Author Archives: Niio

Samsung & Niio Art Launch Prestigious Global Digital Art Competition Celebrating Visual Arts on ‘The Wall’

Open to artists worldwide, competition will culminate in a first-of-its-kind global exhibition in May

Originally Published by Samsung Newsroom

Samsung Electronics is today announcing the launch of an open call competition in collaboration with Niio, a premium platform for new media art. Now open for entries from nascent, emerging and established artists, the Samsung The Wall x Niio Art Awards aims to discover the most inspiring digital art from around the world. Entrants will compete for a chance to be exhibited internationally on Samsung’s The Wall, the highest quality, large form factor 4K Micro LED digital art canvas, and qualify for up to $15,000 in cash prizes. The competition will culminate in summer exhibitions at ten showcase locations including Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

The first-prize winner of the competition will be invited to attend the unveiling event of their winning entry at Samsung’s The Wall showroom in May. All winners will be selected by a panel of renowned experts in visual art. When assessing each submission, the judges will be looking for artworks that display artistic and conceptual excellence, including creativity, originality and detail. 

“Samsung is always exploring new ways to make premium content as impactful as possible and take users’ experience to the next level,” said Hyesung Ha, Senior Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “This open call, in partnership with Niio Art and its global community of leading artists, celebrates the latest and greatest talent in digital art and provides the art community a meaningful platform on which its artistic creations can be showcased. The competition will also play a major role in heralding the next generation of display experiences – all brought to life on the awe-inspiring The Wall.” 

“In today’s connected world, artists rely on digital tools to tell their stories. We are thrilled to partner with Samsung to offer artists everywhere a chance to share their creations on the most iconic and exquisite large-scale canvas there is,” said Rob Anders, CEO of Niio. “Moreover, our plans for the synchronized, global unveiling of the winning artworks in May will change the way digital art is experienced in the world.”

Niio inspires people everywhere by providing seamless access to premium video and new media art through its state-of-the-art technology and curated distribution platform. Niio’s platform now empowers a growing network of over 4,000 artists and art partners from over 70 countries to self-publish media art; the published artwork can then be borrowed or acquired to be viewed on high quality connected display devices anywhere in the world.

Now available globally, The Wall represents the latest application of Samsung’s modular MicroLED technology which can be custom-tailored to any size and aspect ratio, immediately enhancing the aesthetic of any space.

To learn more about the open call, artists can visit https://www.niio.com/get/the-wall-open-call/ and enter their artwork, as well as find submission details, specification requirements, rules, important dates and prizes. And to discover The Wall, please visit: https://displaysolutions.samsung.com/led-signage/the-wall.

About Niio

Niio is reimagining the way humans interact with art in their everyday lives. Underpinned by a robust technology platform that powers the ‘digital art’ ecosystem, Niio has amassed a global community of leading artists, galleries and institutions who store and publish the largest catalogue of the finest moving image art in one place. By enabling seamless access to premium digital art on any screen, anywhere, Niio is unlocking an entirely new form of media consumption: digital art, on demand.

ZERO ONE Digital Art Festival

Zero One is a new initiative that seeks to create a unique experience by combining art, technology, sound & space.  Through the layered experience of ancient and futuristic elements and tangible and virtual art, visitors can take in narratives that challenge  imagination and human experience.

The Festival brings together some of the most influential digital artists in the world today, both local and from overseas. Digital Arts use breakthrough technologies and traditional mediums to create a multifaceted art experience. Through code-based music tools, artificial intelligence, 3D scanning (Photogrammetry), digital processing, learning algorithms and more. For two nights only, the stones and remnants of the ancient citadel turned into a backdrop and indeed an integral part of these incredible contemporary works of art and performances.

  • Camouflage by Quayola
  • Making Rye, Gneiss Outcropping and Ferns by Clement Valla
  • Hyper Trophies by Zeitguised
  • Void Season by Zeitguised
  • Making Rye, Gneiss Outcropping and Ferns by Clement Valla
  • Wind of Linz – Troemploeil by Refik Anadol

Featured artists: Refik Anadol, Quayola, Clement Valla, Zeitguised and many more.

