Brian Donnelly, the artist from New York better known by the alias Kaws, is displaying works in a new exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London, his first major solo exhibition in the city.
The exhibition, called New Fiction, blends Donnelly’s actual artwork – a combination of his street art, graphic design and eyeless, animated sculptures – with AR versions of each work. You can access them through the Acute Art app, along with a scaled-down rendering of the entire performance.
The show has also been translated into Fortnite, the first time an artist has hosted an exhibition in the game. Fortnite has previously hosted cultural events like Travis Scott’s 2020 concert, while Radiohead’s digital exhibition from November is also curated by the game’s developer, Epic Games. Kaws previously teamed up with Fortnite on Halloween last year on a skeleton skin for players to use in the game.
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Speaking to the Guardian about the performance, Donnelly said: “There is no comparison before a painting or a sculpture. So I was skeptical, thinking about the digital versions. But when I started working with Acute, [I realized] working with them was like working with the bronze foundry or the factory where I made the toys. And the quality they get, it just seems so real. ”
The project also includes a print edition of Kaws and a continuing publication.
