THE FUTUR OF COLLECTING
BENEDETTO CAMERANA AT SOTHEBY’S COLLECTORS WEEK OF ABU DHABI
Abu Dhabi is not just an oasis in the desert: it is a multiplier of possibilities. Remarkable things happen here, and good ideas—especially in the contemporary art sector—find concrete opportunities to grow.
This is where Sotheby’s Collector Week took place (2–5 December 2025), an event dedicated to collecting, featuring the conference “The Future of Collectibles – Real and Digital” on the future of museums and collecting—where Benedetto Camerana was invited to share his vision.
A conversation about the future cannot ignore the digital dimension and virtual reality. It is no coincidence that the event was held under the aegis of Roarington, whose mission is to preserve the cultural heritage of vintage automobiles by creating digital twins—virtual replicas of iconic cars—and offering the opportunity to drive them on cutting-edge, hyper-technological simulators.
It is an immersive platform that opens up new dimensions for enthusiasts and hosts collections from some of the world’s most important museums. The first to join was MAUTO, back in 2023. Benedetto Camerana took part in this high-level panel alongside other leading thinkers, including Fritz Kaiser, founder of Roarington, and Markus Gross, Director of Disney Research Studios and ETH Zurich.
Camerana brought a dual perspective to the panel—his experience as President of MAUTO, which he has led for 13 years, and his vision as an architect—presenting a project he is envisioning for the museum: the “Simulator Dome”: a dome—almost a temple—housing several classic-car driving simulators, entirely dedicated to entertainment. In this way, the experience of classic motoring gains new energy through the digital realm and becomes a collective experience—the possibilities of the virtual dimension multiply. It is an avant-garde project that imagines new paths for cultural entertainment and for the enhancement of classic-car heritage, supported by Mercedes-Benz (also present as a speaker on the panel) and 1000Miglia.
But how can immersive museum experiences be designed through technology?
The discussion continued with examples of spectacular, immersive museography designed by the studio. Two are already established—the Juventus Museum and the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, near Milan—and two are currently in progress: the PAO Panathinaikos Museum in Athens, dedicated to the legendary basketball team among the most successful in Europe, and the Space Center—projects we hope to share more about soon.
All of this converges in Roarington’s Art Center—an evolution of immersive design beyond physical space—where architecture finds a new form of materiality in the virtual realm, redefining the experience of art and unlocking the potential of a new dimension.
Abu Dhabi welcomes these visions with great interest, embracing the challenge of pushing imagination beyond the limits of the material world. Potential future initiatives are already being considered, with the aim of engaging soon with this oasis of possibilities.