What We’re Reading Now: Hotels As Art Museums

Whether on business or vacation, hotel guests are notably receptive to interesting experiences and renewed perspectives. In today’s hospitality industry, art can make the difference in prompting that all-important digital story of the guest experience. Discover what The New York Times, Indiewalls, Architectural Digest, and others have to say on how some properties have begun to push the boundaries of what it means to be a hotel with great art.

The New York Times // An Art Museum in Your Hotel Lobby

Procuring and exhibiting art in all forms has been synonymous with the hotel experience for several decades now, with both luxury and midlevel brands highlighting local artwork and museum-quality pieces rather than predictable poster reprints. Read More

Art Installation Alizarin in the Peninsula Hong Kong’s Lobby. Image by Simon J Nicol.

Artnet News // 8 Amazing Hotels Around the World with Museum Quality Art Collections

In the material world, we live in, there are many new places making headlines, by redefining luxury. There’s no debating the fact that waking up in a gorgeous location, looking at millions of dollars worth of beautiful art is pretty much incomparable. If you’re a fan of luxe travelling, check out a list of eight top hotels around the world that boast great art collections. Read More

A part of the museum space at 21c Louisville Museum Hotel. 
Photo: Courtesy of 21c Museum Hotels.

Architectural Digest // 17 Hotels with Amazing Art Collections

These days, hotels offer travellers much more than a place to rest their heads. There are, for instance, a growing number of establishments collecting museum-grade artworks to hang in their lobbies, restaurants, and suites. Between permanent displays and rotating exhibitions, there’s always something to delight art-loving guests. Read More

Art Hotel Denver


Indiewalls // How Standout Hotel Art Can Make a Difference for Travelers

With the rise of the much discussed, millennial-fueled “experience economy,” this is likely to mean that the destinations they choose will be as informed by typical considerations like budget and bucket lists as “Insta-worthy” moments ripe for filling feeds with FOMO-inspiring imagery.

Where are travellers finding such experiences? Read More




What We’re Reading Now: The Power of Art in Healing and Wellness

It has long been believed that there is an underlying healing power of art. From music, dance, poetry, theatre to interactive art and more, there is undoubtedly a link between art and wellness. Discover what Design Week, Freize, the WSJ, and others have to say on the topic:

Design Week //Filling Hospitals with Art Reduces Patient Stress, Anxiety and pain

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has found that the mental health and experiences of those receiving intrusive examinations, surgery, chemotherapy and emergency care are improved when visual art is installed. Read More

Ceramic installation at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, by Adam Nathaniel Furman, image courtesy Gareth Gardner

Frieze //Art in Hospitals Reduces Depression and Pain, Research Finds

The study follows art lessons and trips to museums becoming available as NHS prescription options. It also features research that found that more than 80% of 50 women who underwent colposcopy examinations said that the art ‘greatly improved their anxiety and experience’. Feelings of depression fell by a third amongst patients undertaking chemotherapy. Clinical staff also found that art helped sooth children’s anxiety. Read More

Niio //The Healing Power of Art

Although the benefits of art in medical waiting areas, wards, private treatment rooms and hospital rooms have long been accepted, they have not been widely embraced, beyond traditional pictures and prints. Increased awareness of the benefits of mindfulness and engaging experiences has allowed digital art, displayed on screens or through projectors, to bestow a more immersive atmosphere in health environments. Interactive works, especially those that react to motion, allow a patient to become one with the art, offering a calming and distracting effect. The concept of moving, rotating art is particularly engaging for children. Read More


Interactive Media Wall at Boston Children’s Hospital

U.S. News & World Report //The Power of the Creative Arts in Health and Healing

What does creativity have to do with health, healing and well-being? Studies show that engaging in any creative process is healing. Whether you make a simple drawing or collage, look at art or talk about it, creativity and the arts can help you:

