Zero 10, Art Basel's dedicated sector for digital art, arrived in Basel this June for the first time, following earlier editions in Miami Beach and Hong Kong. Curated by Trevor Paglen and Eli Scheinman under the theme The Condition, the section brought together 20 presentations at the Event Hall on Messeplatz, ranging from historical surveys to blockchain-native sculpture. For a fuller account of the market activity and sales reported around the section, Art Basel's own report on Zero 10 Basel 2026 is worth reading alongside this conversation. We asked Pauline Foessel, founder of 100 collectors, for her perspective as someone who has followed all three editions closely.

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How did the inaugural Zero 10 in Basel compare to Miami and Hong Kong?

The inaugural Zero 10 section in Basel felt like an important step for digital art within the Art Basel ecosystem. It created a bridge between audiences already familiar with digital art through Art Basel Miami Beach or Hong Kong and those encountering it for the first time in Basel, opening the conversation to a wider collector base.

One aspect I particularly appreciate about Zero 10 is its format. The open presentation and the focus on mostly solo or duo projects allow visitors to engage more deeply with individual artistic practices rather than seeing digital art through a single lens. I think this is very much part of the DNA of the section and an important way of showing the breadth and diversity of the field. Besides, the fact that most artists were present is also a change from traditional showings.

Compared to previous editions, Basel placed a stronger emphasis on context and historical perspectives, which I found very valuable to position digital art in a lineage of artists, not just a blip or a momentary trend. At the same time, some of my favourite moments in Miami, where I was there in person, and Hong Kong, where Eleonora Brizi, co-founder of 100 collectors, was there in person, came from the highly participatory projects and artist-led experiences shown, whether it was XCOPY's washing machine, Jack Butcher's dice project, or Botto scanning visitors. Those works create a particular kind of engagement that I personally enjoy.

That said, there were still wonderful examples of this spirit in Basel, such as the presentation by 0xDeafbeef at Asprey Studio. Overall, I think the section was very well received and demonstrated the growing place of digital art within the broader contemporary art conversation. Next time let's make it even bigger.

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Which booths, artists, or works stood out?

A few presentations stood out to me while guiding collectors of the club throughout the sector:

• William Mapan, who sold out his new series with Art Blocks
• 0xDeafbeef, presented by Asprey Studio, mixing craft, sound, and digital media
• Harold Cohen at Gazelli Art House, showing us that the debate around machine-made art is not new, but beyond the debate itself, the poetry and the explosions of colour in the works

That said, it is difficult to pick favourites, as other presentations such as Leander Herzog and Andreas Gysin at Nguyen Wahed were also very strong. Many members of 100 collectors reacted very positively to the wide range of display approaches and historical canon on show.

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Did 100 collectors members buy from the section?

Yes, I know several collectors from 100 collectors who acquired works from the section. However, out of respect for the privacy of our members, I prefer not to disclose specific purchases. We included a few numbers reported in the press in our own walkthrough of the fair, Walk With Us: Inside Zero 10 Digital Sector at Art Basel Basel 2026, which covers all 16 booths in the sector in detail.

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Has digital art been sidelined in the past, and is Zero 10 changing that?

I personally dislike the framing of digital art as something that has been sidelined or kept apart. Like many artistic movements, digital art emerged from a relatively small group of artists, collectors, curators, and advocates who were, and still are, exploring new possibilities through technology and building a community around them.

Digital art can sometimes feel intimidating because technology often plays a central role in the work. There can be a perception that you need a deep technical understanding to engage with it. While that knowledge can certainly enrich the experience, it doesn't have to be a prerequisite for appreciating the art.

This is why initiatives such as Zero 10 are important. They create bridges between digital art and wider audiences, making it more accessible while preserving the specificity of the medium. Art Basel is playing an important role in that process, helping introduce digital art to collectors who may not yet be familiar with it, while placing it within the broader contemporary art landscape. Given how present technology is in all our lives, this feels like a very natural evolution.

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How do you approach buying and arranging sales of digital art, fairs, galleries, or direct from the artist?

I think art fairs are wonderful places for discovery. They allow galleries and artists to present new series, showcase important works, and create momentum around their programmes. Many collectors in our community look forward to fairs for exactly that reason.

At the same time, what we see consistently at 100 collectors is that proximity to artists, and to the people working closely with them, plays an important role in the collecting journey. Understanding an artist's practice, meeting them, visiting studios, and engaging with their ideas often helps collectors build the confidence and connection that ultimately leads to an acquisition. This is exactly what we felt across the different editions of Zero 10, where many artists were present and could explain their work directly to collectors during guided tours or one on one conversations.

100 collectors' core belief is that collecting is about much more than the act of buying itself. We focus on the experience of collecting, and whether a work is acquired at a fair, through a gallery, or directly from an artist, that deeper engagement is often what matters most.

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Responses by Pauline Foessel, Founder of 100 collectors, the global network for digital art collectors. For a full walkthrough of the 16 presentations at Zero 10 Basel 2026, see Walk With Us. For market data and gallery-reported sales figures from the section, see Art Basel's report on Zero 10 Basel 2026.