Art lovers around the globe are taking to social media for sharing their experiences at a time when the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic is making them stay in.
KAWS, a highly sought-after US artist, is making efforts to show art lovers a vision of the future, where there are no air fairs, museums or any form of physical art. It comes at a time when the global art sphere is being compelled to look for alternatives to its conventionally event-heavy schedules.
Brian Donnelly, the US-based artist known by the name KAWS, is globally renowned and respected for his body of work. For this project, he has partnered with London firm Acute Art that creates and sells both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) offerings. The partnership has resulted in the creation of what is being regarded as the very first augmented reality-based global exhibition and art marketplace in existence.
People using the Acute Art smartphone application can come across one of the several trademark Companion characters, in a dozen major global cities. These include the busy Times Square of New York City, Tokyo’s constantly busy Shibuya Crossing, and London Millennium Bridge. These AR art experiences are available until March 26.
KAWS has also put 25 separate editions of the featured sculpture available for sale at a rate of $10,000 each. Also on offer are three separate less expensive versions of the AR sculptures, available as limited edition offerings. Each of these can be purchased at $6.99 for seven days, or at a rate of $29.99 for a month.
Jacob De Geer, Chief Executive, Acute Art, expressed that his company, along with its project partner KAWS, considers the AR venture as a precursor to where the domain of art is progressing to. Geer emphasized that people are cutting down on travel due to make greener lifestyle choices, prompting everyone to rely on image capturing and sharing instead. He said that this approach is quite natural as many of today’s art lovers are quite accustomed to using smartphones and social media.
Daniel Birnbaum, director of Acute Art, remarked that ecology-related issues figured high in the list of considerations during the project development phase. He stressed the necessity for new art world models other than biennale and art fair convention, where all enthusiasts fly to designated locations, and chosen artwork is generally shipped to their desired addresses. According to Birnbaum, the new model proposed by the project expands the boundaries of the local art world and limited interactions.
The situation with the coronavirus pandemic is forcing people to stay indoors, especially prompting art lovers to take to social media to showcase their KAWS experience creations. Yet, all parties involved in developing the project were clueless about the outbreak during the developmental phase, according to Birnbaum. He said that the augmented reality experience does not require people to be in enclosed places with each other, as everything is virtual.