  • Express thoughts and emotions that can be hard to put into words
  • Lower stress and anxiety
  • Relax and feel calmer and happier
  • Connect with yourself on a deep level, no matter what you are going through
  • Find meaning in life experiences
  • Cope with grief and loss
  • Form new connections with others
  • Shift your focus away from pain or stressful thoughts to activities that are soothing, enjoyable and fun
  • Create something unique that gives you a sense of pleasure and accomplishment

Read More

JSTOR // Healing Art in Hospitals Today

Hospitals working to prioritize an arts budget and curator must believe deeply in this endeavour—and be willing to pay for it. Baron and Greene highlight the challenges hospitals face in developing an arts budget, tracking international art budgets for new hospitals in Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Canada, France, West Germany, and the U.S. The most common enforced art expenditure they noted was 1% of the cost of the construction cost of the hospital. Determining and selecting the art for the hospitals is another part of the equation and each hospital handles this differently. Read More

The Wall Street Journal. //More Hospitals Use the Healing Powers of Public Art

Researchers are learning more about the precise ways paintings and other works of art help patients and families in the healing process. With studies showing a direct link between the content of images and the brain’s reaction to pain, stress, and anxiety, hospitals are considering and choosing artworks based on the evidence and giving it a higher priority than merely decoration for sterile rooms and corridors. Read More

Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine // Visual Art in Hospitals: Case Studies and Review of the Evidence

That the arts and sciences are seen as two contrasting disciplines, and indeed are defined as such, immediately presents challenges to a discussion of art in medicine, one of the foremost branches of science. There has, nevertheless, always been an awareness of the ‘art of medicine’ and a realization that health is influenced by a wide range of factors, many of which fall outside the conventional boundaries of medical science. Read More


Digital Innovation in Art Award: Shortlist Announced

Niio is proud to announce to be among the nominees for the Digital Innovation in Art Award 2019, at the Investor Allstars in London. Investor Allstars is crowned as the “Oscars” for the entrepreneurship and investor communities.

The Digital Innovation In Art Award recognises a company or individual in the art industry that has used digital technology or the internet to disrupt and innovate within their field.

We congratulate our fellow shortlisted nominees. Stay tuned via our Instagram account to find out who wins on October 3rd! 

The Finalists

Steve Miller – ARTERNAL

Steve Miller is one of .ART’s first adopters, showcasing his artwork in versatile mediums at www.stevemiller.art. He is also a co-founder of ARTERNAL, a CRM software which assists art galleries in efficiently consolidating multiple platforms.

Learn more

Longping Derek Zhao – ARTEXB

Longping Derek Zhao founded ARTEXB inspired by the creation of Google Arts & Culture. It is a project supported by the medium of 360° panoramic VR, which aims to systematically document Chinese contemporary art exhibitions around the world.

Learn more

Jason Bailey – Artnome

Artnome is the blog of Jason Bailey, who self-identifies as an “art nerd” trying to trigger an art analytics revolution by building the world’s largest analytical database of known works across our most important artists.

Learn more

Vivi Kallinikou – ArtRabbit Ltd 

ArtRabbit is a unique guide to the contemporary art scene, connecting thousands of artspaces, exhibitions and events to artists, art professionals, collectors, students and art-interested people alike.

Learn more

Eugene Bogorad – ArtWalls

Over the past twenty years Eugene has been in senior positions in computer programming, technology and big data. An amateur photographer himself, he realized that bringing online and offline together could create the right kind of synergy. ArtWalls is a platform for bringing aspiring creators and art connoisseurs together, in public spaces and online.

Learn more

Justin Anthony – Artwork Archive

Artwork Archive is an innovative art business management software brand based in Denver, CO. Its cloud-based art database system offers a wide range of easy to use tools, including inventory and contact management, sales reports and expense tracking.

