Houda Bakkali
Houda Bakkali is a multidisciplinary visual creative with an extensive background in medical and scientific communication. Her practice focuses on the use of digital and immersive technologies as educational and interpretative media within contemporary art, science communication and public knowledge contexts.
Her projects integrate augmented and extended reality (AR/XR), digital animation and public art strategies to facilitate learning, accessibility and audience engagement, translating scientific, cultural and historical content into visually structured experiences.
Bakkali has developed pioneering XR-based projects presented in public spaces, cultural institutions and international events, positioning immersive technologies as tools for education and critical understanding rather than spectacle.
In parallel with her artistic practice, she maintains a strong commitment to education and professional training, contributing to interdisciplinary initiatives, workshops and lectures focused on immersive media, digital literacy and visual communication in scientific and cultural environments.
Her work has been featured by international media and supported by cultural and educational institutions engaged in innovation, public outreach and digital transformation.
Highlighted Projects
Houda Bakkali’s career is defined by a series of key projects that have shaped her contribution to contemporary digital art. Her work has consistently combined artistic practice with technological innovation, while extending its reach into a wide range of cultural and public contexts, from modern art venues and international airports to European institutions and cultural spaces across the Arab world, Asia, Latin America, Oceania and Africa.
These milestones, developed through a sustained commitment to education, research and artistic practice, reflect her capacity to expand the role of digital art beyond conventional exhibition formats. Her projects engage diverse audiences and position digital and immersive media as tools for cultural exchange, accessibility and knowledge dissemination.
Together, these achievements illustrate the evolution of a practice that operates at the intersection of art and technology, characterized by a consistent visual language and the development of original, site-specific projects across multiple countries and institutional contexts. READ MORE
France
Houda Bakkali participated in the 2018 edition of the Contemporary Art Salon Artistes du Monde in Cannes, an event supported by the Cannes City Council and Nice-Matin. Within this context, she was the only artist presenting a body of work entirely composed of digital artworks, highlighting an early integration of digital practices within a predominantly traditional contemporary art exhibition.
Her contribution was recognized with the New Talent Award, acknowledging the innovative use of digital media in a conventional art salon setting. In addition, she is a recipient of the Paris Design Awards, further recognizing her work at the intersection of digital art, design and emerging technologies.
She has exhibited on multiple occasions in Paris and Biarritz, including venues such as the Carrousel du Louvre, the Casino of Biarritz and the Palais des Congrès Bellevue. In Biarritz, her augmented-reality-based digital works were formally presented to the Mayor of the city within an institutional and civic context. READ MORE
International Airports
Houda Bakkali became the first artist to present large-format XR-based artworks across two international airports in Spain. Her projects at Madrid-Barajas (2022) and Málaga–Costa del Sol (2023) examined the intersection of digital art, public space and cultural dissemination, expanding the role of immersive media within international transport infrastructures. READ MORE
Alliance Française
Houda Bakkali developed an international educational and artistic project through the Alliance Française network, through which her work was presented in 36 cities across 22 countries. The project extended digital and immersive art practices across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania, adapting to diverse cultural and institutional contexts.
Combining physical artworks, digital creations and educational content, the project explored hybrid exhibition formats that connect on-site and virtual experiences. This approach enabled the simultaneous presentation of works in multiple locations, formats and scales, fostering accessibility, visual literacy and public engagement through immersive technologies.
Within the framework of this international initiative, Bakkali’s work was presented at Al Riwaq Art Space in Bahrain during Novembre Digital, an event promoted by the Institut Français. She also carried out activities and presentations in community and cultural contexts such as Hayy Jameel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, contributing to the dissemination of digital art practices within public and educational environments.
In parallel, her projects were exhibited in schools, universities and cultural centers across Latin America, including Colegio Laico de Valdivia (Chile), Discovery School in Cuernavaca (Mexico), Terrapuerto in Trujillo (Peru), as well as the University of Piura and the Universidad Privada Antenor Orrego (UPAO) in Peru. These initiatives reinforced the educational dimension of her practice, positioning immersive and digital art as tools for knowledge transfer, cultural exchange and interdisciplinary learning. READ MORE
Barcelona
Barcelona Civic Centers of City Council
For three months, Houda Bakkali presented a digital and educational art project across six civic centers of the Barcelona City Council. The project combined physical artworks, audiovisual pieces, immersive experiences and digital art workshops, engaging local communities through accessible and participatory formats.
