Antoni Abad (Lleida, 1956), a graduate in Art History from the University of Barcelona, is a multidisciplinary artist who has stood out for his innovative use of digital technology in his works. Throughout his career, he has explored fields such as sculpture, photography and, especially, video, becoming one of the first artists to take advantage of the potential of new technologies for art. His career took a decisive turn during his residency at The Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada, where he entered the world of audiovisual media. Since then, Antoni Abad has focused his activity on digital media.
In 1995, following an invitation from Roc Parés for the “MACBA online” platform, Abad created Sísifo, his first digital work, which was exhibited simultaneously at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona and the Wellington Museum in New Zealand. This video installation, which explores the classic myth through a web, marks his incursion into net.art. In the following years, his projects continue to explore the intersection between art, technology and community, highlighting pieces such as 1,000,000 (1999), which won the Arco Electronico Prize, and Z (2001-2003), a pioneering project on the use of social networks, which won him the Ciutat de Barcelona Prize in the multimedia category.
Abad has been a pioneer in the creation of digital platforms for groups at risk of exclusion, such as sitio*TAXI (2004), which connected cab drivers in Mexico City through cell phones, or megafone.net, a series of initiatives that allow marginalized groups such as gypsies, sex workers, refugees and people with functional diversity to manage their own discourse through the Internet. His approach seeks to give visibility to these communities, allowing them to share their stories without the mediation of traditional media.
In 2017, he presented La Venezia che non si vede at the Venice Biennale, a sensory interpretation of the city made with a collective of people who are blind or have low vision through the blind.wiki app, which allows users to record and share their experiences through audio recordings, creating a sound map that offers a unique view of urban public space from a sensory perspective.