Learn more

Rob Anders – Niio

Niio is reimagining the way humans interact with art in their everyday lives. Underpinned by a robust technology platform that powers the entire ‘digital art’ ecosystem with dedicated management tools, Niio has amassed a global community of 3,500 leading artists, galleries and institutions who have stored and published over 11,000 high quality digital format artworks. Niio can then ‘port’ this gallery-quality digital art onto any screen, anywhere – unlocking an entirely new form of consumption: streaming digital art via subscription or purchase. 

Learn more

Jonathan Beck – Scan the World

Jonathan Beck is the founder of an online cultural heritage project Scan the World, an initiative that archives objects of cultural significance using 3D scanning technologies. Since its inception in 2014, the platform has created over 16,000 downloadable artefacts and received over 60 million views to its page.

Learn more

Mike LaTour – Soundwave Art™

Mike LaTour spent 17 years in the music industry before he became President & CEO Soundwave Art™. The app allows a unique experience of converting your own sounds into customisable works of art and jewellery.

Learn more

Joel Kremer – The Kremer Museum

Ex-Googler Joel Kremer is the director of The Kremer Museum, a VR museum which hosts an Old Masters collection of about 75 works collected over the years by Joel’s parents George and Ilone Kremer.

Learn more

Marco Cappellini – VirtuItaly

Marco Cappellini is the founder of VirtuItaly, a project that creates edutainment experiences with art through digital technologies, both with immersive and interactive digital exhibitions.

Learn more

Aretha Campbell – Bridgeman Images

Bridgeman Images works with museums, galleries, collections and artists to provide a central resource of fine art and archive footage for reproduction to creative professionals.The Bridgeman Artists’ Copyright Service is a service to artists and their estates to administer their copyright and sell reproduction licenses for their work.

Learn more

Niio Has Arrived In Asia

Niio has launched its Asia arm in Hong Kong in addition to operations in London, Tel Aviv and the US. Growing its innovation-driven business internationally, Niio brings premium curated new media art to Hong Kong with a newly commissioned curated artwork catalogue announced at Art Basel and exhibited at the city’s Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel, powered by Samsung SMART Signage.

A series of successful high profile projects in Hong Kong inspired Niio to plant permanent roots in the city to cater to a growing regional customer base and also to build out a strong community of Asian artists and galleries on the platform. In a bid to transform spaces and offer meaningful, thought-provoking  art experiences to public audiences, Niio recently powered the Sino Illumination Art Prize which enabled talented artists to exhibit their works to millions on huge screens overlooking Victoria Harbour and the company also curated the popular outdoor Mega Screen Art Screenings for Lai Sun at Cheung Sha Wan Plaza.

Niio x JM Network Art Moments // Artwork: Joe Hamilton, Cezanne Unfixed

“We’re excited to establish ourselves as part of the dynamic art scene in the cultural hub of Hong Kong and thrilled to be launching during Art Basel and collaborating with the prestigious Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel on this project. We are also happy to have the support of Samsung SMART Signage during this art-filled week. Art is permeating this city, reaching the masses through corporate and public activities. Simultaneously digital experiences and cutting-edge technology are an integral part of everyday life in Asia and Niio is excited to bring art and technology together here. We are aiming to balance the digital noise all around us with inspiring people through curated digital art experiences in private and public spaces and are equally excited about growing our community of Asian artists and to showcasing their work across the world. The digital medium is not only the most relevant for our generation, but the easiest to reach. With the Niio platform we hope to inspire the broadest audiences everywhere.” – Rob Anders, Niio CEO.

Rob Anders, Niio Co-founder at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental // Artwork: Branden summers, Idle Time Series

Niio has already established an agile local team on the ground, working collaboratively across industries including notable AVSI and hardware partners to support the needs of clients.

“Niio’s comprehensive technology ecosystem, dedicated to the digital medium, is a compelling community building platform and tool for the arts community. We hope to ignite enjoyment, curiosity and a deeper understanding what digital arts is all about.  Niio is delighted to take this opportunity to empower art professionals in Asia in this field to showcase and share their work internationally.” – Marissa Shaw, Advisor at Niio.