Amrita Sethi
NFT artist Amrita Sethi during an interactive session at Gulf News Edufair Image Credit: Clint Egbert/ Gulf News

Dubai’s first NFT artist Amrita Sethi believes future generations must embrace new technology to harness their creativity.

Sethi, who has painted one of the world’s largest NFT murals in Dubai’s DIFC, held an inspirational workshop titled ‘Art, Technology, and Education: Empowering the Future’ at the fifth edition of the Gulf News Edufair, where she encouraged attendees to immerse themselves in artificial intelligence, the Metaverse and NFTs.

In conversation with Amrita Sethi Haseeb Akhlaq/ Gulf News

“Technology and NFT art means we’ll see a level of creativity that we’ve never seen before,” she said. “Art and technology can drive change to a whole new level. As creatives we must take new tech and use it as a tool brush. I love asking how I can use it to tell a story in a new and exciting way.”

The Gulf News Edufair gives students an opportunity to hear from exhibitors and panelists, while taking part in various discussions and activities over the course of the three-day event. Sethi opened day two with an interactive workshop where she spoke to the next generation of creative students about the importance of fusing technology and art. “If you do not pivot with technology you’ll be left behind,” she told the audience.

Students were also taught the meaning of new words and phrases that are predicted to play a huge part of their future, including ‘phygital’ – physical and digital – which refers to the blending of digital and experiences physical ones, much like the technique used by Sethi for her NFT art.

Attendees were treated to gift bag that included a special augmented reality T-shirt, which when scanned by a smartphone, triggered a 3D augmented reality video.

The Gulf News Edufair serves as a powerful platform for youngsters to learn about their options for the next step in their lives. The event runs until Sunday 18th June at the Conrad Hotel, Dubai.