Developed within community-based cultural spaces, the initiative integrated training activities and artistic exhibitions, introducing audiences to technologies such as augmented reality and immersive digital environments. By bringing together physical and virtual media, the project fostered learning, experimentation and public engagement within a civic and educational framework. READ MORE
Reial Cercle Artístic of Barcelona
Within this historic institution, with more than 140 years of artistic legacy, Houda Bakkali presented an exhibition that integrated mixed-media canvases with augmented reality, introducing immersive digital elements into the Cercle’s exhibition program and expanding the dialogue between traditional artistic formats and emerging technologies. READ MORE
Can Travi
Houda Bakkali presented her work at the Can Travi Civic Center in Barcelona. The exhibition featured two works that integrated artistic practice with emerging digital technologies, using immersive and interactive media as tools for the visual communication of medical and scientific content.
Through this approach, the project highlighted the potential of digital art to support knowledge dissemination and public engagement within a civic and educational context. READ MORE
Don Quixote | Extended Reality
Houda Bakkali developed the first global extended reality (XR) artistic project based on Don Quixote de la Mancha. The project integrated immersive art, Web3 environments, audiovisual and multimedia content, together with educational masterclasses on art and technology, expanding the ways in which literary heritage can be interpreted through contemporary digital media.
Presented on World Book Day in 2023 and 2024, the initiative established a new framework for the dissemination of classical literature through immersive and educational formats. READ MORE
Featured Exhibitions
Since 2008, from Cannes to New York, Houda Bakkali has contributed to the evolution of digital and immersive artthrough projects presented in emblematic public spaces and private cultural events across different international contexts.
In 2018, she participated in the Contemporary Art Salon Artistes du Monde in Cannes—an event supported by the Cannes City Council and Nice-Matin—where she was the only artist presenting a body of work entirely composed of digital artworks. Her participation was recognized with the New Talent Award, acknowledging the relevance of digital practices within a predominantly traditional contemporary art setting. Between 2018 and 2023, her project Women and Digital Art was exhibited at the Spanish Paradores of Lorca and Córdoba. During this period, she also delivered lectures on digital art at the Paradores of Soria and Cangas de Onís in collaboration with the University of Oviedo.
Bakkali developed Soria Through Digital Art, a project promoted by the Soria Provincial Council, which introduced digital art practices into rural contexts through workshops, physical and immersive exhibitions, and educational activities exploring artificial intelligence, augmented reality and immersive digital environments. She also presented her integration of augmented reality and physical artworks in institutional contexts such as the Málaga College of Physiciansand the Casa de Castilla-La Mancha in Madrid.
In 2020, at the first Contemporary Art Salon in Monaco held after the pandemic, she unveiled the event’s first painting incorporating augmented reality, receiving coverage from regional media. That same year, she debuted in Sanremo, presenting I fiori della felicità at City Hall to the Mayor and the President of the Municipality, as well as at the Museum of the Flower. In 2021, she presented Divertimento at the Casino of Sanremo.
Her work has been exhibited on multiple occasions in Paris and Biarritz, including venues such as the Carrousel du Louvre, the Casino of Biarritz and the Palais des Congrès Bellevue, where her augmented-reality-based digital works were formally presented to the Mayor of Biarritz within an institutional framework. In parallel, she regularly delivers presentations and masterclasses and participates in professional and private events in different countries.
In Barcelona, Bakkali presented her work at the Can Travi Civic Center, supported by the Barcelona City Council. The exhibition featured two works that integrated artistic practice with emerging digital technologies, using immersive media as a means for the visual communication of medical and scientific content within a civic and educational context.
Her work has also been presented on several occasions at The Party, the emblematic celebration of American Illustration in New York. In addition, Bakkali was selected by TIME magazine for the outlet’s first artistic Web3 initiative, participating with the publication at Dreamverse New York, recognized as one of the earliest major events dedicated to digital and immersive art. READ MORE
Art and Health
Since 2009, Houda Bakkali has been actively engaged in the field of medical and health communication, conducting more than 100 interviews with leading physicians across multiple medical specialties. Alongside this work, she has developed editorial, multimedia, interactive, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) projects, producing communication and educational content focused on health at an international level. This long-term educational initiative was recognized with the WIS Certificate (Web of Health Interest).
Her commitment to advancing effective health communication has received international recognition. In 2024, she was awarded the American Illustration Award (New York) for her project Art for Health, which integrates artistic practice and health communication to enhance clarity, accuracy and impact in medical contexts. Previously, in 2020, her series Creativity Against Covid-19 was included in the global United Nations #UNCOVID19BRIEF campaign and subsequently awarded by the International Motion Awards (New York).
