Exhibition Poster
In a world where digital art is continually pushing the boundaries of creativity, one virtual exhibition stands out as a must-see in 2024. Underground Art And Design (UAAD) presents “Alt-Alterity,” a groundbreaking immersive and interactive exhibition that challenges the status quo of artistic expression. Hosted online at New Art City, this exhibition runs from December 16, 2023, to February 29, 2024, and brings together the talents of 26 groups of artists and designers from 13 different countries, celebrating the diverse and global BIPOC community.
Like pressing the “Alt” key to unlock the potential of another key, “Alt-Alterity” is a beautiful virtual experience and new media art exhibition which seeks to unlock alternative future[s] of symbiosis and coexistence. According to Curator Xiaofan Jiang, “‘Alt-Alterity’ is a manifesto for the future of coexistence, a way of being in which the notion of ‘alterity’ need not exist. It challenges us to question the very foundation of what we consider as ‘normal’ and ‘other,’ prompting a departure from an anthropocentric perspective to one that values a comprehensive appreciation of planetary diversity and interconnectedness.”
Exhibition Screenshot (In this picture: Grass Listeners by Krithi Nalla)
The artists participating in this exhibition explore “Alt-Alterity” in multifaceted realms. Among the contributors are not only contemporary artists but also designers and strategists who transcend the traditional boundaries of their disciplines. Many of these creators merge inquiries in science and art, combining creative experimentation with philosophical exploration, to embody a socially and planetarily responsible agency.
Artists Tiange Wang and I-Yang Huang remarked, “Whether it is turning complex climate data into multisensory experiences through edible confection, or crafting an immersive view into the microscopic world of living organisms, we constantly engage with subjects that are ever-present and deeply connected to our everyday lives yet exist beyond the immediately perceivable.” Angela M Link, an artist who also delves into anthropology and archaeology, strives to “create things that imbed us in the history of our world—not just the history of humanity,” and simultaneously is trying to understand: “What is our impression on the totality of the universe, through a nonlinear sense of time? What are we in an ecological sense, a cultural and ancestral sense, and in terms of our everyday experience and consciousness?” As a visual artist and an oncology social worker, A.J. Cincotta-Eichenfield was longing for “a future that holds larger spaces for empathy and collective memory keeping, that resists the pervasive man-made violence and consumptive voracity of present human contexts, an exit from anthropocentrism, and an earnest re-engagement with diverse ecosystems.”
Exhibition Screenshot (In this picture: Sojourn by Reverie Complex)
Exhibition Screenshot (In this picture: Cybernetic Skins by Christie Lau)
From the imagination of hybrid forms of existence to the exploration of marginal cultural expressions and the blurred boundaries of fluid identity, the exhibition is divided into three chapters: “Unsung Wisdom, Rebel Tech”, “Ephemeral Cycles, Everlasting Collapses”, and “Fluid Bodies, Blurred Boundaries.”
The 3D environments designed by Effy Ma, Gumi Guihan Lu and Amy Xiaofan Jiang in each chapter blend the organic and the cutting-edge. From abstract metallic remnants to a colossal wisdom tree, from interwoven fungal islands, to underground club-like spaces, they integrate seamlessly with each exhibition hall’s narrative, providing a unique and novel experience for every visitor. The digital exhibition is hosted on New Art City, an online multiplayer exhibition space for digital art and performance.
Exhibition Screenshot (In this picture: OOomniOO by Symmone Liu)
Exhibition Screenshot (In this picture: Beyond My Skin by Flavia Mazzanti)
Initiated by New York-based designers Amy Xiaofan Jiang and Fangyi Yang, the collective, UAAD, presented its first immersive virtual group exhibition back in March 2023, Ties That Cannot Be Unbound, exploring the interconnectedness of organisms, bodies, environment, and spirituality through art. “The two exhibitions are tied closely, and they are the vehicles for the stories we want to share—stories that challenge the dominant paradigm regarding how humanity engages with both the ‘other’ inhabitants of the planet and ‘each other’ within societies,” according to Xiaofan Jiang, “Our collective’s mission extends beyond the mere showcasing of contemporary art. We are dedicated to fostering dialogues and encouraging reflections on social injustices. And we instinctively embraced art and narratives as our primary domain.”
Exhibition Screenshot (In this picture: New Deity by Bobby Zhaocheng Xiong)
Artist
Aiping Xu, A.J. Cincotta-Eichenfield, Angela M Link, Bobby Zhaocheng Xiong, Chia-Hua Lee, Christie Lau, Betty Russ and Michael Donnelly, Fatima Al-Kuwari, Flavia Mazzanti, Ishraki Kazi, Joshua Carlos Barrera, Krithi Nalla, Ludovica Galleani d’Aglian, Meiyi Jiang and Xiaoting Tan, Mehrdad Sedaghat Baghbani, Mingyong Cheng, Mo Nan, Shashwath Santosh, Symonne Liu, Tiange Wang and I-Yang Huang, Tianyun Jiang, Xinyuan Ma, Yimei Zheng, Yu Chen, Yuwen Huang, Yuqing Liang, Zhijun Song and Yalin Hu
About UAAD
Underground Art And Design was founded in October 2022 as an international media platform and a creative studio uplifting change-provoking artists and designers through accessible resources, online publications, and exhibitions. UAAD envisions a community of support, across disciplines and time zones, to bring inspiration, innovation, and provocation to the world. Visit https://uaad.art for more information.
UAAD Collective：
Amy Xiaofan Jiang, Fangyi Yang, Weijing Xia, Gumi Guihan Lu, Effy Ma, Jing Dong, Iliana Sun, Ronny Zheng
Venue
New Art City, our gallery partner, is an online multiplayer exhibition space for digital art and performance. Their 3D gallery toolkit enables exhibition spaces accessible to hundreds of simultaneous visitors worldwide without registration or downloads. As an artist-run organization, they focus on supporting artists, especially those lacking physical space or facing systemic injustice. You can find their work at https://newart.city
Contact
hello@uaad.art
For more information, please visit:
Media Contact
Company Name: Underground Art and Design
Contact Person: Jess Deng
Email: Send Email
Country: United States
Website: https://uaad.art