Justin Gilanyi on SILK

After being with us as co-host and moderator at Silk Road Chapter 02 in Bali, May 2025, Justin Gilanyi now joined the SILK team. Nina Knaack sat down with him to discuss his role and what he’s most excited about.

Nina: Justin, after being on stage with you in Bali, it’s so lovely to have you as a full-on colleague now. For those of you who don’t know you, can you give an overview of your background and how you got into digital art?

Justin:

I studied art history and always gravitated toward new media, but my deeper entry into digital art really came after my master’s at USC’s Iovine and Young Academy. It’s a program founded by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre that brings together art, business, and engineering, so you’re constantly thinking across disciplines.

That experience shaped how I see art in relation to systems, technology, and process, not just culture in isolation. When the pandemic hit, I went deep into social media and online culture, which naturally led me into early digital art projects and collecting.

From there, I started working closely with artists, helping them think about context, positioning, and long-term trajectories, and eventually joined AOTM where I focused on artist relations and curatorial strategy.

Alongside this, I’ve had a background in advertising and marketing, so I’ve always been fascinated by visual communication, how ideas travel, how images carry meaning, and how culture moves through networks.

Nina: What were the things that caught your attention the most whilst working with digital artists?

Justin:

Digital artists operate very differently. They’re often creating in public and at a much higher volume because they aren’t constrained by physical materials like canvas or paint. That shifts the challenge. One of the most important skills becomes editing, knowing how to shape a cohesive body of work from a constant flow of output.

A lot of digital artists are also working solo behind a computer, which can be surprisingly isolating. Being able to support them through that, and helping them grow and refine their practice over time, is something I’ve found really meaningful.

The technologies they use are incredible. I often say they’re painting with pixels and sculpting with software.

Nina: How did you come to know about SILK for the first time?

Justin:

I first came into contact with SILK when I met some of the founders in Bangkok, and we continued the conversation from there. When the Silk Road Bali Chapter came together, it was exciting to see how intentional SILK was about bringing artists, collectors, and cultural voices into the same space.

Moderating the conversations alongside you, Nina, was a great experience, especially because we were able to speak with artists not just about individual works, but about their broader practices and backgrounds. Many of them come from architecture, interior design, set design, or other disciplines, and are now translating those experiences into new digital forms.

Nina: What are your thoughts on the Silk Road Bali Chapter from May 2025?

Justin:

The SILK chapter in Bali in 2025 was really important for me. It brought together artists, collectors, institutional partners, and cultural stakeholders in a way that felt genuine and human. There was a real sense of connection and shared curiosity in the room.

Silk Road creates a space where people can better understand what digital art is and how it can move beyond the screen into new forms of expression and experience. That kind of environment is rare, and it’s what makes each chapter feel special.

Nina: You live in the Middle East. What’s the art landscape like there?

Justin:

The Gulf region and West Asia are emerging as some of the most dynamic cultural ecosystems today. What excites me is that this growth is not happening in isolation. It builds on heritage-rich cultures and long histories of making and exchange. There is a deep lineage of object-making and craft, from pottery and Sadu weaving to calligraphy, textile traditions, and architectural ornament. Many of these were technological innovations in their time, and you can see how those sensibilities carry into contemporary and digital practices today.

At the same time, there is major institutional growth. You see it in the rise of new museums, major art fairs, and cultural initiatives across the region. Moments like Art Basel Qatar, Frieze Abu Dhabi, and the broader expansion of institutions in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar signal real momentum. There is investment, but also intention.

Historically this region was a crossroads for global exchange through trade routes like the Silk Road, and it feels like that cultural centrality is reactivating in a contemporary way. It is a moment where tradition and future-facing creativity are in active conversation.

Nina: What will you be focussing on within the SILK team?

Justin:

My role focuses on curatorial strategy and artist relations. I lead artist partnerships, help build and steward the roster, and connect collaborations to galleries, institutions, and strategic partners globally.

Based between the Middle East, Europe, and the US, I work closely with artists, collectors, and cultural organizations to develop exhibitions, releases, and long-term trajectories. A big part of my work is bridging digital and physical contexts and expanding how contemporary art is produced, presented, and collected today.

A key area of focus for me at SILK is developing a thematic curatorial framework around the idea of Uncontained (more on that soon). It’s a way of thinking about digital art that resists being boxed into a single genre, medium, or format. The work may be created digitally, but it often lives beyond the screen. Artists are working fluidly across software, spatial design, sound, architecture, and experience.

Through Uncontained, we’re shaping a methodology for identifying and supporting practices that sit outside traditional categories and beyond the white cube. It allows us to engage with how contemporary art is expanding visually, spatially, socially, and culturally.

Nina: What are you most excited about right now?

Justin:

I’m excited by the new ways artists are producing work and creating output, especially immersive and transcendent experiences. I often think about parallels to 1990s rave culture, where technology, light, sound, and space came together to create something deeply felt, not just observed.

Today that energy is re-emerging through digital art, VJ culture, and artists building entirely new visual languages. What excites me most is the shift from simply seeing art to actually feeling it.

I’m seeing this across Southeast Asia, in places like Thailand, Singapore, and India, as well as in the Gulf. These regions are shaping their own narratives outside the traditional white-cube model, and it feels like a genuinely important moment to be part of.