No fear of overcrowding: exhibition practices, use and sociality in VR

Abstract

The renewed methods of interaction and the immersive possibilities of VR technologies, allowed the creation of simulated spaces for artistic exhibitions, thanks to digital software. These places are always open and their fruition is similar to video games where sometimes they come from. They have been helping to renew the experience of artistic and exhibition practices for less ten years. The paper brings together and compares different digital exhibition spaces, founded by galleries or independent curatorial teams, including: Float, DiMoDa, Museum of Other Realities. The aim is to reveal the deviation from the representation of reality in favor of its simulation. Only the experiments of browser or software-based exhibition spaces will be considered because they present a greater number of criticalities. The essay employs visual culture studies, aesthetics and the history of exhibitions in relation to the new context in order to understand: the news and updates of the digital exhibition practice in VR; the changed relationship that the artwork has with the simulated space; the implications of experiences that become individualistic or parasocial and the renewed interactions in digital exhibition spaces starting from the absence of crowds to the opportunity to approach the artworks without triggering alarms and without damaging them.