When Alex Simorré founded Load gallery in Barcelona, he was looking to correct what he saw as a structural oversight: digital art, despite its ubiquity, was still being shown in spaces that weren’t built to support it. After years working at the intersection of light, sound and related technologies—he founded Artbox, an audiovisual company in 2012—Simorré recognized that most art galleries and cultural institutions were unequipped to handle the demands of immersive, time-based and screen-native work.
“The defining moment was when I realized that existing infrastructures were failing these new forms of creation,” he told Observer. “Determined to change that, I spent years developing technical solutions—high-definition screens, immersive setups, smart contracts—to offer artists a flexible framework that adapts to their ideas rather than limiting them.”
A longtime art lover, Simorré’s tastes lean toward artists who fuse aesthetic precision with conceptual rigor—figures like Andrés Reisinger, Luna Ikuta, Maxim Zhestkov, Azuma Makoto, and Jesse Woolston. Load’s exhibitions reflect this interest in formal control and immersive experience. Mareo Rodríguez’s 2024 solo show “Portals” filled the gallery with dense fog and ambient scent to anchor LED sculptures and wallworks in physical space. “Fine Print” brought together two Lumen Prize finalists, aurèce vettier and Ana María Caballero, in a show that included A.I., choreography, performance and blockchain-based provenance.
Load, of course, isn’t the first digital art gallery—that honor belongs to London’s Colville Place Gallery, though Steve Sacks’ bitforms is often cited as being the first. Load’s approach, however, is unusually integrative for a digital-first art gallery. Here, the digital and the physical are treated not as binaries but as partners in conversation.
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The programming reflects an ongoing interest in how emerging technologies are shaping visual culture. Recent shows have featured work by Six N. Five, Mario Carrillo, Claire Droppert, Dimitri Thouzery and Jason Ting. Currently on view is “Pilar Zeta: Visions,” a precisely composed exhibition of digital surrealism that uses reflective materials, bold color and deconstructed geometries to build dreamlike spatial illusions. And later this year, “Blurred Lines” will bring together artists who are actively incorporating artificial intelligence into their creative processes.
Across these and other projects, Simorré is working to recalibrate the conversation around digital art—not by theorizing it from a distance, but by building the physical and conceptual infrastructure that allows it to unfold. We caught up with the gallerist to discuss the genesis of Load, what people get wrong about digital art and his artists to watch.
Why does the world need galleries specifically devoted to digital art and artists working in that space? Was there a defining moment that inspired you to open the gallery?
Digital art has long been underrepresented in traditional exhibition and collection circuits.
Do you remember the first time you saw street art? Did you feel confused about what it was? What to call it… does it have a name at all? Similarly, many people have little exposure to digital art, and when they encounter it, they often feel perplexed, struggling to make sense of it. Misconceptions abound—such as the idea that “the computer makes the art”—when in reality, it is the artist who creates. Yet, we live in a time shaped by technology, and digital art—art made with technology—often captures the essence of our era, reflecting the technological shifts that continue to reshape our relationship with art, social and economic shifts and the perception of reality itself.
To me, every city should have at least one gallery that regularly exhibits digital art and has an accompanying educational program. These spaces should be designed appropriately—places where technology is not a constraint but a tool for experimentation and innovation. Load gallery was born to address this need—to provide a space where digital art can shine and have the undivided attention of the audience. It’s a space thought out meticulously, in the smallest details, from light to sound to wall colors, to be elegant, classy, but at the same time welcoming–Load is not your snobbish type of gallery where you feel uncomfortable as soon as you enter.
The digital art sphere is vast—what do you look for in the artists you work with? Is there a unifying factor to your roster?
I need to be emotionally stirred by the work. Digital art is not just about aesthetics or a medium; it is a way of questioning our interactions, memory and emotions.
What unites the artists I exhibit is their ability to create works that extend beyond visuals—they offer an experience, a story, a spiritual quest. Whether immersive, interactive or sensory, their works invite engagement–like every great work of art does–forging a deeper connection with the viewer.
Tell me about how you display art at Load gallery. Do you ever run into situations where an artist’s work doesn’t align with the technology you have available?
