Event
The New Atlas of Digital Art 2026: Culture Dome
The New Atlas of Digital Art: Culture Dome
June 23 and 24, 2026
MEET Digital Culture Center
Viale Vittorio Veneto 2, Milan
2026 Edition
The New Atlas of Digital Art returns to MEET for its seventh edition on June 23 and 24, 2026. The 2026 edition, titled “Culture Dome”, is organized in collaboration with the National Museum of Digital Art (MNAD) and with the participation of the Lombardy Region and the City of Milan; will be dedicated to the theme of immersivity, which is emerging not only as a physical space but also as a new cultural paradigm that is redefining physical spaces, communication, narrative languages, and content production, and is shaping a new contemporary economic and cultural ecosystem.
The “Dome” is understood not merely as a physical space, but as an artistic, creative, cultural, and economic dimension that is profoundly reshaping the ways in which the sector is experienced, produced, and evolves. In this edition, the project aims to explore how immersive technologies no longer represent merely a set of specific tools or applications, but rather constitute a structural shift that simultaneously impacts cultural venues, artistic languages, forms of public participation, organizational models, and the economies of the creative and cultural sectors.
The seventh edition of The New Atlas of Digital Art is produced with the patronage of Regione Lombardia and Comune di Milano; in collaboration with Museo nazionale dell’Arte digitale; with the support of Studiotopia and the European Commission; with the contribution of Consolato generale di Svizzera a Milano, Delegazione del Québec in Italia and Epson. With the participation of Metagate and CoMeta. Thanks to Institut français Milano and Wallonie-Bruxelles International for the collaboration. Technical partner: Converso and SNCF – TGV INOUÏ Italia.
MEET Village
Over the course of the two-day event, the ground floor of MEET will be transformed into the MEET VILLAGE; a laboratory of cutting-edge technology where VR, MR, and XR become entirely new forms of expression. The program turns the Village into a living atlas of the expressive possibilities of digital art, where each work becomes a piece of a collective map leading to the uncharted territories of contemporary creativity.
(HERE detailed schedule of the activities available in the Village will be posted shortly)
The exhibitions
On the first floor, meanwhile, MEET’s exhibition spaces will host immersive art installations. Synthetic Creatures by Rebecca Allen is a retrospective tracing half a century of pioneering research: the project documents the evolution of the relationship between body and technology—how the digital representation of human movement has shifted from basic lines to complex simulations, how interactivity has transformed the viewer into a participant, and how virtuality has redefined the boundaries between physical and digital presence (learn more about the exhibition at this link). Also on display in the Galleries and on the Living Staircase is “Symbiotic Imaginaries”: a showcase of works from the European project Studiotopia (learn more by clicking on this link).
WORK IN PROGRESS PROGRAM
The two-day event will be led by:
- Maria Grazia Mattei – President and Founder, MEET Digital Culture Center (Italy)
- Agnese Pietrobon – Writer and XR consultant (Italy)
- Claudio Prati – AIEP | Avventure in Elicottero Prodotti (Italy)
- Maria Paola Borgarino – Director, Museo nazionale dell’Arte digitale (Italy)
TUESDAY, JUNE 23rd
MEET Theater
9,30 – 10,15
ONBOARDING
- Maria Grazia Mattei – President and Founder, MEET Digital Culture Center (Italy)
- Patrizia Asproni – Board Member, Fondazione Cariplo; Culture Sector Representative (Italy)
- Maria Paola Borgarino – Director, Museo nazionale dell’Arte digitale (Italy)
- Francesca Caruso – Councilor for Culture, Regione Lombardia (Italy)
- Tommaso Sacchi – Councilor for Culture, Comune di Milano (Italy)
- Laurence Fouquette L’Anglais – Québec Delegate to Italy
- François Bonet – Consul General of France in Milan
- Stefano Lazzarotto – Consul General of Switzerland in Milan
10,15 – 12,00
SESSION 1 – MUSEUMS AND ART IN THE DIGITAL AGE
The session will begin with a discussion on the evolution of museums and cultural venues in the digital age, exploring the growing presence of digital artworks and the integration of innovative technologies, devices and models that are redefining how these spaces are experienced, the relationship with the public and the valorization of cultural heritage. Museums, cultural centers, and exhibition spaces are now called upon to rethink their function and identity through increasingly hybrid models, in which the physical dimension and the digital environment coexist and integrate.
- Maria Paola Borgarino – Director, Museo nazionale dell’Arte digitale (Italy)
- Patrick Moran – Head of Commercial Strategy & Partnerships, Barbican Immersive (United Kingdom)
- Chiara Casarin – Head of the Digital Center, Giorgio Cini Foundation (Italy)
- Alessandra Bogi – Creative Producer, Lucid Realities and Unframed Collection (France)
- Julie Walsh – Curator of Digital Art (Usa)
- Mauro Salvatore – Director, Fondazione Museo Diocesano di Brescia (Italy) with Maddalena Rosa – Cultural Operator (Italy)
12,00 – 12,15
ARTISTIC INTERLUDE
- Andrea Crespi – Artist (Italy)
14,30 – 16,30
SESSION 2 – INTERNATIONAL ECOSYSTEMS
Through international case studies, this session is a special research moment and an opportunity for professional people to exchange ideas, offering a comparative overview of the most advanced initiatives in the field of immersive experiences. A dialogue between different models of innovation and experimentation related to immersive art and creative experiences. The goal is to accelerate the growth of our country’s cultural and creative industries by drawing inspiration from models that are emerging in various countries around the world.
