SERPENTINE, ACUTE ART AND FORTNITE PRESENT KAWS: NEW FICTION

18 January - 27 February Serpentine North FREE HERE

Serpentine, Acute Art and Fortnite present KAWS: NEW FICTION, one of the largest physical/digital exhibition in London yet! Featuring new and recent works in physical, virtual and augmented reality at Serpentine North from 18 January - 27 February 2022. This unique project follows Serpentine’s series of collaborations bringing artists together with the latest technology which it launched with BTS in 2020. A virtual recreation of the show will launch simultaneously today at 3pm GMT in Fortnite, allowing millions of players from all over the world to experience the exhibition from anywhere.

The exhibition is presented in collaboration with Acute Art and curated by Acute Art’s Artistic Director, Daniel Birnbaum.

Brooklyn-based KAWS (Brian Donnelly) is considered one of the most innovative artists of his generation. Within the Pop Art tradition, he has created a prolific body of influential work, which both engages young people with contemporary art and straddles the worlds of art and design to include street art, graphic and product design, paintings, murals and large-scale sculptures.

In addition to the Fortnite collaboration, Serpentine and KAWS will use an app developed by Acute Art to offer a bridge between the virtual and the physical worlds. All the paintings and sculptures in the exhibition as well as a miniature version of the entire show will exist as AR works on the Acute Art app and can be placed and viewed at home by viewers globally. They can also be shared on social media, making KAWS’ art visible across the world.

Acute Art works with today’s most compelling artists, bringing together new technology and artistic vision. Currently working across virtual and augmented realities, it produces original digital artworks, making these accessible to everyone through its website, free app and creative collaborations. The company also works as a digital art laboratory, exploring new mediums for experimental art-making and identifying creative ways for it to be experienced and displayed.

Photo: Gianmarco Rizzo