Our world has become more connected than ever. The physical distancing has led to being more close virtually, but virtual connections often lack something.
The emotional connection that physical encounters offer is difficult, probably impossible, to transform into virtual. But, with immersive technologies, virtual content can become an experience that delights and gives that new perspective.
The global lockdown has accelerated the adoption of XR technologies, forcing us to think about virtual platforms and their possibilities from a different viewpoint.
Virtual content has to evolve into something highly engaging - something that draws people in and keeps on giving. Rather than adding on to all of the once-the-pandemic-is-over-this-will-no-longer-be stuff, we should focus on the new, durable ways of content and experience creation.
Once the pandemic is over, the world will open again, and physical connections and experiences are coming back. Still, immersive content will have a place in our lives. It should offer an emotional connection and a flowy, intuitive experience similar to the real world.
A couple of weeks ago, our spin-off product Virtual Art Gallery launched, and now it's time to launch the first virtual exhibitions! Virtual Art Gallery has curated a Spring Program, Layers x Dimensions, to bring joy and beautiful art experiences to you all!
Layers x Dimensions is, by our knowledge, the world's first fine Art exhibition program existing only virtually.
The series is curated by Virtual Art Gallery's Art Advisor & Curator, Dr. Aura Seikkula.
The Spring Program launched mid-March 2021. Virtual Art Gallery will launch a new exhibition each week.
| Launch | Artist |
| March 17th | Victoria Udondian |
| March 24th | Reima Nevalainen |
| March 31st | Jurgen Ots |
| April 7th | Kristiina Uusitalo |
| April 14th | Jari Silomäki |
Victoria Udondian is a mixed media and installation artist based in Lagos and New York. She portrays themes around cultural identity and post-colonial positions, referencing her upbringing in Nigeria. She works with repurposed materials to investigate how fundamental changes in the material can affect one's perception of identity.
Udondian's works have been exhibited internationally, for example, in Lagos, Venice, New York, and the UK.
Visit Victoria Udondian's virtual Art gallery here or by scanning the QR code below with your mobile device's camera:
For Reima Nevalainen, art is a way to explore the mind and the bare human under all of the world's loudness. The sense of intimacy is heightened by his multi-layered collage technique. He combines paint with other materials, such as sand and paper, or scrapes away layers to reveal contrasting surfaces underneath.
Nevalainen aims to be in direct opposition to the contemporary art world's spectacle-like state. He makes paintings that don't look for attention but are intense when taking a closer look and quieting down.
Nevalainen was selected as Finland's Young Artist of the Year in 2016.
Visit Reima Nevalainen's virtual Art gallery here or by scanning the QR code below with your mobile device's camera:
Jurgen Ots' works linger on the border between sculpture, installation, and printing. The artwork consists of a physical, tactile aspect stemming from the treatment of tangible material and a representation of ephemeral elements. These opposing parts enter into a dialogue to form an illusionary synthesis in a psychological context.
Jurgen Ots' work is generated under the Alchemist motto Solve et Coagula; dissolve and coagulate, break down and reassemble.
Visit Jurgen Ots' virtual Art gallery here or by scanning the QR code below with your mobile device's camera:
Kristiina Uusitalo is one of the most prominent Finnish painters. Her production's central themes include experiencing and depicting nature as a stage for the inner human life and an image of climate change.
Personal experience is the basis of her works, opening new perspectives and immediate sensations to viewers. In Uusitalo's art, the visible and the lived uncover channels into new moments of understanding.
Uusitalo received the Finnish State Art Prize in 2008.
Visit Uusitalo's virtual Art gallery here or by scanning the QR code below with your mobile device's camera:
Jari Silomäki is a photographer with a focus on the narrative documentary genre. His works' recurrent subject is the relationship between individuals and the more extensive historical narratives of which they are part. Silomäki portrays the world's grand political issues with subtle and private stories.
Silomäki's projects are open-ended and composed through researching, building, and photographing. He scoops the stories from his own life and grabs on to the stories of the unknown.
Silomäki's works have been displayed in multiple international exhibitions since 2000, for example, in Sydney's Biennale, MCA Sydney (2004), P.S.1, New York (2008), and D - Museum (2018). Silomäki was granted the Finnish State Photography Prize in 2017.
Visit Silomäki's virtual Art exhibition here or by scanning the QR code below with your mobile device's camera:
Virtual Art Gallery will curate its own program each spring and autumn to showcase exciting and exceptional artists from around the world. Follow Virtual Art Gallery's social media and be notified of each exhibition launch!