Over the years, Digital Innovation in Art Award welcomed prominent figures from art and technology to its judge committee. This year the panel will host leaders in their fields, each having experience and knowledge about both ecosystems. Together, they will select the final winner among a shortlist of candidates that submitted their application. The judges will consider a variety of factors including company growth, uniqueness of ideas and the level of impact on the art ecosystem. They will announce the winner at the award ceremony taking place on October 3rd this year coincidentally with London’s Frieze Week.

.ART is pleased to welcome the 2019 judges for the Digital Innovation in Art Award.

Nanne Dekking

“.ART supports the artistic community by strengthening the digital identity of its members and growing a network of creatives. The Digital Innovation in Art Award supports this mission by celebrating an inspiring group of individuals and organizations that are using digital technology to push the traditional boundaries of the art market.”

Nanne is the Founder and CEO of Artory, New York/Berlin and Chairman of the Board of TEFAF. Artory’s core product, the Artory Registry, is a secure, digital registry of verified information about artworks and collectibles, and their history. Artory builds an additional layer of trust into the art market that is already the norm when purchasing other valuable items—houses, cars, jewelry, or even computer software. Nanne is an eloquent advocate for change in the international art market. Prior to founding Artory, he was Sotheby’s Vice Chairman and Worldwide Head of Private Sales. Before joining Sotheby’s, he was Vice President of Wildenstein & Co., one of the world’s leading art dealers, where he advised individuals, museums, and foundations on the formation and development of their collections. Nanne was the founder and principal of Nanne Dekking Fine Arts, an art consultancy firm and gallery in New York. He is the current Chairman of The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF). After graduating from the University of Amsterdam he held numerous distinguished positions in The Netherlands, including Deputy Administrative Director of the Dutch National Ballet. He started his career as Assistant Curator of the Historical Collections of HM The Queen of The Netherlands.

Eugenia Makhlin

“I am thrilled to be one of the judges for the Digital Innovation in Art Award for 2019. Art and technology have always been intrinsically connected – in fact, the word technology is derived from the Greek tekhn¯e, which means “craft” or “art,” and logia, which means “the study of”, but the industry has traditionally been slow to adopt new products and technologies.

This award highlights the importance of digital innovation in today’s art world and this year’s cohort of entrants range from art data digitisation and analysis (ArtNome) to creating online communities for digital art (Niio). By recognising and developing these initiatives .ART are ensuring increased access and appreciation to the art already in existence and supporting the creation of new works and new artists.”

Serial entrepreneur and CEO, Georgetown-educated Eugenia Makhlin has played senior roles in the biggest companies in the world while they were experiencing explosive growth. Her CV ranges from Johnson and Johnson to Google and Facebook, from AOL to ELBI, a global philanthropic platform. With a passion for creativity, culture and building ideas, Eugenia’s global network spans from Moscow to San Francisco. She started her career during the Internet boom in Silicon Valley, working for the top global tech companies before they scaled.

Eugenia’s passion for the intersection of culture and technology led to her co-creating the YouTube Symphony Orchestra while at Google; an orchestra assembled by open auditions hosted by YouTube, the London Symphony Orchestra and other partners. Later, she left the tech sector in order to build and launch product in the difficult sector of philanthropy, as CEO of Natalia Vodianova’s charity project ELBI, a digital platform that promotes everyday philanthropy. She is currently the CEO of Globus Digital that offers boutique business consulting and acceleration services with particular expertise in the sectors of technology, sports, finance and entertainment.
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Elena Zavelev

“This award brings together some of the most innovative art and tech businesses and individuals and supports the growth of so much needed synergy between creativity and technology. I am excited to be on the jury and see first-hand the key talent in this fascinating field”

Elena Zavelev is the founder and CEO of CADAF, the leading international Contemporary and Digital Art Fair. CADAF is a physical platform to discover, exhibit and trade original digital art including Virtual and Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, video art and much more.

Elena is also the founder and CEO of New Art Academy, producer of educational conferences, workshops and events focused on Art and Technology for the global art market.

She is a contributor to Forbes Magazine and Observer Media. Elena is an advocate of new media art and its adoption within the traditional art market.


Also published on Medium.