- Sabrina Sammuri: Culture General Manager, Regione Lombardia
- Anaïs Emery – Vice President, La Fondation pour la création numérique (Switzerland)
- Yuelai Ruan – Artist, professor, curator (China)
- Jeanne Dompierre – Executive Director, XN Québec (Québec)
- Lauriane Albert – International Development Director, KIKK Festival (Belgium)
- Fahad Al Obaidly – Director of Design, Doha Biennial (Qatar)
- Gimo Yi – Senior Curator at ACC / Artistic Director of ACT Festival (South Korea)
- Antoine Roland – CEO, {CORRESPONDANCES DIGITALES], co-producer of NUMIX LAB. CEO, Numix Lab (France)
16,30 – 16,45
ARTISTIC INTERLUDE
- Mauro Martino – Artist and scientist (Usa)
16,45 – 18,00
SESSION 3 – THE DRAMATURGY OF TELEPRESENCE
A virtual session organized in collaboration with SAT in Montreal and directed by Claudio Prati (AIEP | Avventure in Elicottero Prodotti), dedicated to analyzing new forms of presence mediated by technology, with a particular focus on the performative, narrative, and symbolic aspects of immersive experiences. In this context, the user is no longer a mere spectator, but an integral part of an experience capable of engaging the sensory, cognitive, and emotional dimensions.
- Opening of the live link with SAT in Montréal: a conversation between Maria Grazia Mattei from Italy and Jean-Michel Célérier from Montréal. Featuring contributions from:
- Claire Paillon – Strategic Development Advisor, SAT Montréal (Quebec)
- Adriano Martella – Head of Creative & Creative Director, Filmmaster (Italy)
- Ubiqua, telepresence dance and virtual reality between Milan and Montréal with Ariella Vidach – Italy/Switzerland and Nien Tzu Weng – Taiwan/Canada
21,00 – 22,00
LIVE SET
nD by Ryoichi Kurokawa (Japan)
After performing at international institutions and festivals such as the Tate Modern, Ars Electronica, and MUTEK, the renowned Japanese composer Ryoichi Kurokawa will present the Italian premiere of his work titled “nD”, the third chapter of the “cm:av_c” project, which the artist has been developing over many years. Within the performance, the phenomena of sound and vision, as well as the dynamics of abstraction and concreteness and the qualities of meaning and meaninglessness, take shape in a continuous oscillation between duality and non-duality. The work takes the form of a perceptual space in which our experience constantly moves between separation and inseparability. Through the processing and fusion of sound and image on an abstract level, the work generates an intense audiovisual experience that simultaneously engages sight and hearing. The result is an essential sensory experience, capable of suspending the usual interpretive demands and guiding the audience toward a more immediate, direct and perceptual relationship with the work.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24th
MEET Theater
10,00 – 10,45
SESSION 4 – GLOBAL IMMERSIVE WELLNESS
An experience led by Stefano Tirelli will examine the impact of immersive digital works on individual and collective mental and physical well-being. The session will explore how sensory environments, sound, images and interaction can influence perception and also have a significant neurological impact in our life.
- Stefano Tirelli – Professor in Sport Sciences and global mindfulness coach (Italy)
11,00 – 12,00
SESSION 5 – EXPERIENCE ECONOMY
A section dedicated to analyzing international immersive productions across various cultural and creative content, examining how the latest technological innovations – including AI – are generating new production models, emerging markets and new economies. The program will also explore innovative experiences from the creation of “site-specific” immersive works to the development of new formats for performance and entertainment.
- Mathieu Gayet – Publishing Director (France)
- Alfredo Accatino – Artistic Director, Filmmaster (Italy) with Adriano Martella – Head of Creative & Creative Director, Filmmaster (Italy)
- Martin Pošta – Curator, Founder & CEO, Signal Group (Czech Republic)
- Corine Meijers – Creative Producer / Founder, Studio Biarritz and Stichting Podium Biarritz (Netherlands)
- Nina Albani – Founder & Executive Producer, AIIO Creative Group (Singapore)
- Ludovica Arci – Co-Founder, SARAVÁ (Italy)
- Damian Kirzner – Founder and Director of Mediamorfosis / Director and General Producer of Immersive Mafalda (Argentina)
- Alessandro Masserdotti – Co-Founder and CEO, Dotdotdot (Italy)
12,00 – 12,15
ARTISTIC INTERLUDE
- Fabio Giampietro – Artist (Italy)
12,15 – 13,00
SYNTHESIS AND FUTURE OUTLOOK
A focus on the key points from the two-day event and a brief presentation of La Soglia Necessaria, a theoretical reflection developed in collaboration with the Consolato generale di Svizzera a Milano and Fondazione Bassetti which will take place the following day at the Swiss Corner
- Nicola Felder – Deputy Consul General, Consolato generale di Svizzera a Milano
- Francesco Samorè – General Secretary, Fondazione Giannino Bassetti
THURSDAY, JUNE 25th
Swiss Corner, Via Palestro 2
9,00 – 11,00
The reflection begun at MEET during The New Atlas of Digital Art continues at the Swiss Corner, which, for the occasion, becomes SWISS CORNER BY MEET. The Consulate General of Switzerland in Milan and Fondazione Bassetti pick up the thread that ran through those two days: every experience needs someone to live it, but on what terms, within an immersive paradigm, can a subject still be called one?
Three voices from different fields – economics, politics and community life – will carry that question beyond art, testing it where we decide, where we work, where we live together: amid our immersion in global flows, who can still step forward as a subject?
