Istanbul Digital Art Festival explores AI, climate, consciousness

The sixth edition of the Istanbul Digital Art Festival, for which Anadolu Agency (AA) serves as global communications partner, will bring together contemporary artists, new media pioneers and interdisciplinary creators from around the world to explore some of the most pressing questions of the digital age through art.

Scheduled for June 3-7, the festival will feature works that engage with artificial intelligence, neuroscience, robotics, data ecology, bio-art, light installations and immersive audiovisual performances.

Organizers say the event aims not only to showcase technological innovation but also to serve as an international platform for reflection on humanity, consciousness, nature and the future.

Among the festival’s highlights is “Mental Garden,” an interactive installation that analyzes visitors’ brain waves in real time and transforms them into living digital flower compositions.

Another featured work, “SYMBIONT”, examines humans and technology as two interdependent life forms. The installation invites viewers to move beyond passive observation, bringing digital structures and human presence together while exploring the concept of “ontological completion.”

An artwork welcoming visitors to the Istanbul Digital Art Festival is seen in Istanbul, Türkiye, May 30, 2026. (AA Photo)

“Neural Nectar” combines beekeeping, robotics and artificial intelligence to reinterpret human cognition through the metaphor of nectar within a digital ecosystem. The work incorporates beeswax brain sculptures, video elements and robotic systems to create a unique reflection on the relationship between humans and technology.

The installation “d.memo” investigates memory, identity and digital transmission through the aesthetics of REM sleep. Blending hyperrealistic sculpture, animatronics and projection technology, the work questions how human consciousness can be reproduced through technological means.

Climate change and ecological destruction also feature prominently in the festival’s program. An immersive installation centered on the melting of the Brenva Glacier seeks to transform the urgency of climate action into a tangible physical experience.

Meanwhile,” Computational Compost” examines the environmental impact of data storage, drawing attention to the often-overlooked ecological costs of digital culture.

Exploring the intersection of nature and technology, “Seedlings” creates a biosonic communication network among plants using speakers embedded in soil and microtonal sound frequencies. Another installation, “Planatorium”, addresses the fractured relationship between humans and nature through a mechanical system designed to sustain plants in an intensive care unit-like environment.

Additional works include “The Pond”, which combines augmented reality, holographic projection and multichannel sound design; “T.A.H.I.R.A – 108”, a biomechanical vision of artificial superintelligence; “Array Afterglow”, which behaves like a living organism through the interaction of light, movement and sound; and “SpaceTime Helix”, a performance by artist Michela Pelusio that builds a visual bridge between physics, vibration and cosmology.

One of the festival’s notable experiences will be GastroDigital’s new work, “Journey of Spice | 5 Sense VR Experience.” Combining gastronomy, cultural heritage and advanced digital technologies, the project takes visitors on a multisensory journey along Anatolia’s ancient spice routes.

Developed following the success of the widely acclaimed “Journey of Wheat” experience, the new work explores spice not only as a culinary element but also as a historical force that has shaped civilizations.

The real-time audiovisual performance “The Rising Dusk” will transform themes of loss, transformation and rebirth into a poetic sensory experience.

Supported by Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Ministry and sponsored by Türk Telekom and PASHA Bank, the festival is organized by Mezo and will remain open to visitors through June 7.

DAILYSABAH