Anna Ridler and Sofia Crespo jointly win the title of Artist of the Year 2025 in the context of the ABS Digital Art Prize, the first institutional prize in the world dedicated exclusively to on-chain digital artists.
The recognition, now in its third edition, is promoted by Arab Bank Switzerland, a historic financial institution also engaged as a patron in the contemporary art scene.
An artistic duo that merges nature and technology
The collaboration between Ridler and Crespo began in 2023 with the goal of exploring the intersection between analog photography and artificial intelligence, creating works that reflect on the relationship between humans, nature, and technology. Among the couple’s most well-known works is Snapshots Orchids, a project that uses vintage photographic techniques combined with AI-generated images to stimulate a critical reflection on the observation of nature through increasingly mediated tools.
Their works have been exhibited in prestigious international contexts such as Paris Photo 2023 and the Frieze Gallery in London, confirming the significant impact of their research in the landscape of contemporary digital art.
Anna Ridler: art, data and machine learning
Anna Ridler, British artist and researcher, is globally recognized for her pioneering work that combines art, dataset artigianali, and machine learning. Her works, visually rich and conceptually deep, explore the bias and ethical implications of emerging technologies. Ridler has exhibited at prominent institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Barbican Centre, the Centre Pompidou, HeK Basel, ZKM Karlsruhe, and Ars Electronica.
Sofia Crespo: AI and biological systems
Sofia Crespo, an Argentine artist based in Lisbon, explores the convergence between artificial intelligence and biological systems. Her work analyzes the evolution of the relationship between humans and technology, drawing a connecting thread between historical tools like the microscope and modern neural networks. Her works have been presented at prominent events such as Art Basel, V&A Museum, MAC Lyon, and Ars Electronica, and her insights have been shared in conferences at academic institutions like MIT and the Oxford Artificial Intelligence Society.
Sébastien Montabonel, President of the jury and internationally renowned curator, commented: “Congratulations to Anna Ridler and Sofia Crespo. Their work stands out in an increasingly competitive landscape for its visual elegance, emotional depth, and conceptual innovation. They are a brilliant example of what digital art can offer today.”
Cezar Mocan: emerging talent of the year
Alongside the main prize, the 2025 edition introduced the new category Emerging Artist of the Year, won by Cezar Mocan with the work World Upstream. The work, set in an imaginary future where automation has made human labor superfluous, questions what remains of leisure time in a world where artificial intelligence is omnipresent. The work, created within a game engine, presents itself as a film that self-edits in real time and never ends.
Mocan, artist and programmer based in Lisbon, stands out for the creation of narrative generative systems and animated videos of infinite duration, which reinterpret aspects of digital culture in a critical and poetic way. His works have already been exhibited in leading galleries internationally.
A recognition to the new generation
Montabonel also praised Mocan’s work: “Cezar perfectly represents the new generation of digital artists. His work blends contemporary art, game design, and media theory, posing profound questions about our technological future. His victory is more than deserved.”
A constantly growing prize
The ABS Digital Art Prize, born in 2023, is the first prize in the world to exclusively recognize and celebrate on-chain digital artists.
With the introduction of the category for emerging artists, the award has evolved to reflect the rapid transformation of the digital artistic landscape. The 2025 edition saw over 120 applications from 38 countries, demonstrating an extraordinary diversity of styles, formats, and movements.
Among the members of the jury are prominent names in the sector such as Alejandro Cartagena, international curator of digital art; Eleonora Brizi, founder of Breezy Art; Marlène Corbun, head of contemporary art for LaCollection; Mimi Nguyen, lecturer at Central Saint Martins; Rani Jabban, general manager of Arab Bank Switzerland; and Sébastien Montabonel himself.
The commitment of Arab Bank Switzerland
Rani Jabban, Managing Director of Arab Bank Switzerland, emphasized: “As patrons of art and active players in the digital asset space, we are proud to support and promote digital artists. The extraordinary quality of the works presented and the growing interest from our younger clients confirm an evident truth: digital art is the future of art.”
The winners of the previous editions
The award, now in its third edition, has already celebrated prominent artists:
– 2024: the Swiss RVig, with a work inspired by the poem “Les Fleurs du Mal”.
– 2023: the Iranian-American Marjan Moghaddam, with the animated painting “Glitch Intaleqi”.
Founded in 1962, Arab Bank Switzerland has been acting for over sixty years as a bridge between the Middle Eastern world and the Western world. Today, with the ABS Digital Art Prize, the bank confirms its commitment to supporting artistic innovation and promoting new expressive forms that reflect the changes of our era.
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
