Virtual art in an "Unreal City" - 8th January 2021

"Unreal City", an unusual new art exhibition, has been taking place in London along the River Thames.

Herig: "You open the app, select 'Unreal City', go to life buoy number 1, and then view it. This artwork is by Koo Jeong A. It's called 'Density'."

The exhibition includes 36 sculptures by world famous artists. However, they are invisible to the naked eye. Audiences discover them with augmented reality.

When you scan the QR code on one of these red buoys, the sculptures are revealed.

Isabela Herig is the Marketing and Communications Executive at Acute Art, which curated the exhibition.

Herig: "This piece is quite interesting also because some of the elements of the table are interactive."

Coronavirus has closed the majority of art galleries and museums around the world. This virtual exhibition provides a unique way of enjoying art in open spaces.

Daniel Birbaum is the curator of "Unreal City". He feels that VR art can reach new audiences who wouldn't normally be able to visit big exhibitions.

Birbaum: "One of the ideas has been to democratise art, to, in a way, make art visible in places where normally it's not visible. You know, I have nothing against traditional art fairs or museums of course, I spent my life working for such institutions. But then, you know, there are people who don't live in major capitals where there are big collections."