The Looking Glass
Saturday, 3 July 2021 – Sunday, 29 August 2021
The Shed and High Line
New York

Acute Art, The Shed and High Line Art are pleased to announce The Looking Glass, a free outdoor exhibition comprising seventeen augmented reality (AR) artworks staged on and around The Shed’s plaza and on the High Line, July 3 through August 29, 2021. Artists unveiling new commissions include Julie Curtiss, KAWS and Frieze 2021 Artist Award winner Precious Okoyomon, whose debut AR work Ultra Light Beams of Love is presented alongside a new poem. Other participating artists are showcasing works for the first time in the U.S., including Cao Fei, Olafur Eliasson, Tomás Saraceno, Nina Chanel Abney, Koo Jeong A, Bjarne Melgaard, Darren Bader and Alicja Kwade.

Blue flower boxes marked with signage, including a QR code, will denote the artworks’ location accessible via the Acute Art app. In addition to the artworks activated on The Shed’s plaza and the High Line, one will be hidden in a secret location in Manhattan for visitors to discover on their own.

The first chapter of The Looking Glass debuted to widespread acclaim on May 5 as part of Frieze’s annual New York art fair.

“We are delighted to partner with The Shed on this significant exhibition,” said Daniel Birnbaum, Director of Acute Art. “Acute’s mission is to work with artists and provide them a platform to create and present AR and VR works that push beyond the boundaries of their traditional practices. Our collaboration with The Shed enables us to share these new commissions and U.S. debuts with thousands of visitors throughout the summer.”

“At The Shed we endeavor to work with new forms of artistic creation, and the intersection of art and technology plays an important role within that,” said Emma Enderby, Chief Curator at The Shed. “This free public exhibition takes your phone as a looking glass, as a portal to a hidden world where the boundaries between the real and the virtual are obscured.”

“We’re excited about working with The Shed and Acute Art on this exhibition and offering an added experience to a visit to the High Line,” said Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art. “The AR artworks in the exhibition offer new, inspiring ways of engaging in the expanded field of public art.”

The Looking Glass is presented with support from Blasieholmen Investment Group (BIG).

The artworks in The Looking Glass are all visible through the free Acute Art app. Share your images and videos by tagging #acuteart

Alicja Kwade
Bjarne Melgaard
Cao Fei
Darren Bader
Julie Curtiss
KAWS
Koo Jeong A
Nina Chanel Abney
Olafur Eliasson
Precious Okoyomon
Tomás Saraceno