Venice, Veneto Oct 29, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - "The 1st Annual METAVERSE Art @VENICE", the exhibition conceived by Victoria Lu, one of the most famous female art critics and curator of the Chinese art world, is hosted at the Spazio Thetis in Venice, at the Arsenale Nord until the 23rd of November 2022.
The collective exhibition, called gEnki and curated by Angelo Maggi and Fu Sen, is interactive and it exploits the potential of the internet and virtual reality; it also interconnects different areas of the world with the city of Venice in real-time.
gEnki offers a new model of "decentralized autonomous curatorship", exploring various innovative and always different exhibition methods and will continue in the future in the cloud version, through a web platform.
Although this is not a completely virtual cloud-based exhibition, it is nonetheless founded on an interactive virtual-real interaction model. During the seven months of the exhibition, the number of artists presents both online and offline will reach over 300 and there will be events between different artists in connection on the cloud.
The exhibition project aims to involve Generation Z, or the Generation of the Internet, i.e. all those who were born between 1995 and 2009 and who have been influenced since birth by technology, also known as "Digital Indigenous".
Users through virtual life on the Net can overcome the limits of physical space, crossing the barrier between brain cognition, mental imagination, and the real world. It is the so-called "METAVERSE" that has become a hot topic not only among creatives but also among investors worldwide.
It is rather difficult to select a few among the projects focused on current themes and even philosophical ones in some cases, such as the dialogue between impermanence and digital immortality, gender fluidity, (Theirs Series) the conflict between tradition and pacifiable technology in the Metaverse (Odyssey in the Metaverse and Cosmo NFT Chamber), visions of new models of civilization based on recycling and sustainability (One Ton Project).
Other artists reflect on the new ways of monetary transactions of cryptocurrencies to induce the viewer to rethink collectivism and centrality (₿, Who is Satoshi). Visitors can also find fashion shows realized with Extended Reality technology, to create immersive experiences of online and offline integration (Fashion in Extended Reality).
The considerations on the human body in physical and digital reality actively investigate the virtual link between body and space, starting from the data produced by the "negative body space" or the external area between two parts of the body. By measuring them, data was obtained in order to elaborate a virtual space that offers the visual experience of something that could not have been seen before (Future Body).
Several artists propose a dialogue between aesthetics and technology such as in Cosmo Chamber, the first NFT collection characterized by a remarkable sensitivity towards oriental aesthetics, whose creators try to create an NFT Metaverse using Asian historical traditions as a reference. Each artist brings their own unique visual stylistic contribution to the project but shares with others an interest in the artistic aesthetics of the Far East.
In the Future Trip project, very young artists belonging to Generation Z, after a careful study of traditional and tribal Chinese constructions, represented them as they might appear in the Metaverse and the public will be able to virtually enter this hypothetical future reality.
The exhibition set-up culminates with the original installation of a large 4x3 meter-monitor positioned inside a pool for scientific experiments, currently empty and protected by a network, belonging to the marine engineering company, Thetis spa, which houses the exhibition. The screen reproduces a music video Born a Drum Queen by the artist A-DUO with drum dance scenes from which emerges the process that goes from the initial competition to the subsequent integration between traditional and contemporary dancers, creating a dialogue between cultural classic and modern.
Also of note is the large presence of established female crypto artists, still rare in the Western world in this new frontier of art.
Genki is an ancient philosophical concept in China and Japan, which refers to the origin of the world, and represents the vital energy that generates everything, justifying the phenomena of formation, development, change, and end. Being Genki is about giving your best and connecting with people in a positive way. Genki's study refers to the human perception of nature and the world, can it, therefore, help to understand the link between the physical world and the virtual world? Can various modes of immersive interaction between people, things, and the environment in the Metaverse create value and suggest an interpretation of the meaning of existence?
The Metaverse develops in the digital world, its material in fact consists of data and information and is the result of various technological elements including video, virtual reality, and augmented reality, but it is also in close correlation with the physical universe, as it shares the same space-time structure. The Metaverse is accessed via some devices such as computers or smartphones, an internet connection and, to make the experience more immersive, even with augmented reality viewers. Users in the Metaverse can live virtual experiences, create realistic avatars, meet other users, create objects, and participate in digital events, such as conferences or concerts. The avatar transports what we want to represent into a new dimension, fueling a reflection on the theme of identity in another reality that is not only digital but also global.
The metaverse will be the reference for carrying out experiments in cross cooperation, technological enhancement, openness and tolerance, equality and freedom, taking care of the future, protecting the environment, embracing the whole world, and stimulating intellectual interactions and imagination.
Selfish and racist discrimination rages in today's world, while gEnki wants to indicate a change, a new model of mutual help and sharing in which an art without borders of nationality, gender, or age through beauty can give hope.
The artists of gEnki declare themselves as a group of new human beings willing to exist in the parallel universe of the Metaverse through virtual imagination and outside physical space.
gEnki is a research path developed jointly by professors, students, and artists from universities from different parts of the world, led by the IUAV University of Venice and the Doctoral School of History of the Arts of the Cà Foscari University of Venice. Companies such as Qingdao Wanmei Shengshi Technology Information Co., Ltd. and Huahan International Culture Development Company participated with the scientific/organizational committee formed by Angelo Maggi, Fei Jun, Xue Lei, Popil, and Chen Xu; The curatorship is by Prof. Angelo Maggi, Vice-Rector for International Relations at the IUAV University of Venice and by the Ph.D. student and curator Sen Fu. Rick Juang is the technical curator.
The future has arrived, let's fly beyond the future!
EXHIBITION
1st Annual METAVERSE Art @ VENICE
gEnki
curated by Angelo Maggi e Fu Sen
27.04.2022 > 23.11.2022
ORGANIZED BY
Victoria Lu
SUPPORTED AND PROMOTED BY
IUAV University, Venice
Ca’ Foscari University, Ph.D. School of Arts, Venice
Qingdao Wanmei Shengshi Technology Information Co., Ltd
Huahan International Culture Development Company
WEBSITE
SOCIAL
Instragram @annualmetaverseart
VENUE
Spazio Thetis - Lamierini + Tesa 106
Arsenale Nord, Venice
Waterbus stop Bacini lines 4.1- 4.2 - 5.1- 5.2
VISITING HOURS
From Wednesday to Sunday 10 am - 6 pm
National Press Office & PR
Cristina Gatti - FG Comunicazione – Venezia
cristina.gatti@fg-comunicazione.it
desk@fg-comunicazione.it
Media Contact
Cristina Gatti - FG Comunicazione desk@fg-comunicazione.it
