Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, inaugurated the 31st International Symposium on Electronic/Emerging Art (ISEA2026 Dubai), held under the theme ‘ELYAH: Constellating Place, Data, and Identity.’ Bringing together artists, researchers and innovators from around the world, the symposium, in its largest-ever edition, explores how art, science and technology can expand creative expression, deepen cultural understanding, and shape the future of electronic and emerging art.
Her Highness marked the inauguration by launching the interactive ELYAH show at ARTE MUSEUM Dubai. Inspired by Dubai’s celestial heritage, the experience combined light, music, performance and digital technology to explore the relationship between people, place and identity. By stepping onto an interactive star, Her Highness activated a visual sequence tracing the story of ELYAH and its historical role as a navigational guide. Coinciding with the symposium’s opening, the façade of Burj Khalifa was illuminated with a projection show that brought the story of ELYAH to life through visual compositions inspired by stars, light and the symposium’s digital identity.
During her tour, Her Highness viewed digital artworks by international artists presented as part of the ELYAH experience. Inspired by nature and the stars, the works offered different perspectives on humanity’s relationship with the universe. She viewed ‘Quantum Memory Fossils – Where Breath Becomes Light’ by Taeyoung Ahn, which explores connections between nature, memory and the future, and ‘Cosmic Balance: A Hybrid Cosmos of Water, Light & Gesture’ by Ina Hur and Serkan Jolboldin, which brings traditional elements into contemporary visual expression. Her Highness also viewed ‘Saving Aesthetics’ by Orkhan Mammadov, which reinterprets traditional patterns and symbols through digital technology.
Dubai Culture’s hosting of ISEA2026 Dubai supports the objectives of its Digital Arts Roadmap by creating opportunities for research, experimentation, innovation, and collaboration among artists, researchers, and cultural, academic, and technology institutions. These efforts strengthen Dubai’s position as a global cultural reference, a leader in innovation, a driver of the creative economy, and rooted in Emirati heritage.
ISEA2026 combines an in-person Artistic Programme featuring 100+ artworks across Dubai with an Online Academic Programme accessible to international audiences, comprising 145 academic papers, 50+ artist and practitioner talks and conversations, 10+ workshops, four special tracks offering 45+ workshops, panel discussions and presentations, seven Eco Labs workshops, and 20+ institutional presentations.