Saturday, 8 November

5-5:45pm 

Democratising Cultural Heritage in a World of Innovation

Arica Hilton, Ila Colombo, Suha Lallas and Sam Henley. Moderated by Suzy Sikorski.

The Forum, Downtown Design

Editions, whether in art or design, create space for creativity. Through practices that are constantly evolving and never confined to one form, editions allow concepts and ideas to take shape unexpectedly. They embody innovation born from paradoxes, existing between accessibility and scarcity, collectable and democratic, innovative and traditional. Through these tensions, this talk will specifically pose the question of: what does the act of editioning enable, how does it democratise the market, and in what ways does it celebrate cultural heritage in a contemporary world?

BIOGRAPHIES

MODERATOR’S BIOGRAPHY

Suzy Sikorski is Business Development Director in the Middle East, based between the UAE and KSA and drives strategic client development and sourcing for the region’s art and luxury markets across Bonhams' global sales and private initiatives. With an established career in the auction world, Suzy brings a decade of expertise in 20th & 21st Century Art, with a focus in Middle Eastern Modern & Contemporary Art, working closely with collectors, institutions and cultural partners across global markets. Suzy is also the founder of Mid East Art, a platform dedicated to storytelling, research, and public programming around modern and contemporary art from the Arab world. A Fulbright Scholar originally from New York, Suzy holds a BA in Middle East Studies from Fordham University, New York, with minors in Art History and French.

SPEAKERS’ BIOGRAPHIES

Arica Hilton, multidisciplinary artist, poet, gallerist, art publisher, curator, designer, explorer and global advocate, was born on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Of Syrian and Lebanese descent, she was raised in the United States since the age of six. She studied architecture and design and worked in the field of interior design and art since the age of 25. A former president of the Poetry Center of Chicago, Hilton’s love of history, mythology, philosophy, science, and of course, ART, attempts to explore states of love through the various dimensions of space and time.  Based in Chicago, Hilton is the CEO and founder of Hilton Contemporary, a gallery platform she leverages to support internationally known artists who seek to make a change in the world. Working with traditional formats of painting, sculpture and multimedia works with a focus on photography, Hilton has delved into the digital AI world and is recently in the process of launching her second art publishing company, Epik Icons.  In 2020, she was the inaugural artist-in-residence for Immersive VanGogh Chicago where she created a series of paintings and poetry inspired by Vincent Van Gogh with an eco-conscious contemporary twist; she was honored by global nonprofit Greenheart International as the 2019 Global Leader Honoree for her work as artist, curator and youth empowerment champion joining the ranks of Nobel Prize winning recipients and nominees. Hilton’s works have been published in numerous magazines and newspapers such as Ocean Geographic Magazine, WomanScapeMagazine, Chicago Tribune, Turkuaz Magazine, Authority Magazine, and Izmir Gazetesi. Her most recent poetry book, Let Me Tell You About Winds, was published in the fall of 2024 with an introduction by perennial Nobel Prize contender, Adonis (Ali Ahmed Said Esber.). In addition to the existing galleries in Chicago, Hilton Contemporary will be expanding internationally to a second location in Istanbul. 

Ila Colombo is a polymathic mind – a former athlete, award-winning creative director, AI researcher, design strategist, and artist. With over a decade of experience across Design, Art, Architecture, and Technology, her practice integrates generative AI, spatial computing, sound, and advanced fabrication into a unified language of expression. Her work spans design-art installations, 3D-printed architectural systems, and emotionally intelligent sonic experiments, all exploring how human–machine collaboration can expand storytelling, perception, and poetic form. She is Co-Director of Ross Lovegrove Studio and CEO/Co-Founder of DEOND, a Dubai-based AI, R&D, and 3D-printed architecture practice pioneering adaptive, circular solutions for the built and imagined environment. A member of RIBA and on the Architecture Program Advisory Board at the American University in Dubai (AUD), Ila contributes internationally as a lecturer and thought leader. She co-authored the landmark AI for Creative Industries report with the Dubai Future Foundation and the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and her ongoing research examines the philosophical and practical dimensions of generative AI across multimodal workflows. She has spoken at major global platforms including Art Dubai 2024, Dubai Future Forum 2024, and SXSW 2025, addressing hybrid intelligence, team training, and ethical frameworks for future creativity.

Sam Henley is an Australian-born, London-based curator and founder of Agglomerati, a design studio operating at the intersection of collectible design, product design, and material research. With a background in interior design and furniture making, Sam collaborates with leading designers and fabricators to develop enduring, narrative-driven collections, particularly in stone. Through Agglomerati, Sam has become known for championing craftsmanship and elevating the artistry of fabrication, especially within the Italian stone industry. His work foregrounds the relationship between material, process, and form, bringing to light the human stories behind the objects. Sam is also a founding partner of BOI (Bureau of Innovation), a gallery presenting emerging design through immersive exhibitions. BOI launches its debut presentation during Editions at Downtown Dubai. At BOI, Sam leads design direction and industry relations, working closely with designers to bring timeless and collectible work into new cultural and commercial contexts.

Earning her BA in Fine Art and Interior Design from Brenau University and her MA in Art Education from Framingham State College laid the foundation for Suha Lallas’s extensive experience in the design and art world. She later shifted her focus to art education and, eventually, to the broader art world, driven by a mission to preserve and promote the cultural expression of her region. From teaching technical skills to inspiring young artists, Suha’s passion for Arab expression continued to grow. After years of forming young art enthusiasts’ minds and skills, Suha decided to create a space where she housed upcoming contemporary artists’ work showcasing renowned modernist work from the Levant at her gallery, Wadi Finan, established in 2008. The gallery now functions as a cultural vehicle locally and abroad, seeking to drive an appetite for Middle Eastern visual arts and showcase the work of esteemed Arab artists internationally, Wadi Finan Art Gallery brings a heightened contemporary and modern aesthetic to its surrounding heritage, hosting public exhibitions, workshops, and leads community collaborations. Wadi Finan participated in many art fairs including Art London, Art Dubai, Abu Dhabi Art, MENA Art, and Art Week Riyadh.

The talks will be held at The Forum, Downtown Design at the d3 Waterfront Terrace.