13 November 2025
Moderated by Groove Atelier co-founder Onur Ates, the session featured contributions from Yara Temsah of Hot Axis, Nikka Lorak of Global Music Festival, Soho Garden DXB’s Bernardo Torres and Perspective LLC’s Alberto Luz Segura
Beatport Presents IMS Dubai 2025 hosted a conversation on the growing integration of visual arts into the way electronic music is delivered and experienced.
Presented by Groove Atelier, the session titled “How Visual Arts Shape Sound, Space and Cultural Identity in Electronic Music” brought together industry voices to discuss the increasing use of visual practices within contemporary electronic music.
Speakers noted that, over the past decade, the bond between visual arts and electronic music has strengthened significantly. What once served as a complementary layer has developed into a symbiotic form of creative expression, where light, image and rhythm inform each other. It was observed that contemporary electronic music increasingly incorporates a broad visual toolkit, using methods that span from projection mapping and scenography to wearable art and spatial design to enhance the audience experience. This visual dimension now helps translate atmosphere into narrative and turn performances into immersive acts of storytelling.
The panel also observed a global rise in interdisciplinary collaboration. Leading festivals and artists increasingly work with architects, lighting and stage designers, fashion houses and visual art collectives to build new worlds around their sound. Institutions such as Art Dubai, which has been running After Dark, a series of DJ performances integrated into the fair’s programme, were cited as examples of how electronic music performance is being brought into contemporary art contexts.
Joining the discussion were Yara Temsah, Head of Production and Art Direction at Hot Axis; Nikka Lorak, artist and COO at Global Music Festival; Bernardo Torres, Creative Director at Soho Garden DXB; and Alberto Luz Segura, Content Creator at Perspective LLC. The panel was moderated by the Groove Atelier co-founder Onur Ates.
Yara Temsah detailed how Hot Axis incorporates visual arts into its different projects and shared observations on emerging regional aesthetics influencing current event design. Nikka Lorak reflected on the reciprocal relationship between music and visuals in her creative process, both in the studio and on stage, and underlined the priority given to visual arts within Global Music Festival’s programming.
Bernardo Torres highlighted Soho Garden Dubai’s 2024 exhibition “The Art of Keinemusik,” featuring the work of Monja Gentschow, the visual artist behind Keinemusik, and spoke about the effect that bringing an art-led concept into a nightlife space had on audiences. He also noted the club’s interest in site-specific artworks and permanent installations. Meanwhile, Alberto Luz Segura focused on what defines an authentic visual campaign in electronic music and discussed strategies artists and brands can use to avoid repetitive visual language while maintaining originality.
This year’s Beatport Presents IMS Dubai is being held at the 25hours Hotel One Central, Dubai on November 13-14.
