British Contemporary artist Philip Colbert’s iconic collection of artwork “The Lobster” will be exhibited for the first time in Dubai at Art Dubai 2024, which opens on March 1.

Dubai-based Erma Gallery, in partnership with AA Meta, will represent Colbert at the the Middle East's premier international art fair.

Colbert's works to be exhibited include his performative robot “The Uber LobstarBot”. Alongside the exhibition, Colbert, in collaboration with AA Meta, will announce the first upcoming digital gallery in Fortnite metaverse.

Erma also announce that the exhibition will be supported by the pre-launch of the Abu Dhabi meta-artist AIRI, who will act as an art mediator, facilitating interactions between material, digital, and virtual art for the audience.

PHILIP COLBERT

Born in Scotland and living and working in London, Colbert is often referred to as the “godson of Andy Warhol”. Following its successful unveiling at Philips auction house in London in December 2022, the groundbreaking telepresent robot, “The Uber LobstarBot,” is poised to captivate audiences in the MENA region with its pioneering fusion of AI-generated artworks and interactive engagement.

"The Uber LobstarBot" represents a pioneering leap into collaborative artmaking, where human interaction converges with cutting-edge technology to produce entirely new and unique artworks. Powered by advanced AI, robotics, and blockchain technology, Colbert's LobstarBot challenges conventional notions of authorship and artistic expression, ushering in a new era of creativity and innovation.

Attendees at Art Dubai 2024 will have the exclusive opportunity to engage directly with "The Uber LobstarBot" as they guide the robot in splashing paint onto AI-generated prints. Participants will play an integral role in shaping each piece, forging a sense of shared creativity and collaboration in creating unique experimental artworks.

In addition to "The Uber LobstarBot," visitors to the booth will also have the opportunity to see a collection of Colbert’s sculptures and paintings, alongside his digital NFT collections “The Lobstars” and “Flowers Flowers Flowers.” In March 2022, he unveiled "The Lobstars," a groundbreaking community art project featuring 7777 unique NFT lobster portraits. This project not only expanded Colbert's digital metaverse, Lobsteropolis, but also democratised access to his work, welcoming a diverse global audience into his creative universe.

META ARTIST AIRI

AIRI, a digital artist and influencer born in Abu Dhabi, has been developed and curated by AA Meta. She is passionate about environmental issues, preserving the heritage of the MENA region, and envisions a harmonious combination of nature and advanced technologies in our cities. AIRI's avatar is powered by UE5 and AA Meta's advancements in prompt engineering, creating a realistic impression of a human delivering a message about sustainability through digital art. Her aspirations include collaborating with renowned and emerging artists to create impactful works.

Erma Gallery is a multidisciplinary art space that aims to challenge and expand the boundaries of contemporary art by showcasing innovative works that integrate technology and digital mediums into their practice. Founded in 2023 by Evgeniia Berezhnova, the gallery is currently based in Dubai, with upcoming locations in Switzerland and Hong Kong.