I designed Load gallery to adapt to a wide range of artistic practices, whether purely digital or hybrid. My infrastructure is built around screens and designed to evolve: I can integrate sensors, adjust lighting, enhance sound environments or add interactive devices to meet the specific requirements of artists. This flexibility allows each work to find its place without compromise.
Are there challenges that come with focusing exclusively on digital art? How have you addressed any skepticism from traditional art audiences regarding digital art forms?
I don’t run a gallery that is exclusively dedicated to digital art, but rather a contemporary gallery specializing in digital art. My goal is not to isolate digital art but to position it—both literally and conceptually—alongside traditional art forms. I encourage artists to explore relationships with physical space and tangible objects, to put institutions and collectors “at ease,” so that they can approach digital works with a sense of familiarity and hopefully integrate them into their collections. I’m a huge believer that even though we basically live in the digital realm, we still need a physical component to feel connected.
A great example is the upcoming Pilar Zeta exhibition, where she presents sculptures, paintings, and digital art–all within an immersive installation that defines her practice. To pull it together, I designed a system to cover gallery screens and display physical pieces. This hybrid scenography positions digital art within a continuity with contemporary art and makes it more accessible.
Beyond exhibitions, I collaborate with artists who fuse digital and physical elements in their work. For example, one of them made sculptures that incorporate my screens. This is a practical and creative way to connect traditional audiences to digital art and break some skepticism about it being worthless–well, you are buying a sculpture!
What role would you like to see Load play in shaping the future of digital art?
As a new standard for exhibiting and educating. I don’t just use today’s technologies as tools—I see them as an artistic language, elevating digital art to a level where it can be understood, collected, and appreciated like any other form of art.
Beyond exhibitions, I wanted Load gallery to be a space for education and emotional connection, designed to help people understand this new medium (I’m sure you’ve heard that digital art is cold, has no aura, it’s computer-made (not accurate) so it’s not creative. I oppose all of these through Load). I want to offer an experience that is immersive, educational and accessible to everyone. Collectors, institutions and the public must see digital art within a structured framework, with clear reference points that allow them to engage with it confidently.
In the future, I want Load to be a reference point—an institution that demonstrates that this art form has a solid infrastructure and that it’s no more complex to exhibit and manage than a painting. I am not working in the experimental or ephemeral; I am building a lasting framework that will ensure digital art is fully recognized and integrated into the contemporary art world.
What artists are you particularly excited about right now? To put it another way, who should our readers be following and why?
The artists I find most compelling are those who have dedicated years to advancing digital art, often at great personal cost. Some focus on the interplay between physical and digital elements, while others rethink how digital art is experienced in immersive and public spaces.
As I’ve mentioned before, some artists don’t use digital as a separate medium, but combine it with physical elements. Six N. Five, Pilar Zeta and le fawnhawk are perfect examples. Six N. Five and Shirin Abedinirad take it a step further by merging these worlds to create an entirely new type of sculpture where digital and tangible elements interact directly.
Other artists, such as Claude, Thomas Vanz and Hayk Zakoyan, integrate their works into large-scale, high-impact experiences. Some design works specifically for monumental structures like Sphere in Las Vegas, leveraging these vast digital canvases to craft fully immersive environments. Here, the goal is not just to display digital art but to find the right way to integrate it into a space for magic to happen, to transform the viewer’s perception and interaction.
Another name to follow is Ana María Caballero, a literary artist and a pioneer of digital poetry, who cleverly bridges digital and physical art and focuses on audience interaction. Her practice seeks to make poetry, the most ephemeral thing possible, more tangible, and she found numerous ways to do so–her verse turned into video, A.I.-generated paper sculptures, physical sculptures, book sculptures, and the list goes on.
The future of digital art lies in these artists who don’t just use technology but reinvent, merge and reimagine it, creating new forms of engagement with the public. Unbeatable in this to me is KeJyun Wu, an artist whose artwork can be manipulated–just like in a game you use a joystick or swipe your hand to entirely change a landscape, season, create a wave… I think the metaverse will be like this.
