F rom animators and filmmakers to painters and sculptors, artists across mediums are increasingly utilizing the latest VR technology to express their creative visions. Museums and cultural institutions are exploring the utility of VR in exhibitions, responding to enthusiastic audiences eager to experience art forms in new ways. Sotheby’s has also been avidly pursuing the limitless possibilities of these innovations, such as recently teaming with FGreat Studio to create innovative films that were viewable on Occulus Rift VR headsets that allowed gallery-goers to not only look at a painting but to feel as if they were in the painting.

Now Sotheby’s and the VR Society of Hollywood and AMD | Radeon are presenting The Art of VR (22–23 June), an inaugural conference bringing together artists, directors and producers to demonstrate VR, AR, 360 and MR, as well as leaders in the fields of media, advertising, museums, design and more. “We are thrilled to join Sotheby’s in hosting The Art of VR,” says VR Society president Jim Chabin. “They’re the world’s leading art authority and the ideal partner to help us usher in this new art form.”

The two-day festival, held at Sotheby’s New York headquarters, is an opportunity to discover award-winning content produced by innovators. A robust programme of live demos and hands-on interaction will be complemented by a series of speakers and panel discussions on major advancements in VR and its vast potential in fine art, advertising, design, travel, real estate and more.

 Among the highlights: the Space VR Gallery, where LOOT Interactive and Sotheby’s will unveil a space-themed exhibit including the world premiere of The Apollo 11 VR Museum, and a conversation on the future of museums featuring participants from such globally recognized institutions as the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum. The panel is one of several festival components curated by artist in residence Gabriel Barcia-Colombo, who has also organised an exhibition of tech-informed art in a Sotheby’s pop-up exhibition (22 June–22 July) that is an extension of his New York pop-up space BUNKER.

For more information and tickets, click here. For further event queries, please contact allison.paap@sothebys.com. 

The Art Of VR At Sotheby’s Presented By VR Society and AMD | Radeon, 22–23 June, Sotheby’s, 1334 York Avenue at 72nd Street. 

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