“‘Perception Loops”: AI and Robotics Art Exhibition Redefines Creativity in the Age of Web3

The exhibition PERCEPTION LOOPS — Of Humans, Machines and Hybrid Nature takes place on April 1 at Galerie MO-11 in Cannes, during the Ethereum Community Conference. Organized with the support of 1inch and P2P.org, the project is curated by Diane Drubay and features works by aurèce vettier and Patrick Tresset, blending artificial intelligence and robotics with traditional artistic media.

To learn more about the project and its execution, explore the interview below with Valeriya Dementyeva, Head of Global Partnerships at 1inch, and Ekaterina Rumianceva, Events Lead at 1inch.

What was the motivation behind selecting Cannes and the EthCC 2026 environment for this specific debut?

Valeriya Dementyeva: The timing felt very natural. After nearly a year of private mentorship with Gareth Fletcher, a professor at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, I began to think more seriously about how to translate this growing engagement with contemporary art into something tangible. Together with my colleague Ekaterina Rumianceva, we started exploring how our evolving understanding of art could intersect with our work in technology.

Cannes, during EthCC, presented the perfect context. It’s one of the key global gatherings for the Web3 community—bringing together founders, developers, and investors in a highly concentrated moment. At the same time, we felt that within this environment, something was missing: a pause, a different kind of encounter.

We wanted to introduce what we call a “beauty moment” — a space without pitches, without transactional conversations, where people can connect in a more reflective and human way. Contemporary art offers that. It creates a shared experience that encourages dialogue, curiosity, and a different kind of networking—one that goes beyond business and into perception, emotion, and meaning.

Ekaterina Rumianceva: EthCC in Cannes brings together one of the most intellectually curious communities in the Web3 space: builders, founders and investors who are actively shaping new technological paradigms. It felt like the right environment to introduce a project that explores the relationship between humans, machines, and emerging creative tools like AI.

Cannes itself also plays an important role. It has a long cultural tradition and a natural connection to art, cinema, and creative experimentation. Bringing a curated contemporary art exhibition into the context of EthCC allows these two worlds to meet - technology and culture, creating a space for deeper conversations beyond the typical conference format. In that sense, it’s not just a side event, but an opportunity to broaden the dialogue around how technology is influencing creativity and artistic expression.

What is the primary message you want the audience to take away from this exhibition?

Ekaterina Rumianceva: I hope the exhibition encourages people in technology and Web3 to reflect on the broader cultural and philosophical questions behind the tools they are building. Often the conversation in this space is focused on infrastructure, protocols, and markets. Art creates a moment to pause and look at the human side of technological progress.

The works in Perception Loops explore the relationship between humans, machines, and hybrid forms of creativity. I hope this sparks conversations about authorship, collaboration with AI, and how technology is reshaping perception, creativity, and even identity. Ideally, it invites people to step slightly outside their usual frameworks and consider technology not only as something we engineer, but also as something that deeply influences culture.

aurèce vettier, numerous bodies falling from the sky in the Mediterranean waters, oil on canvas from an AI-generated image

Why is it important for you to bring physical, tangible art into a space traditionally dominated by digital assets and NFTs?

Valeriya Dementyeva: For us, it was important to shift the experience from purely digital interaction to something physical and embodied. The Web3 space has largely engaged with art through NFTs and screens, which opened many important conversations—but it also created a certain distance between the viewer and the work.

By bringing tangible, physical artworks into this environment, we’re reintroducing presence. You stand in front of a painting, you observe a robot drawing you, you become part of the work itself. It’s a very different kind of engagement—slower, more attentive, and more sensory.

There’s also an interesting parallel with where the industry is heading. We’re seeing a growing focus on real-world assets and the tokenization of physical objects. In that sense, contemporary art becomes a natural bridge: it is inherently physical, but increasingly connected to digital systems of ownership, provenance, and circulation.

Ultimately, this is about expanding the way technology communities experience art—not only as something to collect or trade, but as something to encounter, reflect on, and connect through in real life.

You’ve mentioned that PERCEPTION LOOPS is the beginning for bringing serious contemporary art into crypto spaces. What are the core pillars of this program? 

Valeriya Dementyeva: At this stage, we see this exhibition as the beginning of a broader, evolving programme rather than a one-off event. We’re definitely interested in continuing to create similar physical exhibitions that bring contemporary art into dialogue with technology communities.

The frequency will depend on the right alignment of context, partners, and support. We want each project to feel meaningful and well-situated, rather than operating on a fixed schedule.

We’re very open to conversations with sponsors and collaborators who share this vision. For us, it’s important to build these experiences together with partners who understand the value of creating cultural moments within technology environments—spaces where people can slow down, engage, and connect beyond the usual formats.

Ultimately, the goal is to develop a sustainable programme that can travel, adapt, and grow across different cities and communities.

How frequently do you plan to host such types of physical exhibitions?

Ekaterina Rumianceva: This exhibition is just the beginning. Our longer-term vision is to develop a programme that brings curated art exhibitions into key moments of the global technology and Web3 calendar, hosting them two to three times a year in different locations.

One of the next locations we are considering is Singapore during Token2049. However, this first edition is very important for us - it will teach us a lot about the format, the audience, and how these worlds interact. The experience in Cannes will help shape the direction and evolution of future editions of the programme.

Patrick Tresse - Human Study #1, 3RNP, Performative robotic installation, 2011–2025

Did you take part in selecting the curator for the exhibition? If so, what motivated the decision to collaborate with Diane Drubay?

Valeriya Dementyeva: Yes, I was closely involved in the curatorial direction of the project, including the decision to collaborate with Diane Drubay. From the beginning, it was important for us to work with someone who could thoughtfully navigate both the artistic and conceptual dimensions of the exhibition.

Diane’s practice stood out because of her deep engagement with the relationships between art, technology, and ecological thinking. She brings a strong curatorial sensitivity to how complex systems—whether human, machine, or environmental—can be translated into meaningful artistic experiences.

For “PERCEPTION LOOPS,” we were not looking for a purely aesthetic presentation, but for a curatorial framework that could hold together multiple layers: artificial intelligence, robotics, material processes, and the human experience. Diane understood that immediately and helped shape the exhibition into something more cohesive and intentional.

Her approach also aligns with our ambition to introduce serious contemporary art into the Web3 context—grounded, critical, and experiential, rather than purely speculative or trend-driven.

Looking back, what was the most challenging part of organising the exhibition and launching the project?

Ekaterina Rumianceva: The most challenging part was securing enough sponsorship to make the exhibition possible. Producing a physical art exhibition requires significant resources, especially during a busy conference week. At the same time, it taught me that a strong concept and persistence eventually attract the right partners who believe in the vision.

What would make you consider this first event a success – artistically, not just logistically?

Ekaterina Rumianceva: Artistically, success for me would mean seeing the gallery full of people who are genuinely engaged with the works, taking time to look, ask questions, and discuss the ideas behind them.

And of course, if the artworks find new homes and the exhibition sells out, that would be a very strong signal that the pieces resonated with the audience and created a real connection beyond the moment of the event.