Nova Gorica - This year's Pixxelpoint, an international festival of contemporary new media art, brings a review of Slovenian festivals dedicated to contemporary art practices at the crossroads of art, science and technology. It will be held in Nova Gorica for the 21st year between 10 and 17 December, and due to Covid-19, entirely online.

It will feature the International Festival of Computer Art (IFCA), which a tradition in Slovenia second only to Pixxelpoint, KIBLIX, which is also currently under way, the Trbovlje-based Speculum Artium, SONICA, which brings electronic music and transitory art, Lighting Guerilla, and IZIS.

The corona-edition is termed Hotspots, Hotspots of Intermedia Art in Slovenia, to highlight that despite the pandemic-driven social change, the new media art festivals are busy creating and responding, each in their own right, to topical developments in society.

Pavla Jarc, Nova Gorica Arts Centre director, told the press that this year the festival had been forced to change its original concept and adjust to the new reality.

Virtual festival-goers will thus have an opportunity to get an insight into the festivals through an exhibition and several accompanying events, in what the organisers hope could bring opportunities for further collaborations. Nearly 35 artists will be featured.

Ukraine's Olena Kasperovych, originally selected as the curator, could not do her job due to travel restrictions, so Slovenian artist Sendi Mango stepped in as the artistic director.

Over the past 14 years Pixxelpoint has developed a cross-border dimension expanding to Italy, another thing the pandemic has prevented this year. Nevertheless, Mango said "this is actually a global event" so it crosses borders by definition.