Her work highlights the essential role of clear, accessible and responsible communication in healthcare, supporting patients, families and medical professionals alike. By combining emerging technologies, innovative communication strategies and creative methodologies, her practice contributes to a more sustainable, inclusive and understandable healthcare ecosystem, where technology, communication and creativity reinforce one another.
In Barcelona, Bakkali presented her work at the Can Travi Civic Center, supported by the Barcelona City Council. The exhibition featured two works that integrated artistic practice with emerging digital technologies, using immersive and interactive media as tools for the visual communication of medical and scientific content within a civic and educational framework.
In addition, her works focused on medical and health communication have been exhibited and served as the central subject of multiple masterclasses and educational programs in different countries around the world, delivered through the Alliance Française network. These activities reinforce the educational and international dimension of her practice, contributing to knowledge transfer, professional training and public engagement in the fields of health communication, digital culture and contemporary visual media. READ MORE
Educational, Cultural & Communicational Impact
Houda Bakkali plays an active role in digital culture through the creation of artistic and educational environmentsdesigned for diverse audiences. Her practice extends beyond exhibition formats to include collaborations with media outlets, workshops and structured educational initiatives, positioning digital art as a tool for learning, accessibility and cultural exchange.
Masterclasses and workshops
Bakkali organizes both in-person and online workshops and masterclasses, where she shares her creative methodologies and explores the integration of technologies such as augmented reality within traditional artistic practices. These activities also address the development of audiovisual, virtual and e-learning projects, and have been delivered at cultural institutions as well as public and private centers in different countries.
Outreach and public engagement
Through the global network of the Alliance Française, as well as through civic centers and public institutions, Houda Bakkali has transformed exhibitions into didactic and participatory experiences. By combining physical artworks, augmented reality, workshops and educational talks, her projects frame digital art as a cross-cultural and intergenerational medium, capable of overcoming spatial and temporal boundaries within contemporary educational and cultural contexts.
Artistic Concept
Houda Bakkali conceives art as a tool for digital empowerment, capacity-building, and social transformation. Her work is a tribute her mother. Through technological innovation –augmented reality, immersive, audiovisual, interactive projects, and digital communication-, she promotes the democratization of art, bringing it into public spaces, cultural institutions, and communities worldwide with a festive, colorful, hopeful, and playful perspective.
With an educational propose, Houda Bakkali’s works come to life not only to entertain but also to share messages about the potential of digital art and new technologies as informative, educational, and marketing tools. They provide a powerful complement to enhance the work of artists, opening new opportunities beyond the art world, while also serving as a valuable ally for institutions and spaces that host them.
Her work is an example of how technology can be used to foster cultural transformation. The canvas comes alive and becomes useful. It expands beyond its own limits, beyond traditional spaces, and aspires to reach diverse audiences in order to be both recognized and recognizable by all.
International awards and distinctions
Houda Bakkali’s work has received numerous international awards, among which the following stand out:
New Talent Award at the Festival International des Artistes du Monde, Cannes.
4 with the American Illustration Award (New York).
4 Graphis Silver Awards (New York), in addition to 6 Honorable Mentions.
International Motion Awards (New York).
Honored at the London International Creative.
Recognized with the Paris Design Awards.
Honored at the Creative Quarterly (New York).
Honored twice as a ‘Distinguished Artist’ by the Canadian magazine ArtAscent.
Recipient with the Excellence Award from Circle Foundation (France).
Her work paying tribute to Don Quixote was featured by 3×3 Magazine (New York).
Her illustration series Creativity against Covid-19 was part of the United Nations global campaign #UNCOVID19BRIEF and was awarded by the International Motion Awards in New York. READ MORE
Creative Process
Houda Bakkali’s creative process is multidisciplinary, integrating digital illustration, photography, acrylic painting, collage, animation and interactive media. Her works are frequently expanded through immersive environments, in which augmented reality functions as a narrative and interpretative layer. Through this approach, each physical piece is extended into an interactive experience that allows audiences to engage with the work across multiple visual and conceptual dimensions.
Her artistic practice is evolutionary and adaptive: projects develop over time and across contexts, responding to different audiences and settings. Rather than existing as isolated works, her pieces are conceived as interconnected elements within an ongoing creative system, where content, form and meaning continuously inform one another.
Each of Bakkali’s artistic proposals is also guided by a strong educational orientation and a commitment to accessibility. By employing digital and immersive technologies, her practice positions digital art as a clear, approachable and inclusive medium for education and communication, capable of transcending spatial, temporal and generational boundaries.
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