An augmented reality exhibition intervenes in the streets of Buenos Aires

April 19, 2022 | nadiaevangelina

"A panorama of this world" presents a set of site-specific augmented reality works around the PROA Foundation and the historic Riachuelo, located in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The exhibition, curated by Daniel Birnbaum and Solana Chetman, has no physical presence but is mediated by technology. The works, which bring together Argentine and international artists, can be appreciated through cell phones and tablets thanks to the Acute Art platform.

“Holiday Space” by KAWS

Acclaimed by tourism, La Boca preserves the emblematic tin dwellings built in the 19th century when Italian immigrants arrived in Buenos Aires. In the exhibition, past, present and future come together in this experimental proposal. Through interactive, immersive, and sound works, the exhibition tries to expand the sensorial limits to the point of questioning the notion of the tangible and immerses us in a fictitious world that can only be accessed digitally.

The monumental spider by Argentinean artist Tomás Saraceno, which moves abruptly and can dance, is one of the most outstanding works. The incredible arthropod is part of a series of ecological works by the artist that seeks to show different species without hierarchies.

Work of the "Webs of Life" series by Tomás Saraceno

"Lune" by Julie Curtis

Over the Riachuelo floats KAWS' most iconic figure, baptized Companion, a sort of Mickey with deformed ears and his face covered by his hands, "beaten down by the consumer society". The piece is titled “Holiday Space” and is a silver astronaut version of the highly recognizable character the artist created 20 years ago based on his original graffiti and cartoons. Companion is placed in close proximity to Julie Curtiss' "Lune" which depicts a nude woman who always has her back to the viewer, and if someone approaches, she vanishes.

Works by Nina Chanel Abney, Koo Jeong A, and Lu Yang have recently been added. Abney combines abstraction with representation to capture the frenetic pace of contemporary life in her work "Imaginary Friend": a giant avatar of a black Christ on the façade of the museum. Meanwhile, Jeong A presented "Density," a 3D work of an ice cube that reflects and refracts the environment wherever it is placed.

Finally, Chinese artist Lu Yang, whose practice is deeply immersed in the subcultures of anime, video games, and science fiction, brings to life her digital avatar, "DOKU", which takes over the physical world in the form of a giant, dancing superhero covered in tattoos.

The exhibition has brought a lot of new visitors to the museum. But it is not only a playful and sensory experience, "A panorama of this world" brings together public space, technology, and contemporary art at a very early stage of the discipline.