The Dream Commission

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T161355.738.webp

DREAM COMMISSION

A vital new platform, the Dream Commission will support moving-image works created by emerging and mid-career artists worldwide.

ADVANCING MOVING IMAGE

The Dream Commission invites artists to investigate a particular aesthetic territory: to conjure alternative sensory universes, dream-worlds, sublime and fantastical. Whether their works are based in narratives or in purely visual, abstract imagery, the Dream Commission encourages artists to set their imaginations free to envision places of wonder that transcend the bounds of the everyday.

Audacious, immersive and substantial, works made possible by the commission will transport viewers to a realm of pure imagination.

Moving-image artworks — encompassing experimental film, video, animation, immersive and participatory installations, and content presented in non-screen formats, such as augmented and virtual reality — represent a vital frontier of innovation in contemporary art. The ambition of the Dream Commission is to advance this ground-breaking field.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-05-13T130656.521.webp

DREAM COMMISSION IN VENICE

The art world flocked to the canals of Venice for the pre-opening of the world’s most prominent international art event, the 59th Venice Biennale.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-05-13T130856.499.webp

THE INAUGURAL DREAM COMMISSIION

We are thrilled to announce the opening of Sondra Perry’s inaugural Dream Commission winning artwork ‘Lineage for a Phantom Zone’ at Fondation Beyeler, in Basel Switzerland, on 13 February 2022.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T152036.808.webp

YEAR AHEAD IN MOVING IMAGE ART

The year shaped up to be another horizon-expanding year for moving-image art.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T152335.199.webp

A YEAR IN MOVING IMAGE ART

We reflect on the stand-out moments of a year in which moving image cemented its status as the art form of choice for expressing the realities of our age.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T152353.110.webp

SONDRA PERRY | WINNERS PREVIEW

Sondra Perry, winner of the Dream Commission performs latest work at Art Basel

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MOVING IMAGE ART: PART II

By the time of the Millennium, moving image art had infiltrated the art world. Artists like Pipilotti Rist and Bill Viola were becoming household names, Rist’s lavish large-scale installations and Viola’s theatrical ‘total environments’ had proven how moving image art works could create transfixing experiences that could extend beyond the screen.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MOVING IMAGE ART: PART I

As moving image art enters a new era of heightened relevance, consistently reflecting our shared experiences, one of the main inspirations for the Dream Commission, so we look back to the humble origins of the medium to see how it has evolved from experimental novelty to a futuristic mainstay of contemporary art.

WINNERS DREAM COMMISSION: LIFE IN DREAMS

We explore the innovative work of the dream commission winner, who has gained critical acclaim for arresting visual displays that harness digital technology to explore themes including identity, memory, and longing.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T153138.105.webp

WINNERS DREAM COMMISSION: DREAMS TRIUMPH

Introducing the winner of Muse, the Rolls-Royce Art Programme’s Dream Commission 2021: American artist Sondra Perry.

2021: LOOKING AHEAD

From algorithmic beauty to multi-sensory installations, prepare to be immersed and transported into a land of dreams.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T153634.635.webp

MUSE - A YEAR IN MOVING IMAGE

Moving-image works took on a whole new relevance in 2020 as an unprecedented shift to digital ignited creativity in this field and allowed it to reach an audience on a scale like never before.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T155140.894.webp

The Dream Commission celebrates moving-image works created by emerging and mid-career artists worldwide.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T155119.529.webp

THE DREAM COMMISSION - SHORTLIST

The Dream Commission, Muse’s flagship initiative, strives to support this spirit of innovation at a time when it has never been more vital.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T153657.308.webp

THE DREAM COMMISSION - BEATRIZ SANTIAGO MUÑOZ

Artist and filmmaker, Beatriz Santiago Munoz develops perspective in the world around us, through close observation of the natural environment.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T154459.042.webp

THE DREAM COMMISSION - MARTINE SYMS

Multimedia artist Martine Syms focuses on social commentary, seeking depth and complexity within moving-image.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T154517.694.webp

THE DREAM COMMISSION - SONDRA PERRY

Unearthing new conversations, Sondra Perry unites art history with technology in her digital culture films.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T154534.712.webp

THE DREAM COMMISSION - ZHOU TAO

Guangzhou-based artist Zhou Tao records his environment, creating urban documentaries that blur fact with fiction.

cq5dam.web.1920 - 2026-03-10T155206.888.webp

PIONEERING COMMISSIONS

Discover new pioneering commissions from today’s most exciting contemporary artists and creatives.

SIGN UP NOW

Be the first to hear about our commissioning work with artists and designers, events, conversations with collectors and museum partnership programmes.

INSPIRING GREATNESS

EXPLORE ALL