OLEA is a project that mixes biotechnology, history, conceptual and visual art and cryptography.

In collaboration with the CSIC and specifically the Instituto de la Grasa de Sevilla in Spain, the bioinformatician Javier Forment and the support of the Escuela Superior de Arte y Tecnología from Valencia, Spain, where Solimán has his R+D+I laboratory, the artist has managed to produce a unique olive oil.

The particularity of this olive oil is that its composition contains DNA molecules with the synthesis of the code of a smart contract in the blockchain, which gives life to what the artist calls a “biotoken”.

With this biotechnology action, the artist has managed to unite two of humanity’s historical economies in a single liquid. On the one hand, the oldest and most physical, agriculture, and on the other, the newest and most intangible, blockchain and digital.

The project also aims to revalue the product of the earth, to reflect on the origins of the value of things and is also a personal tribute to the artist’s family past.

OLEA is a historical work in terms of its materiality and concept and is presented in a new format at Art Dubai that has its extension on the CIFRA.com platform, the project’s main partner, where visitors can see extra content related to OLEA and other projects by Solimán López including his Harddiskmuseum.

The work, which has been exhibited in important events such as Ars Electronica, ISEA, Sonar Plus Barcelona, Hermitage St.Petersburg Metaverse, ARCO Madrid, Digital Art Biennial, Kyiv, Ukraine or Digital Art Biennial Brazil, among others, is presented in a new version designed by the artist for this edition of Art Dubai.

Officially commissioned by the event organisers, the artist has two spaces located at the main entrance to the digital art section of the fair.

All elements of the installation are certified in the form of NFTs and available on the Danae.io platform who facilitates the mediation of the project with the help of the presence of the artist who will also give a lecture to explain the ins and outs of this and other projects. The NFTs are shown in the immersive room developed in collaboration with ToDA.

In the context of the project, Nubia/Espronceda, first promoters of OLEA and in collaboration with the MEET from Milan, they present works from their platforms in a firm commitment to the metaverse and the WEB3.0 as a place for artistic development.

The olive oil in the exhibition comes from the Dubai-based Spanish company Hebani, owned by the recognised businesswoman Mabel Hoyos.