Art in Flux: Reclaimed

Virtual exhibition 30 March 2021 – 30 April 2021

National Gallery X Launch and panel discussion 30 March, 6.30-8pm 

Art in Flux present Art in Flux: Reclaimed, a new virtual exhibition sponsored by the Arts Council that celebrates some of the most radical and innovative media artists of our times.

Art in Flux, as London’s foremost forum for pioneering media arts, will showcase artists from the underrepresented spectra of society and provide a bridge between media artists and established art institutions, reclaiming visibility for new stories within the art world.

The exhibition will premier Transcendence VR, from London-based experiential powerhouse Kimatica Studio. A 360-degree video media performance, Transcendence explores how the combination of live performance art and interactive technologies can induce altered states of consciousness. Transcendence is born from a reflection on the evolution of society and the way it’s been facing a serious ‘narrative collapse’ - what we have lost more than lives during the pandemic, is hope, narrative and connection.

A 3D scanned performative sculpture will accompany the 360 video, creating a unique VR art piece that draws on the inner battle between lights and shadows, aiming to reconnect the audience with the spiritual world and the more primordial aspects of the human psyche.

Transcendence VR, will present a journey through the subconscious mind to find psychological reconnection with the self.

This will be the first time Transcendence has been represented in a virtual medium, and it wants to “reclaim” a space within the arts to talk about these transcendental ideas which the artists Kimatica believe is going to play and essential role in the evolution of our society.

The exhibition will be premiered at a live online event hosted by National Gallery X alongside a panel discussion with co-founders, Olive Gingrich, Maria Almena and Aphra Shemza and other key curators such as Helen Starr and Ashokkumar Mistry, with a focus on platform cultivation, art communities and the reclaiming of spaces for underrepresented groups. Other artists include Natasha Trotma, Enrique Agudo, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and Camille Baker.

Kimatica’s Creative Director and co-founder of Art in Flux María Almena says:

“As an artist and curator, I believe that contemporary art has a responsibility to contribute to societal change, particularly given the time of flux we are living through. By creating artworks that aim to encourage wellbeing and transformation, and curating events that reclaim space for talented but underrepresented groups, I am hoping to lead the way towards a more thoughtful and inclusive way of experiencing art”.

Free tickets for the live premiere can be booked here: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/events/art-in-flux-reclaimed-in-collaboration-with-national-gallery-x-30-03-2021

More info about the event can be found here: https://www.artinfluxlondon.com/reclaimedevent.html

Notes to editors:

About KIMATICA STUDIO

Kimatica are a London based creative studio emerged by our passion for art for social change, new interactive technologies and transformative experiences. Kimatica’s strategic vision merges aesthetics of light and motion to deliver unique experiences which dissolve boundaries between illusion and reality.

Kimatica’s exclusive approach to transformative experiences encourages audiences to challenge inherent human perceptions and to reignite sub-conscious sentiments to spark a reconnection with the ethereal world. Their artistic practise explores concepts of human consciousness and perception, making those transcendental ideas accessible to a modern audience. Kimatica’s core team are Maria Almena as the creative director and performance artist, Nestor Rubio as technical director and software artist and Ramy Elnagar as executive producer and project manager.

Selected commissions: National Gallery, British Council, Instagram, Veuve Clicquot, MTV, Nissan, Smirnoff, Tate Museum, Barbican centre and Battersea Arts Centre. Selected art exhibitions: Kinetica Art Fair (London 2013 and 2014). Reina Sofia Museum (Madrid 2014) Barbican Centre London (Interfaces 2015) Tate Liverpool (Art Gym 2016). Chroma Art (Tribe17, Oxo Tower, London 2017). Art in Flux & CAS (Royal Collage of art, London 2019), Event Two at V&A Museum. Talks and workshops: : Kimatica have been invited to talk about their work and visionary approach at the National Gallery, Central Saint Martins College, Lights of Soho Gallery and at Digital Shoreditch in London.

About National Gallery X

Supported by Google Arts and Culture, National Gallery X looks at how emerging technologies in advanced telecommunications, artificial intelligence, human computer interfaces and beyond might transform cultural and artistic experience in the decades ahead. NGX brings together Gallery art, expertise and audiences with research from King's College’s faculty and students in a series of residencies, events and collaborative projects.

National Gallery X is part of an innovation lab within DCMS’ Culture is Digital policy programme. This programme was launched in 2018 at the Gallery by the then Secretary of State to stimulate the relationship between the culture and technology sectors. What is the museum of the future? How might technology change and improve your experience? We have launched National Gallery X (NGX) to answer these questions, and more. Working in partnership with King's College London, we are setting out to create the sorts of new museum experiences technology could make possible in ten years' time. The challenge for NGX is to create these experiences today.

About ART IN FLUX

Founded in 2016 at Light of Soho in London by the artists Maria Almena, Oliver Gingrich and Aphra Shemza, ART IN FLUX is a charitable organization committed to furthering the development of the media arts community in the UK. As an artist-led forum, FLUX offers a space for collaboration and exchange as key artists and organizations come together to profile their work. Through talks events, performance evenings, workshops and exhibitions, FLUX brings these ideas to the wider public - providing a fluid platform to discuss strategies, processes and collective themes within the media arts. ART IN FLUX has grown into a thriving network of over 3000+, with an active artist population engaging in regular meet-ups for talks, conferences, presentations, and exhibitions. In July, they curated their second annual exhibition, ART IN FLUX at Event Two, held at the Royal College of Art, showcasing some of the most cutting-edge media artists working today alongside historical computational artworks from the Computer Art Society’s collection. Following the exhibition, a selection of work was then exhibited at the V&A Digital Design Weekend in September. In this collaboration with National Gallery X, ART IN FLUX continues to connect researchers, artists and the general public.

Art in Flux: https://www.artinfluxlondon.com/