17
Mar 2025
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Drama Classes for Kids
Mayoor Private School, 42nd St. Al Wathba South, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Some of the most fascinating and cutting-edge trends are being produced through the fusion of art and culture. Art has always been an expression of culture, and as cultures change and evolve, so does art. From Banksy’s works being exhibited in leading galleries to generative art created by algorithms, these forms of art are constantly evolving and pushing the limits of what is possible.
The 1990s were a crucial decade. They saw hip-hop gaining popularity and the emergence of the first online gaming communities, laying the groundwork for today’s massive multiplayer online games. Digital music formats like MP3s, came in the 90s paving the way for the emergence of online streaming services like Spotify. Sneakers evolved into more than just footwear; they were a means of identification and self-expression and contributed to the aesthetic of popular culture as a whole. It was a time when contemporary art started to interact in novel and fascinating ways with popular culture, giving rise to a wide range of trends and styles that still have an impact on the present creative scene.
Join us for an exciting conversation with cultural trendsetters and early technology adopters examining the role of technology in shaping art and culture today, reflecting on the movements that emerged in the 90s, and exploring their historical context and ongoing influence on contemporary culture.
Anish Gawande is a writer and translator. He is the director of the Dara Shikoh Fellowship, an interdisciplinary arts residency, and the founder of Pink List India, the country’s first archive of politicians supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Gawande is a Rhodes Scholar and holds postgraduate degrees in intellectual history and public policy from the University of Oxford.
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Amit Gupta founded STIR as a global platform that offers exclusively curated, carefully analysed and meticulously presented content. STIR presents arenas for cross-disciplinary collaborations, industry connects and community building in order to reach out to a large audience of design enthusiasts, consumers, next-generation creators and thinkers within the world of art, architecture and design
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Amrit Pal Singh is a visual artist, 3D illustrator, and art director who revels in play, world cinema, and the occasional side of fries. He is known for whimsical, diversity-driven designs, illustrations, and NFTs. For over a decade, he’s collaborated with domestic and international clients to create mobile apps, picture books, digital toys, and more. Amrit shot to fame in February 2021 when he minted his first NFT – Frida Toy Face – which sold for 3.9 ETH. Since then, he has evoked nostalgia worldwide with his collection of Toy Faces & Toy Rooms, resulting in over 94 NFTs and 384+ ETH in primary sales.
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Emilia Bergmans is the co-founder and creative director of the Brewhouse and Veg NonVeg. She spent the first part of her career at some of the most inspiring agencies in the world like Studio Anthon Beeke in Amsterdam, Saatchi & Saatchi in Stockholm and Wieden + Kennedy in Shanghai and Delhi. Emilia has created internationally acclaimed work for brands like Nike, Levi’s and Doctors Without Borders to name a few, before starting her own agency the Brewhouse in 2010. Emilia has always had a love for fashion and pop culture. In 2016 she co-founded VegNonVeg, India’s first multi-brand sneaker boutique and apparel brand.
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Priyanshi Saxena helms the art advisory PSArts, building and managing art collections, and consulting on the South Asian Art Market. She is the director of IAM, working at reviving, restructuring and connecting the regional art market, especially in regional languages in India. As part of this endeavor, they are doing micro art fairs [GrAF] in tier 2 cities in India, starting phase 2 with Surat Art Fair in 2023. She curated the epochal show भीड़तंत्र x लोकतंत्र in January 2023. She was one of the reviewers for the 2022 Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship applications in the field of Arts and Culture Management.
Read moreIntersection
of Art and Culture
The intersection of art and culture embodies the
fundamental ways in which culture's attitudes, values, and beliefs are both
reflected in and shaped by art. Cultural attitudes and perceptions are
influenced and shaped by artistic movements, styles, and innovations,
questioning accepted wisdom and fostering fresh perspectives on the world. It's
always been a vibrant and creative place for innovation, experimentation, and
social commentary to meet with art and culture. It was in the 1990s when
artists and cultural trendsetters experimented with novel modes of expression
and pushed the bounds of convention.
The Origin and Evolution of Cultural
Artefacts from the 1990s
The 90s were characterized by a distinctive fusion of nostalgia, sarcasm, and subversion that later generations have reinterpreted and altered.
Hip-hop first gained popularity in the 1970s,
but its influence and scope significantly increased in the 1990s. Tupac,
Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, and Jay-Z are just a few of the artists and
albums from this time period that has become unmistakably associated with
hip-hop. The influence may be observed in a variety of cultural mediums,
including streetwear and fashion as well as film and television.
The introduction of systems like the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and Sony
PlayStation coincided with the growth of video gaming as a significant cultural
force during the 1990s. Super Mario 64, Doom, and Final Fantasy VII were just a
few of the ground-breaking and significant games that were released during this
time period, helping to establish gaming as a popular form of entertainment.
With the creation of the World Wide Web and the expansion of personal computer
accessibility, the Internet and digital media also started to grow in the
1990s. As a result, new kinds of artistic exploration and expression emerged,
including interactive installations, digital art, and net art.
The Toy Face Tour by Amrit Pal Singh
Amrit Pal Singh's work is a delightful
celebration of whimsy and playfulness that transcends age and taps into the
childlike wonder that resides within us all. His 3D toy-like renditions of
characters and figures from contemporary culture, music, technology, and 90s
web culture capture a sense of joy and imagination that is infectious. With his
ever-growing collection of toy faces, Amrit Pal Singh has reimagined inspiring
humans from various fields, bringing them to life in a unique and imaginative
way. His latest exhibition, coinciding with his 100th NFT drop, returns to the
project's origins by exploring iconic artists from the world of art.
Future
of Art, Culture, and Technology
In the age of Web 3.0, Metaverse, and AI, the future is going to be influenced by a mix of technology development, shifting social and cultural trends, and developing artistic practices and traditions. Their intersection will keep opening up new avenues for inventive expression, technological advancement, and cross-cultural interaction.
