UCCA Unveil Augmented Reality Art Exhibition Featuring KAWS, Olafur And More

he [nofollow]UCCA Centre For Contemporary Art, based in Chaoyang China, has unveiled an innovative art exhibition, dedicated to Augmented Reality, which has been called “Mirage: Contemporary Art in Augmented Reality.” 

The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with Acute Art and features works that can be seen through the Acute Art app in locations around the museum, alongside the Stey-798 apartment community situated outside 798 Art District’s western entrance. There are several artists taking part in the exhibition, including KAWS, Nina Chanel Abney, Olafur Eliasson, Darren Bader, Alicja Kwade and Cao Fei. The UCCA is also currently staging the largest Andy Warhol exhibition in China featuring over 200 works alongside archival materials.

To promote the exhibition, Apple has donated iPhones for visitors to use within the museum to give everyone that attends an opportunity to see the Augmented Reality exhibition. Users can experience Augmented Reality through their own devices, however,  Acute Art recommends the use of an iPhone X or above or Samsung Galaxy S8 or equivalent to access its app. 

The Augmented Reality exhibition coincides with the complementary exhibit in the Great Hall titled “Immaterial/Re-material: A Brief History of Computing Art,” which explores how artists have incorporated digital technology as a medium from the 1960s to present day.

When discussing the AR art exhibition, one press statement commented: 

“Mirage’ stands as the first major institutional project of its kind. As a medium, AR challenges preconceived notions of art and how it may be seen, erasing old hierarchies and offering new opportunities for the democratization of viewership,”

Acute Art Artistic Director Daniel Birnbaum added: 

“It should not come as much of a surprise that UCCA, known for its experimental approach to new possibilities in art, becomes the first major institution to stage an exhibition exclusively devoted to projects utilizing augmented reality. In collaboration with Acute Art, the exhibition represents a new chapter in the conversation between art and technology.”

The “Mirage” exhibition is currently on view until February 10, 2021.