Digitalism 2025
Shesisinblack.art at British Art Fair 2025
Exhibition Report
The participation of Manuela Klauser, aka SheIsInBlack.art, in the British Art Fair 2025 marked a significant milestone: She became the first Austrian artist whose AI-driven visual worlds were showcased within the Fair’s DIGITALISM section — presented inside the iconic Saatchi Gallery, one of London’s most established platforms for contemporary art.
Her distinctive visual language — defined by Soft Goth Surrealism, urban atmospheres, and dreamlike digital imagery — received notable attention from an international audience.
Interestingly, discussions revolved less around technological mechanisms and more around aesthetic intention, narrative strength, and emotional resonance.
This shift reflects an important trend: AI-assisted art is increasingly recognised as a legitimate contemporary artistic practice, not a technological novelty.
For sheisinblack.art, this appearance represents a meaningful step in her growing international trajectory — and an important moment for Austrian digital art as a whole.
Digitalism – The Visionary Digital Section of the British Art Fair
The presentation took place as part of DIGITALIMS, the Fair’s curated digital art section, developed and shaped by British curator and producer Rebekah Tolley.
Tolley is widely regarded as one of the most forward-thinking voices in digital exhibition design.
Early on, she identified the need to treat AI art, digital painting, moving image, photography, and hybrid formats as fully autonomous artistic expressions, rather than peripheral or experimental additions.
DIGITALISM debuted in 2024 as “PIVOTAL: Digitalism” and returned in 2025 with an expanded, more internationally oriented edition under Tolley’s direction.
Her curatorial vision is defined by:
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positioning digital art at the centre, not the margins
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prioritising artistic voice and visual authorship over technology
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integrating digital practices into the broader context of contemporary art
Within this visionary framework, sheisinblack.art appeared as one of the international image-makers who combine digital aesthetics with an unmistakable atmospheric signature.
Rebekah Tolley’s contribution to the field is therefore foundational — she is not only a curator, but a key architect of how digital art is contextualised and exhibited today.
impressions of Digitalism 2025
How This Moment Led to the Creation of AVGD
The British Art Fair — and especially Tolley’s Digitalism concept — directly inspired the idea of creating a dedicated platform for digital avant-garde practices.
The clarity, ambition, and professionalism of Digitalism revealed a growing need for a space that:
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connects international digital art positions
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supports artistic experimentation
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provides curatorial orientation
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and brings these practices into a European cultural context
From this insight, the AVGD (Avant-Garde Digital Gallery) was founded shortly thereafter by Manuela Klauser (sheisinblack.art).
AVGD is envisioned as:
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a curated platform for contemporary digital art
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a network of international artists
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a place for collaboration, exchange, and curatorial development
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a long-term project bridging public visibility and digital art production
Digitalism at the British Art Fair was the impulse that initiated the conception of AVGD.
Artists within the AVGD Network
Several artists whose work resonates with — or was shown within — the Digitalism context now form part of AVGD’s evolving circle:
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Cristina Schek – conceptual, emotionally charged digital surrealism
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KWANO.GEN – graphic-kinetic digital compositions
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n.evernow – poetic, fragmented digital narratives
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sheisinblack.art – atmospheric soft-goth surrealism (Founder AVGD)
This growing network forms the foundation of AVGD’s curatorial direction and will continue to expand as the platform evolves.