In 2020, at the height of global uncertainty, Onassis ONX was founded as a bold experiment: a platform dedicated to supporting artists working at the intersection of art and advanced technologies. Five years later, ONX has moved from Midtown Manhattan to a significantly expanded studio in Tribeca—marking not just a change of address, but a maturation of its mission.
With the launch of its new downtown space and the exhibition TECHNE Homecoming, ONX signals a new chapter—one rooted in community, experimentation, and the evolving ecology of contemporary art.
We spoke with Jazia Hammoudi, New York Program Director at the foundation about growth, infrastructure, artistic rigor, and what it means to build dreams in New York today.
Installation view of TECHNE: Homecoming at Onassis ONX, New York (2026). Photography by Mikhail Mishin.
From Midtown to Tribeca: Evolution and Intention
Onassis ONX was founded in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. Now, five years later, you’ve moved from Midtown to the growing art scene in Tribeca. How has ONX evolved over this time? And what does being downtown mean for the community you are building? Is New York still a city where artists can come to build their dreams?
Onassis ONX has come a long way in five years. We began as a sibling organization to NEW INC, offering space and equipment to creatives graduating from the incubator. NEW INC generously welcomed us into their community and gave us invaluable insight into the needs of artists working with advanced technologies.
It quickly became clear that these artists urgently needed access to infrastructure—equipment and studio space that is often cost-prohibitive—as well as community and professional development in order to build sustainable careers. Those early realizations pushed us to expand our offerings and develop a collaborative approach that reflects the diverse needs of artists and institutions producing, presenting, and distributing new media art.
Moving our New York studio from Midtown to Tribeca was a monumental undertaking. I’m enormously grateful to Onassis leadership for recognizing the value of this project, and to our incredible NY team for executing it. The move marks our evolution into a fully-fledged platform—agile, responsive, and able to support the field in multimodal ways.
Installation view of TECHNE: Homecoming at Onassis ONX, New York (2026). Photography by Mikhail Mishin.
Our new studio has double the infrastructure, allowing artists to build, experiment, play, and share work. And being downtown feels meaningful. Tribeca remains one of New York’s creative hearts. Despite the challenges around affordability and infrastructure, this is still a city where dreams can happen. You feel that energy in our new home.
“TECHNE Homecoming” brings together six visionary artists exploring how identity is shaped through biological, mythological, and digital kinships. How does the curatorial framework connect to the larger vision of ONX?
The curatorial framework for TECHNE Homecoming emerged from the convergence of three forces:
- The work our ONX Member Artists were already developing;
- Onassis Culture’s 2025–26 season theme, “Families”;
- Our own reflection on moving downtown as an inflection point in ONX’s history.
We noticed artists in our community were also thinking about inflection points—between analog and digital, self and other, past and future. We aim to be deeply responsive to what artists are grappling with. This exhibition represents a “happy intersection” between institutional vision and the urgent conceptual inquiries emerging organically from our community.
Installation view of TECHNE: Homecoming at Onassis ONX, New York (2026). Photography by Mikhail Mishin.
Technology: Medium, Subject, or Alchemy?
When working with artists, do you see technology primarily as a medium or as a subject? Artists working with XR, AI, and immersive media often describe their process as fragmented across platforms, collaborators, and disciplines. How does ONX support not just production, but conceptual coherence in technologically complex work?
I try to see technology the way artists see it. I don’t build in game engines, and I don’t share the same co-creative intimacy with tech tools that many artists describe—but I try to understand their perspective.
The creative process in advanced technologies is fragmented and full of challenges, but also breathtakingly imaginative. Much of this work comes from breaking the tool—working against systems designed for profit and transforming them into something expressive and unexpected. That alchemy, that act of reprogramming utility into poetry, is what keeps me entranced—even though I can’t write a line of code.
Maintaining conceptual rigor in such a rapidly evolving field is one of our core challenges. While the history of media art stretches back decades, it is still young compared to traditional disciplines. Artists are navigating aesthetic, intellectual, and infrastructural pressures simultaneously.
On a daily basis, we provide both technical and curatorial consultation. We’re expanding skill-sharing programs, connecting artists to advisors and professionals, and building continuing education frameworks to address precisely these questions. Increasingly, we’re also supporting artists through partnerships. Our work in performance and theater, for example, is strengthened through collaborations with institutions like Lincoln Center, Under the Radar Festival, and Jacob’s Pillow. These partnerships extend expertise beyond what our internal team alone can provide.
Installation view of TECHNE: Homecoming at Onassis ONX, New York (2026). Photography by Mikhail Mishin.
Building a Network for the Future
Can you speak more about the ONX network, its partnerships, and the new fellowship programs? What role do you envision for ONX within the broader contemporary art landscape?
We’re especially excited about launching the first formal year of the Onassis ONX Fellowship. While we’ve previously collaborated on fellowship programs with partners, this is the first time artists can apply directly to join our community for a defined term.
We’re witnessing the erosion of rigid boundaries between genres and disciplines. Artists today are transdisciplinary by necessity—drawing on multiple tools, talents, and collaborators to realize their visions.
ONX’s mission is to remain close to the evolving landscape of contemporary art and responsive to artists’ needs within our capacity. While we are a platform for art and advanced technologies, we welcome artists across disciplines. Increasingly, we see ourselves as a place where creatives can build the future.
What can we look forward to in 2026—perhaps something that wouldn’t have been possible five years ago?
There are exciting announcements ahead. We’ve just launched collaborative fellowships with The Shed and Pioneer Works. A major exhibition is scheduled for fall 2026. Internationally, we’re preparing a significant co-commission with one of our favorite artists.
You may also see us at SXSW, Cannes, Jacob’s Pillow, and the Venice International Film Festival. But most of all, we’re looking forward to watching our new studio fully come alive—as a production space, a presentation venue, and a gathering point for community. —[SCR]