s vital mission to assist displaced communities worldwide. In questioning what it means to be a “foreigner” in the contemporary art world, this auction also highlights the unique role of digital art within the broader art landscape. 

Niceaunties: “I believe I am shaped by my upbringing and environment. Coming from a place rooted in discipline and rules, creating art has given me the space to question the issues and situations I observe around me. I see myself as a collage of the things I find beautiful and inspiring, combined with a response to my environment.”

Digital artists often navigate the feeling of being outsiders, whether in relation to traditional art institutions or within the rapidly evolving digital space itself. Yet, it is precisely this position at the margins that gives digital art its power to disrupt, innovate, and forge new pathways. The digital art market, with its decentralized platforms and global reach, creates unprecedented opportunities for artists to break through geographical, cultural, and economic barriers. It enables them to connect directly with audiences, form new communities, and challenge established norms of ownership, creation, and value. In doing so, digital art becomes a potent force for crossing boundaries of place, identity, and practice.

The following artists attest to the capacity of digital art to transcend borders and create connections that resonate on a deeply human level. As the proceeds from this auction support UNHCR’s work with displaced communities, it affirms the power of art to not only reflect our world but to actively shape a more connected and compassionate future.

— Micol Ap, Curator of Bridging Worlds

0x DEAFBEEF: “The very best part of the last three years has been the opportunity to interact with other artists from diverse backgrounds. Those interactions have definitely affected my work, although it’s difficult to express exactly how. Certainly, learning about the diversity of creative practices has helped feel more comfortable with accepting my own artistic identity.”

‍‍My mother was born in a displaced persons camp in postwar Europe. She and her family were “resettled” in the US by a humanitarian organization. I was the first born in this country. Growing up between worlds in terms of language and memory, the complexities of migration and belonging are in my blood. 


I have chosen to contribute my poem, Seven Generations (2024), to this exhibition because it is about my mother and her mother and her mother’s mother, my maternal lineage, my refugee blood, the nomadic spirit I’ve inherited. It honors how the connections and disconnections inherent in a displaced family’s existence can still somehow allow a child like me to find her place in the world. 

— Sasha Stiles

IX Shells: “I deeply resonate with the concept of being a foreigner or outsider. It’s not just a physical experience of displacement but also an emotional and spiritual state. I come from a deep cultural heritage in Panama, and as someone navigating the digital art world, there’s always this feeling of being caught between worlds — both my personal identity and the digital space itself. Being a “foreigner” extends beyond national borders for me; it’s about navigating spaces where your sense of belonging is always shifting, whether it’s in the art world, cultural spaces, or even within yourself.”

Digital art is uniquely positioned to foster inclusive conversations about identity, migration, and displacement in our society. Its accessibility and global reach allow marginalized voices, including those of migrants and displaced individuals, to share their experiences directly with a worldwide audience. 

The visual nature of digital art often transcends language barriers, communicating complex emotions and experiences related to displacement and identity across cultural boundaries. Interactive elements in digital art can create immersive experiences that build empathy and understanding. 

— Mario Klingemann

Being a foreigner, I think, is a much broader term than we sometimes reduce it to. It’s not just about nationality; it’s a reality with many layers and, above all, a state of being, a feeling. I’m one myself. My family has been immigrants. Maybe because I grew up in an environment where a personal sense of freedom and the belief that anything is possible were central, I was maybe protected to see the world from that perspective, and I never felt socially discriminated against.

But no matter the specifics, the feeling is always there, inside, along with the struggles. It grows with you because, at home, you talk about it. “We’re different. You’ll have to work harder than everyone else because we don’t have the safety net they do. You’re not from here. You’re not from there. Study, work, fight. Don’t complain. You have to play the game.” 

— Iskra Velitchkova

Emi Kusano: “My piece for this auction reflects my personal experiences and aligns deeply with the concept of being a “foreigner.” During my exchange in the United States, I constantly felt like an outsider — I was a non-Christian, non-white individual in that environment. This experience was especially impactful because it happened during my teenage years, a time when identity is easily shaken. It remains a significant memory that has shaped who I am today, and through this artwork, I am revisiting those emotions using AI.”

The comfort of life in my country is real and the level of wealth is almost obscene. I feel like a privileged foreigner in the world — almost! Life is, of course, not carefree but the convenience, well-being, and material comforts allow me to dedicate much time to my craft. Culturally, I’m very influenced by modernist masters from art and design, especially by the Concrete Art movement. The design history and culture in my country have also deeply impacted my practice and the way I think about projects.

— Andreas Gysin

The Chromie Squiggle is a project originally conceived to demonstrate the seemingly infinite variability and potential of a generative algorithm in an effort to explain my vision for the Art Blocks platform. Over the years of tinkering with it, I became aware not only of the distinctness of the Squiggle, but the positive way people reacted to the colorful squiggly line. Feeling that it had potential to be something more symbolic, not merely a “proof of concept,” I decided to release the Squiggle as an artwork on Art Blocks, representing my digital signature as an artist, developer, and tinkerer. 

— Erick Calderon